Co-leaders of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

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Co-leaders of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Marama Davidson
Davidson in 2023
Chlöe Swarbrick
Swarbrick in 2017
Incumbents
Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick
since 8 April 2018 and 10 March 2024
TypePolitical party office
Formation21 May 1995
First holderJeanette Fitzsimons
Rod Donald
Websitehttps://www.greens.org.nz/

The co-leaders of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand are the dual highest-ranking members of the Green Party caucus, chosen by the party membership to represent the party. The current co-leaders are Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick.

Any member of the party can be a candidate for the co-leadership, even those that are not currently members of parliament, as long as they have five other party members willing to nominate them.[1] From the creation of the role until May 2022, the party had a requirement that one co-leader be male and one co-leader be female. This was changed and now it is required that one co-leader be female and one co-leader be Māori. It is not required that these conditions be fulfilled by two different people.[2]

Co-leaders are elected for one year terms at Green Party annual general meetings. Incumbent co-leaders are generally re-confirmed, though they are required to meet a 75% threshold of support in a vote amongst members.[3] An incumbent co-leader has only been challenged twice for the co-leadership; in 2013 David Hay challenged Russell Norman,[4] and in 2021 James Cockle challenged James Shaw.[5] In both cases the incumbent won re-election. An incumbent has only failed to be re-confirmed without any challengers once; James Shaw in 2022 only garnered 70% of the vote in the first round.[6] He was later re-elected.[7]

The co-leaders comprise a quarter of the voting members on the Green Party's leadership team, known as Kaunihera (Council). The other members of the team consist of two Te Rōpū Pounamu[a] kaiwhakahaere, two party co-convenors, and two policy co-convenors. The general manager of the party also sits as a non-voting member of the Kaunihera.[8]

The role of Kaunihera, as stated by the party's constitution, is to "[m]onitor the performance of the Party against the [party's] Charter, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Long-term Strategy [and] any other Party strategies supplementary to the Long-Term Strategy".[9]

List of co-leaders[edit]

Co-leaders of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand[10]
No. Co-Leader Portrait Requirement Electorate List Placement[b] Term Start Term End
1 Rod Donald

(1957–2005)

Rod Donald Gender
Male 		List 10th

Alliance

1996–1999 21 May 1995 6 November 2005†
2nd 1999–2005
Donald joined the Green Party in February 1994 after being the national spokesperson for the Electoral Reform Coalition, which was supporting the implementation of mixed-member proportional voting within New Zealand.[21] He became co-leader in 1995[22] and entered parliament as an Alliance MP in 1996.[11] Donald died in 2005 due to Campylobacter jejuni food poisoning.[23]
1 Jeanette Fitzsimons

(1945–2020)

Jeanette Fitzsimons Gender
Female 		List 3rd

Alliance

1996–1999 21 May 1995 30 May 2009
Coromandel 1st 1999–2002
List 2002–2010
Fitzsimons was involved in earlier environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and the Environmental Defence Society.[24] She joined the Values Party in the 1970s.[25] She was a lecturer at the University of Auckland on environmental topics.[26] The Values party would join other groups to form the Green Party, and the Green Party went on to join the Alliance, where Fitzsimons would be co-deputy leader.[25] She became co-leader of the Green Party in 1995[27] and entered parliament as an Alliance MP in 1996. She won the party's first electorate when she won Coromandel in 1999.[28]
3 Russel Norman

(b. 1967)

Russel Norman Gender
Male 		List 10th 2008 3 June 2006 30 May 2015
2nd 2008–2015
Norman grew up in Brisbane, Australia. He moved to New Zealand in 1997 where he was involved with the Alliance, which he wrote his political science PhD thesis about. He would get involved with the Green Party's Waiheke Island branch, and was executive assistant to Green MP Sue Bradford. He was national campaign manager for the party for the 2005 election. He ran for and won the co-leadership after Donald died. Norman lists his main achievements as "forcing the Government to back down on mining on Schedule 4 conservation land, and leading a referendum against asset sales".[29]
4 Metiria Turei

(b. 1970)

