Greens aim for 10 per cent of vote at next elections

Russel Norman. Photo / Northern Advocate

The Green Party aims to capture more than 10 per cent of the party vote at next year's election by presenting a more mainstream image and by persuading voters greater environmental protection makes economic sense, co-leader Russel Norman says.

Speaking to reporters at the Greens' annual conference yesterday in Christchurch, Dr Norman said the target for next year was to lift the Greens' share of the party vote into double figures.

"We need to stretch ourselves to move beyond the 5 to 10 per cent band where we've spent a while. I think a realistic target for the Greens is to get over 10 per cent."

Dr Norman said the party was encouraged by the Australian Greens, who have been polling as high as 16 per cent in recent weeks.

To exceed 10 per cent, the Greens would have to increase the absolute number of party votes they received by almost 50 per cent from the 6.7 per cent they secured in 2008, an outcome that gave the party nine seats.

If it reached its target the party would expect to win 12 to 13 seats.

Virtually the only man in a suit and tie at the conference attended by about 200 party members and delegates, Dr Norman said the Greens were now "obviously of a view that we want to make sure the way we look doesn't get in the way of our message".

"It's really important for me that I'm able to communicate what I think are the critical messages for our country about the environment."

In his leader's speech, Dr Norman warned that tourism and dairying, both built on New Zealand's "clean and green" image, were headed for "a terrible collision".

He attacked Labour's "malign neglect" of the environment during its last spell in office, which coincided with a massive expansion in the dairy industry.

He said the damage had accelerated to "active destruction of our economic advantage" under National with even further pressure placed on water resources and the move towards mining in the conservation estate.

"Taking care of our environment is good for our economy, it is essential to our long-term prosperity," Dr Norman said.

"If we can tell this story successfully, we will change the nation's agenda again. We will change the way New Zealand thinks about economic success and economic sovereignty."

The Greens' prescription for the economy and environment includes resource rentals or putting a price on water use to make it "financially worthwhile to protect our rivers".

The Greens would also prioritise research, science and technology spending in areas such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green tech manufacturing, green design and energy efficiency.

On Saturday, co-leader Metiria Turei made Prime Minister John Key and Social Development Minister Paula Bennett the focus of her attacks on the Government's record on addressing inequality.

With policies which increasingly denied disadvantaged New Zealanders the opportunities to get ahead which they had enjoyed, Mr Key and Ms Bennett had forgotten where they came from, she said.

She also said the Greens would continue to work with National where the party believed it could secure policies that would help poorer families.

Having successfully co-operated with National to introduce a subsidised home insulation scheme, the Greens would seek support from Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee for graduated electricity prices.