Green Party votes to be part of next Government with Labour

Green Party members have voted to be part of the next Government.

Stuff understands the agreement was carried by 85 per cent of delegates – an overwhelming majority, however the number of votes opposed is an increase on the 2017 confidence and supply agreement vote when just three delegates opposed.

Under the deal, the Green Party co-leaders will become ministers outside of Cabinet in a deal offered to them by the Labour Party.

James Shaw will remain as Minister for Climate Change and will be Associate Environment Minister, while Marama Davidson will be the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, a new role that will build on the under-secretary role Jan Logie had during the last term, and Associate Minister of Housing with a focus on homelessness.

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Davidson said the Greens were “thrilled”.

“The Green Party is thrilled to enter into this governing arrangement with Labour, after three years of a constructive confidence and supply relationship.”

Shaw said he was happy to have achieved a deal that secured wins in Green portfolio areas.

“We are very happy to have secured areas of cooperation in achieving the goals of the Zero Carbon Act, protecting our nature, and improving child wellbeing.

“In the areas of climate change, looking after our natural environment and addressing inequality, there’s no time to waste. Marama will do incredible work rapidly addressing the issues of homelessness and family violence.”

There is little policy detail in the proposed cooperation agreement, other than a general agreement to work together on child poverty, climate change, and the environment.

The co-leaders will be ministers outside of Cabinet, bound only by collective responsibility in relation to their portfolios.

This will allow the Greens to vocally oppose the Government on other matters. There is also an agree-to-disagree provision on the matters the Green Party do have portfolios in, so it can note a difference of view there.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the cooperation agreement respected her party’s power to govern alone while working with the Green Party on issues the two parties agreed on.

“On election night I said I want to govern for all New Zealanders and to reach as wide a consensus on key issues as possible. This agreement does that, while honouring the mandate provided to Labour to form a majority government in our own right,” Ardern said.

She said the deal was innovative to reflect the first-ever MMP majority.

“Never before has one party won a majority under MMP, but that is not to say the principles of MMP should be ignored."

The full Cabinet will be announced on Monday.

Under the deal the Green Party would not oppose Labour in confidence and supply matters, but could abstain instead of voting in support. Labour’s majority means it is still able to win confidence votes and pass its budget with or without the Green Party.

Cooperation Agreement (1) by Thomas Coughlan on Scribd

The deal was released by the prime minister’s office while Green Party members met to vote on the deal.

Ardern said Shaw knew climate change “inside out” and stability in the portfolio would be useful.

“His expertise in this complex and detailed policy area is an important skill set to tap into and he has a range of domestic and international stakeholder relationships that are important to maintain,” Ardern said.

The details of the deal have been kept very secret, with the full Green Party caucus only finding out about the deal at the meeting.

The agreement also says that the Greens will chair and deputy-chair two select committees. Green Party delegates have been told that these positions would be given to Julie Anne Genter and Eugenie Sage, MPs who were ministers in the last government but have missed out under this deal.

They will likely chair or deputy chair the transport and environment select committees.

The decision on who will chair those committees would ultimately go to the party caucus and representatives from the wider party before a decision was made.

The full text of the agreement notes Labour is keen to progress changes suggested by the 2012 Electoral Commission review of MMP. This would see the end of “coat-tailing” and a lower party vote threshold to enter Parliament.

The delegates are organised at a geographic branch level, which could dilute some of the power of the more left-wing, urban wing of the party.

The negotiations stand in stark contrast to those made after the 2017 election, when Labour needed the support of both NZ First and the Green Party to govern.

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After a landslide result in the 2020 election Labour does not need any other party to govern – a first under MMP.

In Shaw’s first term as Climate Change Minister he shepherded the Zero Carbon Bill through Parliament, winning the support of National after prolonged negotiations.

At the 2020 election the Green Party campaigned for far more boldly left-wing policy than Labour, with a pledge to introduce a guaranteed minimum income paid for by a new wealth tax.

Labour has ruled out implementing that wealth tax in any form, and are instead opting to hike income taxes for those making more than $180,000.

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