Metiria Turei Gender
Female 		List 8th 2002–2005 30 May 2009 9 August 2017
6th 2005–2008
4th 2008–2011
1st 2011–2017
Turei had studied law at the University of Auckland and worked as a lawyer at Simpson Grierson prior to being elected from the Green Party list in 2002. She had previously stood in 1993 and 1999 for the McGillicuddy Serious Party and in 1996 for the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party.[30] In 2009 she was elected to be the new co-leader to replace Fitzsimons.[31] Turei faced a scandal during the 2017 election when she admitted to benefit fraud; in the 1990s, she had withheld information from the Ministry of Social Development regarding receiving rent from flatmates. She later also admitted to electoral fraud; she had registered at a different address than the one she lived in at the time in order to vote for a friend. Turei resigned from the co-leadership before election day.[32]
5 James Shaw

(b. 1973)

James Shaw Gender
Male, Any
Ethnicity
Any (Pākehā) 		List 12th 2014–2017 30 May 2015 10 March 2024
1st 2017–2020
2nd 2020–2024
Shaw came from a corporate background, having worked in the consulting division of PwC and as a consultant at HSBC and the Akina foundation.[33] Shaw has been described as representing the more environmentally focused, non-left side of the party.[34] Shaw entered parliament in 2014, and when Norman resigned in 2015, Shaw put his name forward for, and won, the co-leadership.[35] Shaw faced the 2017 election as the sole co-leader after Turei resigned following scandal.[32] Following the election, Shaw would be amongst the first Green Party Ministers, being appointed Minister of Statistics and Minister for Climate Change.[36] The passing of the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act is regarded as Shaw's biggest achievement.[33] He resigned following the 2023 election.[37]
6 Marama Davidson

(b. 1973)

Marama Davidson Gender
Female
Ethnicity
Māori 		List 15th 2015–2017 8 April 2018 incumbent
2nd 2017–2020
1st 2020–present
Davidson worked for the Human Rights Commission from 2003 to 2012.[38] She was ranked 15th on the Green list at the 2014 election[17] and entered parliament after Norman resigned in 2015.[39] Davidson was elected co-leader to replace Turei in 2018 after the 2017 election.[40] Following the 2020 election, Davidson was appointed Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and also became Associate Minister of Housing.[41]
7 Chlöe Swarbrick

(b. 1994)

Chlöe Swarbrick Gender
Any (Female)
Ethnicity
Any (Pākehā) 		List 7th 2017–2020 10 March 2024 incumbent
Auckland Central 3rd 2020–present
Swarbrick ran a high profile but ultimately unsuccessful campaign in the 2016 Auckland mayoral election. In 2017, she joined the party[42] and was elected to parliament as a list MP.[43] Since entering parliament, she has been the party's spokesperson on drug reform.[44] In 2018, she said in the House "OK boomer" to then opposition spokesperson for climate change, Todd Muller, which received some international attention.[45] In the 2020 election, she successfully contested the race for Auckland Central.[46] She maintained the seat in the 2023 election.[47] In 2024, she succeeded Shaw as co-leader, as allowed by the 2022 co-leader requirement rule changes.[48]

Timeline[edit]

Chlöe SwarbrickMarama DavidsonJames Shaw (New Zealand politician)Metiria TureiRussell NormanJeanette FitzsimonsRod Donald

