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Shaw: Voters look past 'messy' few weeks

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Fri, 18 Aug 2017, 5:19AM
Party leader James Shaw said he was disappointed in the result and it doesn't feel great, but it's not totally unexpected. (Photo \ Dean Purcell)
Party leader James Shaw said he was disappointed in the result and it doesn't feel great, but it's not totally unexpected. (Photo \ Dean Purcell)

Shaw: Voters look past 'messy' few weeks

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Fri, 18 Aug 2017, 5:19AM

James Shaw hopes he has what it takes to put the Greens back in Parliament after yesterday's disastrous poll.

The latest 1 News - Colmar Brunton poll has the party on just 4.3 per cent, meaning they are in serious danger of falling short of the 5 per cent needed to return to Parliament.

The period polled directly followed Greens' most turbulent week yet, in which they lost two MPs and a co-leader.

Party leader James Shaw said he was disappointed in the result and it doesn't feel great, but it's not totally unexpected.

"I was expecting that we were going to take a big hit, because obviously the last couple of weeks have been very messy, and if there's one rule in New Zealand politics it's that voters hate that kind of messiness when it comes to political parties."

The poll had Bill English and Jacinda Ardern neck-and-neck at 30 per cent each in the preferred Prime Minister rankings.

Shaw said it is clearly the case with both National and Labour that who leads makes a huge difference to a party's support.

"I hope that I can provide the kind of leadership that the Green Party needs to stabilise the ship and to reassure voters that we're the same Green Party with the same vision, the same values, and that we've got the credibility and the chops to perform as partners to the Labour Party in government."

Shaw said he hopes voters can look past the party's tumultuous few weeks.

"I'm hoping that people will look at our track record over the last 17 years and see that as a bit of a blip and that actually our track record is pretty good."

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