Foundations The Green Party traces its origins to the
Values Party, the world's first national-level environmentalist party. The Values Party originated in 1972 at
Victoria University of Wellington. While it gained a measure of public support in several elections, the then
first-past-the-post electoral system meant that the party did not win any seats in the
House of Representatives. Some of the founding members of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, notably
Jeanette Fitzsimons,
Rod Donald and
Mike Ward, had been active members of the Values Party at the outset of the
Green movement in the 1970s. At the 1989 local-body elections, multiple candidates stood for local government positions under the "Green" label. It saw the election of New Zealand's first Green city councillor,
Stephen Rainbow, in Wellington. He was joined the next year by councillor Merrin Downing, who left the
Citizens' Association to join the Greens. In May 1990, remnants of the Values Party merged with a number of other environmentalist organisations to form the modern Green Party. This sparked a resurgence of support, with the new group winning 6.85% of the vote (but no seats) in the
1990 election.
The Alliance years The following year, the Greens became co-founding members of the
Alliance, a five-party grouping that also consisted of the
Democrats,
Liberals,
Mana Motuhake and
NewLabour Party. Immediately prior to this there had been limited co-operation between the parties running joint candidates in several local-body by-elections in Auckland. One candidate, Ruth Norman, was from the Greens and was elected to the
Auckland Regional Council. At the Alliance's inaugural party conference in November 1992 party members elected
Jeanette Fitzsimons from the Greens as a co-deputy leader of the Alliance. The Greens contested the
1993 and
1996 elections as part of the Alliance. Over time the issue became a more divisive issue internally until eventually a splinter party (the
Progressive Green Party) was set up by members who were unhappy at the direction of the Alliance, which they believed was too left-wing and too focused on social justice type issues, detracting focus from environmental issues. Until the 1995 annual conference in
Taupō, the Greens had no elected leaders. At that conference, Jeanette Fitzsimons was elected unopposed as female co-leader, and Rod Donald defeated Joel Cayford and Mike Smith in a three-way contest to become male co-leader. After New Zealand adopted the
mixed-member proportional (MMP) electoral system in 1996, the Alliance gained entry to Parliament, bringing three Green
list MPs with them: Jeanette Fitzsimons, Rod Donald and
Phillida Bunkle. In 1997, feeling that membership of the Alliance had subsumed their identity, the Greens took the decision to stand candidates independently of the Alliance at the next election.
Green Party in Parliament .
1999 election In the
1999 election, the Greens gained 5.16% of the
party vote and seven seats in Parliament. Fitzsimons also won the electorate seat of
Coromandel; it is believed that this is the first time a Green candidate won a first-past-the-post parliamentary election. During the ten days it took to count special votes and confirm Fitzsimons' election,
Labour concluded a coalition agreement with the Alliance which excluded the Greens. However, the party supported the government on
confidence and supply in return for some input into the budget and legislation. This led to the Greens gaining a $15 million energy efficiency and environmental package in the new government's first budget. Over the term, the Greens developed a good working relationship with the government and also had some input into policy, notably Sue Bradford's amendments to the
Employment Relations Act 2000.
2002 election In the
2002 election, the Greens polled 7.00%, increasing their strength in Parliament to nine seats, although they lost the Coromandel electorate. The electoral campaign featured strong tensions between the Greens and Labour. The Greens sharply criticised Labour for its plans to allow a moratorium on genetic engineering to expire, and believing that Labour would require their support to form a government, intended to make the extension of this moratorium a non-negotiable part of any deal. After the election, however, Labour and their coalition partner, the Jim Anderton-led
Progressive Coalition, instead opted to rely on support from
United Future, at that time a party with conservative Christian overtones. Although the Greens no longer had any input into the budget, they maintained a close working relationship with the government, and the Greens remained involved in the legislation process. Often the government needed to rely on Green votes in the
House to pass progressive legislation not approved by United Future. The government won praise from political commentators for juggling the two diametrically-opposed parties. While the moratorium on genetic modification has now expired, the Greens remain heavily involved in attempts to prevent any GM releases under the new regulatory framework, and genetic engineering remains a major topic for the party.
2005 election In the
2005 election, the Greens won 5.30%, returning six of their MPs to Parliament. Despite expressing clear support for a
Labour-led government during the campaign, they were excluded from the resulting coalition, due to a refusal by United Future and NZ First to work with the Greens in cabinet. They were, however, able to negotiate a cooperation agreement which saw limited input into the budget and broad consultation on policy. Both co-leaders were appointed as government spokespeople outside cabinet, with Fitzsimons responsible for Energy Efficiency, and Donald responsible for the
Buy Kiwi Made campaign. However, Rod Donald died the day before Parliament was due to sit and the position of government spokesperson on Buy Kiwi Made was filled by
Sue Bradford.
Nándor Tánczos took up the vacant list position and the co-leader position remained vacant until a new co-leader,
Russel Norman was elected at their 2006
annual general meeting. The other contenders for the position were Nándor Tánczos,
David Clendon and former MP
Mike Ward. Bradford also introduced, in 2005, the
members' bill that would become the
Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007. The bill sought to outlaw the legal defence of "reasonable force" for parents prosecuted for assault against children. It led to widespread debate and accusations that MPs supporting the bill were fostering a '
nanny state' approach. Despite this, the Bill became law after it passed its third reading on 16 May 2007 with an overwhelming majority of 113 votes for and 7 votes against.
