Greens drink to their political revival

By Theresa Garner

The Greens toasted themselves with organic wine yesterday as the party written off a year ago as "political compost" jubilantly acknowledged its comeback.

Those at the campaign launch at Auckland's Marine Rescue Centre were high-spirited over a signal by Labour leader Helen Clark that Labour voters should back Green co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons in the pivotal Coromandel seat.

Co-leader Rod Donald told 200 supporters that the Greens were poised to take the seat from National's Murray McLean and make a "unique contribution" to environment policy as part of a Labour-led government.

Jeanette Fitzsimons said the party was beginning the campaign with an unexpected responsibility. "The question of who gets to form the next Government may well be determined by the Green vote."

She said environmental issues would drive the campaign.

The Greens want a halt to genetic engineering and West Coast logging, a "go organic" policy, an energy-efficiency strategy, more money for conservation, alternatives to cars, ecological tax reform, alternatives to prisons, and sustainable fishing.

Voters were urged to "make your vote last for generations."

"A hundred years from now, people will look back in amazement at our profligacy with the natural environment," Jeanette Fitzsimons said.

"There is no risk that they will disapprove of our farsighted decisions to remain a GE free nation, to get the poisons out of our food and water."

The northern campaign manager, Catherine Delahunty, said that the Greens would campaign hard for the party vote, on a range of issues.

The Greens said Labour on its own was not prepared to make the environment, rather than the economy, the bottom line.

"Our children's children may never see a kiwi or kaka, and it's getting harder all the time to catch a fish for tea," Jeanette Fitzsimons said.

A New Zealand Herald-DigiPoll survey this month put the Greens' support at 2.9 per cent, which would net the party between three and four seats, if it took Coromandel.

Organic farmer Ian Ewen-Street and unemployed-rights activist Sue Bradford could join Jeanette Fitzsimons and Mr Donald in Parliament. Wild Greens activist Nandor Tanczos is next on the list.

Mr Donald said the huge gamble the party took in breaking away from the Alliance in 1997 was "the best thing we ever did."

"We've been able to appeal to a whole host of people who could never have supported the Alliance."

The party is confident of attracting the youth vote and has assembled a brat pack of its own to put out the message "get active, or be screwed."

Its youngest candidate, 21-year-old Sonata McLeod, is standing for Dunedin South.

The campaign launch for the Coromandel electorate will take place today and tomorrow.