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ The party's Māori membership.
  2. ^ List placement sources[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Coughlan, Thomas (30 January 2024). "Green Party taking steps to find next co-leader to replace James Shaw". NZHerald. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  2. ^ Whyte, Anna (3 May 2022). "Green Party drops male co-leader rule, adds Māori requirement". 1News. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  3. ^ Green Party Constitution (2022), p. 38
  4. ^ Vance, Andrea (27 November 2023). "Russel Norman faces leadership challenge". Stuff. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  5. ^ Scotcher, Katie (6 July 2021). "Green Party leadership challenge: James Shaw vs James Cockle". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  6. ^ Watkins, Tracy; Galuszka, Jono (23 July 2022). "Surprised James Shaw not reconfirmed as Green Party co-leader, nominations to be reopened". Stuff. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  7. ^ Coughlan, Thomas (10 September 2022). "James Shaw re-elected Green co-leader six weeks after ouster". NZHerald. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  8. ^ Green Party Constitution (2022), p. 9
  9. ^ Green Party Constitution (2022), p. 10
  10. ^ "Former Green MPs – Former Co-leaders". greens.org.nz. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Part III – Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties" (PDF). Election Results. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties". Election Results. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties". Election Results. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties". Election Results. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties". Election Results. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  16. ^ "2011 General Election – Party lists from the 2011 General Election". Elections NZ. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  17. ^ a b "2014 General Election Party – lists for the 2014 General Election". Elections NZ. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  18. ^ "2017 General Election – Party lists from the 2017 General Election". Elections NZ. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  19. ^ "2020 General Election & referendums – Party lists from the 2020 General Election". Elections NZ. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  20. ^ "2023 General Election – Parties". Vote NZ. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  21. ^ Temple, Philip (25 January 2023). "MMP and my part in the downfall of First Past the Post". Newsroom. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  22. ^ Hughes, Gareth (26 July 2022). "The Greens' leadership tumult was 50 years in the making". The Spinoff. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Rod Donald died after rare food bug". NZHerald. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Event: Green awakening meant taking a stand". Bay of Plenty Times – NZHerald. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  25. ^ a b Ferguson, Susie; Dann, Corin (6 March 2020). "A look back at former Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons' political legacy". Stuff. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  26. ^ Delahunty, Catherine (21 March 2020). "Jeanette Fitzsimons: Unflinching visionary who held true to her values". Stuff. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  27. ^ Satherley, Dan; Wilton, Perry (6 March 2020). "Former Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons dies". Newshub. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Fitzsimons steps down as MP – effective immediately". NZHerald. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  29. ^ McCulloch, Craig (30 January 2015). "Profile: Russel Norman". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Politics, passions and pressure: Metiria Turei's path". Radio New Zealand. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  31. ^ Trevett, Claire (30 May 2009). "Greens elect Metiria Turei as new co-leader". NZHerald. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  32. ^ a b "New Zealand Green party leader resigns after revealing she lied to claim benefits". The Guardian. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  33. ^ a b McConnell, Glenn (31 January 2024). "James Shaw: From an unsuccessful teenage politician to the Green bridge builder". Stuff. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  34. ^ Edwards, Bryce (17 March 2014). "Bryce Edwards: NZ First vs the Greens". NZHerald. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  35. ^ Dann, Jennifer (23 July 2015). "Twelve Questions: James Shaw". NZHerald. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  36. ^ "New government ministers revealed". Radio New Zealand. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  37. ^ Desmarais, Felix (30 January 2024). "James Shaw to resign as Greens co-leader". 1News. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  38. ^ Husband, Dale (6 November 2016). "Marama Davidson: Our tāne-centred approach hasn't done anyone any good". E-tangata. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  39. ^ Davison, Isaac (4 November 2015). "New Green MP Marama Davidson introduced to Parliament". NZHerald. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  40. ^ Ronson, Sarah (8 April 2018). "Marama Davidson wins Green Party co-leadership contest". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  41. ^ "Greens accept Labour's offer for 'cooperation agreement'". Radio New Zealand. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  42. ^ Hurley, Emma (11 November 2016). "Chloe Swarbrick, Auckland mayoral candidate, joins the Greens". Newshub. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Attachment A – 2017 General Election list of successful candidates" (PDF). Elections NZ. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Green Party's Chlöe Swarbrick says prohibition model on cannabis has failed". Radio New Zealand. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  45. ^ "'OK boomer': 25-year-old New Zealand MP uses viral term in parliament". British Broadcasting Corporation. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  46. ^ "Auckland Central – Official Result". Election Results. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  47. ^ "Auckland Central – Official Result". Election Results. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  48. ^ 1News Reporters (10 March 2024). "Chlöe Swarbrick elected new Green Party co-leader". 1News. Retrieved 12 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

References[edit]

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