Greens race for co-leader tipped too close to call

It started out a no-brainer, but heading toward the finish line the race to be the Greens’ new male coleader is too close to call.

While there are four candidates, it’s largely expected party votes will be split fairly evenly between third-term MP Kevin Hague and first-term MP James Shaw at the party’s annual conference on Saturday.

But it’s understood up to 30 delegates are holding their cards close to their chest and are not saying which way they intend to vote.

Hague, a former district health board chief executive, was the clear favourite early on, with Shaw considered too inexperienced for the job.

But Shaw has made a strong showing and betting on forecasting website iPredict gives him a slight lead.

The other candidates are MP Gareth Hughes and parliamentary outsider Vernon Tava.

The leadership race was sparked in January when coleader Russel Norman announced his resignation. Over the past

I think they know if I expand the vote it’ll come at their expense and tip them out of power. James Shaw First-term MP

month he has taken a back seat from party business, letting coleader Metiria Turei dominate public issues.

Norman steps down at the conference after nine years in the top job. Turei intends to stand again as female co-leader in the annual vote, though there is unlikely to be any significant competition against her.

The vote also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Green Party.

But while celebrations play out, delegates still reeling from a disappointing result in September’s general election could deliver a surprise result.

In a series of meetings to delegates across the country, Shaw has been pitching himself as the one to grow the Greens’ vote base.

He was a target of National in Parliament this week, but Government tactics to undermine him may prove to work in his favour.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister John Key tipped Shaw in the race, saying he would ‘‘look forward to the questions from James Shaw next week’’.

‘‘I think they know if I expand the vote it’ll come at their expense and tip them out of power. I notice they spend a lot of time talking about me, and not a lot talking about my competitors,’’ Shaw said.

It is not the first time Shaw, a former consultant, has been praised by National, and he has admitted that some Green Party members have suspected he is something of a ‘‘Tory in disguise’’.

Voting will be carried out by a preferential voting system, with the new leader expected to be announced by 2pm on Saturday.

The annual conference will conclude on Sunday, with the Greens also launching a new climate change campaign.