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Kate Hawkesby: What sort of chance does Sustainable NZ have?

Author
Kate Hawkesby,
Publish Date
Tue, 12 Nov 2019, 9:20AM
Vernon Tava has launched the Sustainable NZ. Photo / Supplied)

Kate Hawkesby: What sort of chance does Sustainable NZ have?

Author
Kate Hawkesby,
Publish Date
Tue, 12 Nov 2019, 9:20AM

I spoke to Michelle Boag yesterday about the launch of the new Sustainable NZ party.

I mentioned its oft-described definition as a kind of Blue-Green party, which she disputed.

She said it’s a party that will work with anyone, it’s not necessarily “blue”.

It’s certainly carving out a nice little niche for those who care about the environment, but may be disillusioned with the increasingly banal leftist lunge towards social engineering that the current Green party is displaying.  

Transport and drug law reform often seem the bigger headline grabbers than any truly environmentally focused policies for the current Greens.

In fact you rarely see a Green MP these days talking about trees, unless it’s James Shaw, they’re more likely to be talking trains and benefits.

So is there a space for Sustainable NZ?. A straight up environmentalist party which doesn’t seek to social engineer?

Well yes, I think so.

But the snag in the tail is ironically MMP.

Designed to welcome more minor parties, it has instead managed to swallow most of them up.

Chewed them up, and spat them out actually.

Most of them struggle to make the 5 percent threshold.

Most of them flail around at the bottom of the heap scrapping for time, attention and votes, and when they don’t get that, vanish into oblivion.

I would cite most of the Christian parties by way of example.

Even NZ First has faced oblivion several times, the Greens also struggle.

Sustainable NZ launched with a bang – leader Vernon Tava saying his aim was 10 percent.

I put it to Michelle Boag that that goal was delusional. She didn’t disagree.

By the time Vernon was giving an interview on the Mike Hosking Breakfast he’d downscaled that goal to 5 percent.

Even then, he may be pushing it, but the feedback I got yesterday was interesting.

Some saying, who is ‘Herman’ Tava? Name recognition’s important and he might find he needs to get his out there a wee bit more.

But it’s early days.

Others saying they wouldn’t write them off just yet, that they considered Sustainable NZ a viable and attractive third party option.

A few said they felt they’ve left their run a bit late for next year’s election, but swing voters who’ve previously voted Green.. told me they wouldn’t again as the Greens have swung too far to the left.

For the middle of the road voter concerned about conservation and the environment, this may well be the party for them.

A year is a long time in politics and we have just under that to go, before we vote again.

Can Sustainable NZ do it?

We’ll soon find out.  

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