Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand ( German about: Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand ) is a Green Party in New Zealand. Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand, the double name has been deliberately chosen to indicate the bilingualism of the country.

The main political theme of the party is environmental protection, it considers, moreover politically left-wing, progressive viewpoints.

Since 1996, the party is represented in the New Zealand Parliament. The former Co - Chair Jeanette Fitzsimons party resigned on 10 February 2010 after 13 years working in the Parliament of their office. In June 2009, she had handed over her role as co- chairman of the party Metiria Turei, now the Office with Russel Norman shares, holding the position since 2006.

Policy

The Greens are mainly focused on environmental issues. Lately, they have expressed concerns particularly about genetic engineering, they are strongly opposed to. They have also criticized the military operations of the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan sharp.

The basic principles of their economic policy, they emphasize sustainability or sustainable business practices and fair trade. They also say that economic success should be measured rather on the resulting quality of life than on hard economic indicators.

Charter

The following points relate to - loosely translated - from the founding charter of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand:

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand accepts Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of the [ State] Aoetearoa New Zealand. It recognizes the Māori tangata whenua as Aoetearoa New Zealand and is committed to the following four principles:

• Ecological wisdom The basis of ecological foresight is the fact that humans part of the natural [ order ] is world. This world is finite, therefore unlimited material growth is impossible. Ecological sustainability is paramount.
• Social Responsibility Unlimited material growth is not possible. Therefore, the key to social justice, the equitable distribution of social and natural resources, both globally and locally.
• Appropriate decision-making For the implementation of ecological wisdom and social justice decisions are made at the appropriate level by those affected.
• Nonviolence Non-violent conflict resolution is the means is enforced by the ecological wisdom, social responsibility and appropriate decision-making. This principle is applied at all [ decision ] levels.

History

Origins

The Greens lead their origins to the Values ​​Party ( German about: Values ​​Party) back, which is sometimes even referred to as the world's first national Green Party. The Values ​​Party was founded in 1972 at Victoria University of Wellington. While they gradually gained public attention, but they did not make it because of the former electoral system to gain seats in parliament. Therefore, the Values ​​Party increasingly lost again to support and thus important.

Foundation

1990 merged the Values ​​Party with a number of other environmental organizations to today's Green Party. This triggered a resurgence of support. In the parliamentary elections in the same year the Greens received from the state 6.85% of the vote and were thus the third strongest party. Nevertheless, they could due to the majority electoral system no deputies to the New Zealand House of Representatives ( House of Representatives ) post.

The "Alliance " years

In 1991, the Greens co-founder of the so-called The Alliance, a group of leftist parties to Jim Anderton NewLabour party. 1993 and 1996 were the Greens as part of the alliance in the parliamentary elections. Due to the change of the electoral system (since 1996 a with German equivalent mixed system of majority and proportional representation applied ) won the Alliance 13 seats in the House of Representatives, could be three of which are occupied by the green MPs Jeanette Fitzsimons, Ron Donald and Phillida Bunkle.

1997 the Greens decided to send in the next election again independent of the Alliance candidates in the race. They felt their political identity in the Alliance a bit suppressed. While most members of the Green Party left the alliance, some decided to remain, for example the deputies Phillida Bunkle. Conversely, were some Alliance members who were previously on other parties to the Alliance, the Greens over ( for example, the two deputies today Sue Bradford and Keith Locke, who came over NewLabour to the Greens ).

Work in Parliament

After they had just skipped with 5.16% of the five- percent threshold in the parliamentary election in 1999, the Greens were able to send seven MPs to parliament. The party leader Jeanette Fitzsimons even managed to win the constituency Coromandel and collect as directly to Parliament. Supposedly, it is the world's first directly elected parliamentary seat green. However, the Greens had long tremble for the result, because the final entry into parliament was only after the counting of special votes so-called after ten days fixed. Meanwhile, already a center-left coalition of the Labour Party and The Alliance was formed, who had not invited the Greens because of the delay for talks. But in hindsight, it was agreed that the coalition could count on certain issues on the support of the Greens. For the Greens, some say in the budgeting has been granted. The Greens have developed a good working relationship with the government and were able to bring some legislative initiatives.

In the 2002 election the Greens succeeded to increase its share of the vote to 7% and thus to send nine delegates to the House of Representatives. The direct seat in the constituency Coromandel lost Jeanette Fitzsimons to a National Party candidate. During the election campaign, there were bitter clashes between the Greens and the Labour Party. The Greens criticized the Labour plans to phase out a moratorium on genetic engineering usage, sharp. In view of a possible support from the Greens, who would possibly have needed the Labour Party, they wanted to make clear that the extension of the moratorium was a non-negotiable issue. After the election, formed a coalition of the Labour Party and Jim Anderton Jim Anderton -led Progressive 's. The coalition decided, rather on the support of the party United Future New Zealand to leave, which represented strict Christian values ​​. The Greens were thus again in opposition.

Although the Greens had no direct influence on the state budget, they still maintained a close working relationship with the government and remained so involved in the legislative process. The government had to often rely on the support of the Greens in voting laws, because they were not backed by the conservative United Future Party. The government gained by the " juggling with two diametrically different parties ' praise from journalists.

Because the moratorium on genetic engineering is now expired, try the Greens under the new government to influence legislation to prevent under the given circumstances, a legal permission from the genetic modification of animals and plants. Genetic engineering is still one of the main themes of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.

In 2005, the Greens succeeded again with 5.3% representation in parliament, even though they suffered losses. So they could only send six delegates. From the Labor government they were now completely excluded after United Future and New Zealand First refused to support a government with green participation.

For the Greens now sit Sue Bradford, Sue Kedgley, Keith Locke, Metiria Turei and Nandor Tanczos (replaces Ron Donald ) in the House of Representatives.