Greens co-leader James Shaw announces he is standing down from his role in March.
Video / Mark Mitchell
ANALYSIS
The Greenie in a suit who kept the party afloat as it seemed to be sinking, brought it into government for two terms, and then as a minister reached across the aisle to pass enduring legislation.
A humble James Shaw shirked away from questions about his legacy as heannounced he was standing down as Green Party co-leader, saying none of what he had achieved had been achieved by him alone.
But much of it may not have happened without him, either.
When Shaw entered Parliament in 2014, he was already an outlier to the stereotype - rightly or wrongly - of hemp-wearing, tree-hugging Greenies; he had a corporate background, albeit in roles where he tried to steer companies to sustainable practices.
It was in those roles that he decided he wanted to become an MP, knowing he could advance the causes he cared about much more in Parliament.
Despite being an MP for only a handful of months, he put his hand up for the co-leadership contest in 2015, and when he won, one of the first things he said was that he was open to working with the National Party on climate change.
Therein lies Shaw’s strategy. It was more important to him to have effective legislation that survived changes in government, rather than something stronger that would just be repealed before it could really make a difference.
His consensus-building approach as Climate Change Minister was his greatest asset as well as his biggest crutch, depending on who you ask.
The landmark Zero Carbon Act that Shaw shepherded through Parliament, which puts the Paris Agreement’s climate change targets into legislation and had near unanimous support, perfectly captures this tension.
The National-led Government has no intention of repealing it, and has also promised to meet its climate commitments, though via different mechanisms.
Most Green supporters saw merit in Shaw’s approach, but a small minority - including former Green MPs - criticised his compromising as weak and unjustifiable.
Similarly, the respect he earned from MPs in National and NZ First hardly endeared him to this group, nor did the high ranking that business leaders regularly gave him in the Herald’sMood of the Boardroom.
This culminated in a shock vote in 2022 that saw Shaw temporarily ousted from the co-leadership after failing to win 75 per cent of delegate votes. He was reinstated six weeks later, winning 138 delegate votes while just four voted to reopen nominations.
Co-leaders Marma Davidson and James Shaw during Election day last year. Photo / Michael Craig
This would have been one of the “knocks” that Shaw said had peppered his time in Parliament, which he didn’t detail. Another would be the apology after his strong advocacy for an $11.7 million grant to an exclusive private school, which was against party policy and triggered a backlash from Green voters, schools and education unions.
And then there was the physical knock that Shaw suffered when he was assaulted while walking to work one day in 2019.
The biggest knock the Green Party suffered under Shaw’s watch was its diving popularity in the aftermath of Metiria Turei’s admission of benefit fraud, which triggered two Green MPs essentially quitting in protest, and Turei’s eventual resignation. In less than a month, the party went from 15 per cent in the One News Colmar Brunton poll to below the 5 per cent threshold.
It was in the lead-up to the 2017 election, and Shaw was left to navigate the campaign as sole co-leader. The Greens not only returned to Parliament with 6.3 per cent, but for the first time, it entered Government with ministers, albeit outside Cabinet.
Shaw has always said his time in Parliament would be determined by how useful he could be at affecting the kind of change he believed in, and that he wanted to lead the Greens into government and then steer them safely out the other side.
The Greens were not only in government, from 2017-2020, but were returned to Parliament after that term, avoiding the normal fate of government support partners including NZ First.
This term the Greens have more MPs than they’ve ever had, with 15, and hold three electorate seats: Auckland Central, Wellington Central and Rongotai.
But with the swing to the right, Shaw’s time as a minister is over, and he cannot get the same wins in Opposition.
His work isn’t quite done, which is why he will remain an MP for a wee while longer; he has a member’s bill to broaden the Bill of Rights Act to include the right to a sustainable environment.
He doesn’t know yet if he can build cross-party support for it, but this isn’t new territory for him.
And whatever he does when after he leaves - perhaps a role in the climate space? - it will likely be something where he feels useful in advancing causes he sees as most vital.
Derek Cheng is a senior journalist who started at the Herald in 2004. He has worked several stints in the press gallery and is a former deputy political editor.
