Greens promise to take 'every bit of power' to negotiating table to fulfil election promises

Greens Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick believes any dip in the polls as a result of the party’s association with gangs would have already been seen, but argues voters are more interested on other issues. 

Two polls this week show the Green Party holding its 14-16% vote share of recent months. The polling period of both polls captured in its final days the saga concerning last week’s resignation of Labour candidate Kerrin Leoni for campaigning at a gang event, which came after MPs from Te Pāti Māori and the Greens did the same. 

Swarbrick told Mike Hosking on the Leaders Breakfast she would have expected any impact to have been seen in polls this week, and believes voters were more interested in issues such as the cost of living. 

Asked about Labour leader Chris Hipkins ruling out many Green Party tax reform policies and ruling out giving the party some ministerial positions, Swarbrick insisted the relationship between the two parties was good and “collaborative”, noting she and co-leader Marama Davidson had regular conversations. 

However, she acknowledged the declining “direction of travel” for the two major parties, which she believed made the rule-in, rule-out conventions nonsensical. 

Swarbrick didn’t provide a clear answer when questioned on what her party might be able to secure in coalition negotiations regarding tax reform. Labour has promised no new taxes aside from its capital gains tax, whereas the Greens have proposed extensive tax reform, headlined by a wealth tax. While she encouraged people to vote for what they wanted, Swarbrick said, “of course we’re going to compromise". 

Swarbrick appeared confident her party would retain the three electorate seats it won in 2023, but also felt it likely the Greens would win Te Tai Tokerau and Christchurch Central, which was a long-time Labour seat. 

On Opportunity, Swarbrick wasn’t sure how much of the Greens vote had been lost to Qiulae Wong, saying the party’s support seem to be “flowing in from everywhere”, reiterating how Opportunity could support the current governing parties and how it wasn’t a guaranteed vote to change the Government. 

She observed that voters were “exhausted” and sick of the “tit-for-tat nonsense”. 

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