KEY POINTS:
Prime Minister John Key is willing to sit down with the Green Party next month to talk about its policy ideas, including those promoted yesterday by Green co-leader Russel Norman for cheaper power to households.
"I'm happy to discuss their initiatives," Mr Key said yesterday.
"There is no question that will happen fairly soon once Parliament is back."
Asked if that might lead to a co-operation agreement, Mr Key said it was far too early to consider that.
"It is more important that we sit down and understand where they want to take the relationship firstly."
In a "state of the planet address" Dr Norman called for the Government to get involved in the development of "smart meters" that would allow households to buy cheaper electricity at off-peak times and to sell back solar energy to the grid.
"You should be able to choose to run your dishwasher or clothes dryer late at night and pay the cheapest rate for electricity. You should be able to sell power back to the grid from the solar panels on your roof."
The next step would be for the smart meters to connect to household appliances and switch them on automatically when power was cheap and plentiful and to turn them off when there was an increase in demand and price.
"But smart meters need smart Governments," Dr Norman said. "We will only get smart meters if the Government steps in to ensure that there is a minimum standard for smart meters and that the meters are compatible between retailers."
New Zealand could lead the world in smart meter technology and sell it to others "but not if the Government stands by and doesn't act".
As well as his ideas on innovation, Dr Norman's speech in Henderson called for:
Cutting Government energy bills by buying only the most fuel-efficient cars for the 20,000 vehicles in the Government-owned fleet and improving buildings.
Reinstating the green homes fund to upgrade insulation in existing homes and build new energy-efficient state houses.
Spending the same on public transport as is spent on roads.
Matching US President Barack Obama's plan to cut oil consumption by a quarter over the next 10 years.
Dr Norman called on the National-led Government to move beyond partisan politics to look at its policies in its response to the global economic downturn.
Borrowing a recent adaptation of the "New Deal" policies of United States President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s Great Depression, Dr Norman said it was time for a 'Green New Deal'.
"There are two storms converging on our shores: our climate crisis and our economic crisis."
A 'Green New Deal' would be both a moral and rational response to the twin crises.
"We must share knowledge and ideas and purpose. Only through united action will we ride out the storm and I urge the Prime Minister to reach out and follow his better instincts."
The Green Party last term considered taking an independent position. But ultimately it went into last year's election saying it would not support the formation of a National-led Government and, as it has previously said, it would support only Labour.
Mr Key said he had indicated to Dr Norman last year a willingness to sit down with the Greens for a formal meeting this year.
"We met on a relatively regular basis when I was Leader of the Opposition and while we understood the position they adopted going into the election, it won't preclude us from having on-going discussions with them and where there is policy agreement, us exploring that policy further."
Former Green MP Nandor Tanczos, who supported a more independent line for the Greens, criticised his former parliamentary colleagues in aWaikato Times column on January 12 for the position it took on National.
"I thought at the time it was an extraordinarily stupid thing to do, to fasten your lifeboat to a sinking ship.
"Greens did best on an outgoing Labour Government but last year's result was disappointing - it increased from six to nine MPs.
"The Green Party might well have won their biggest caucus yet if they had been prepared to stop licking Labour's hand."
He said the Green Party had "lacked the courage" to try and forge a new political space genuinely independent of Labour and National.