2008 election In the
2008 election, the Greens increased their share of the vote to 6.72%, enough for 9 MPs, even though there was a swing throughout the country to the
National Party. This initially gave the Greens two extra MPs, but counting the special votes brought in a third. They became the third largest parliamentary party in New Zealand, and signed a
memorandum of understanding with the governing
National Party.
Metiria Turei was elected at the 2009 annual general meeting after former female co-leader
Jeanette Fitzsimons stood down as an MP in February 2009.
2011 election In the
2011 election, the Green Party received nearly a quarter of a million party votes (247,372), equating to 11.06% of the total valid party votes nationwide, earning them 14 seats in the 50th Parliament. Preliminary results on election night showed them with 10.6% of the vote, equivalent to 13 seats, but special votes increased their support enough to gain an extra seat. They remained the third largest parliamentary party in New Zealand.
2014 election In the
2014 general election, the Green Party's share of the party vote fell slightly to 10.70%. Despite this, they retained all of their 14 seats and remained the third largest party in Parliament.
2017 election In their
2017 election campaign launch on 9 July 2017, the Green Party proposed charging bottling companies a 10% tax for exporting water, with the revenue being split between local councils and Māori tribes or iwi. They also announced that they would ban new resource consents for bottling companies until the establishment of a new comprehensive commercial water pricing scheme. In July 2017, co-leader Metiria Turei criticised the populist
New Zealand First party and its leader
Winston Peters for alleged racism, particularly
towards immigration. List MP
Barry Coates penned an article in the left-wing "The Daily Blog" claiming that the Greens would call a snap election rather than be excluded from a prospective Labour and New Zealand First coalition government. Turei and Coates' comments were fiercely criticised by both Peters and New Zealand First MP
Tracey Martin, who warned that this would affect post-election negotiations between the two parties. Fellow co-leader Shaw later clarified that Coates' remarks did not represent Green Party policy. On 16 July, in order to raise awareness of the inadequacies of the welfare system, Turei disclosed that she had committed benefit fraud in the past. Turei also advocated for raising the domestic purposes benefit for families during the Green Party's electoral campaign. Her disclosure generated considerable interest from the media, politicians, and the New Zealand blogosphere. On 7 August, Green MPs
Kennedy Graham and party whip
David Clendon resigned as Green Party candidates due to their disagreement with Turei's actions and handling of the situation. They formally resigned from the Green Party's parliamentary caucus the following day after the party made moves to remove them "involuntarily." On 9 August, Turei resigned as co-leader and as a list candidate, stating that the media scrutiny on her family had become unbearable. James Shaw remained the Green Party's sole leader for the 2017 election. Clendon stated that he would not be returning to the Green Party list despite Turei's resignation. Graham sought to return to the party list, but this was declined on 12 August by the Green Party Executive. Leader James Shaw indicated that there was considerable animosity within the party towards Clendon and Graham for their actions. On 17 August, it was reported that the Green Party had fallen by 11 points to 4% in the
1News–Colmar Brunton Poll, below the 5%
threshold needed to enter Parliament under
New Zealand's mixed-member proportional system. The party's sharp drop in the opinion poll was attributed to negative publicity around the Green Party's infighting and the ascension of
Jacinda Ardern as leader of the centre-left
Labour Party, the Greens' nominal ally. By contrast, the Roy Morgan opinion poll placed public support for the Green Party at 9%. The 2017 general election returned eight list MPs, with 6.3% of the party vote. The Green parliamentary caucus' newest members were
Chlöe Swarbrick, who became the
youngest member of the House, and
Golriz Ghahraman, the first
refugee member of the House. Following the election results, Party Leader Shaw stated that the Greens would not be seeking a coalition with the National Party. He added that the party was pursuing a coalition rather than a support agreement with the Labour and socially-conservative New Zealand First parties. On 9 October, the Greens leader Shaw took part in negotiations with the Labour Party. During the coalition-forming negotiations, NZ First leader Peters turned down Shaw's invitation for the two parties to negotiate directly on the grounds that the Greens and Labour had campaigned together under a memorandum of understanding during the 2017 election.
First term in Government, 2017–2020 In October 2017, the Greens entered a confidence and supply arrangement with the Labour Party which gave them three ministers outside cabinet and one under-secretary role. This marked the first time the Greens had been in government. Party leader James Shaw was appointed Minister for Climate Change and Statistics and Associate Minister of Finance.
Julie Anne Genter was made
Minister for Women and Associate Minister of Health and Transport.
Eugenie Sage was made Minister of Conservation and Land Information and Associate Minister for the Environment.
Jan Logie was appointed Parliamentary Undersecretary to the
Minister of Justice with a focus on domestic and sexual violence issues. As a support partner of the
Labour-New Zealand First coalition government, the Greens secured several policies and concessions including a proposed
Zero Carbon Act, a
referendum on legalising personal cannabis use by 2020, establishing a proposed
Climate Commission, a proposed
Green Transport Card to reduce public transportation costs, investing in rail and cycle infrastructure, light rail construction to
Auckland Airport, increasing the
Department of Conservation's funding, eliminating "excessive" benefit sanctions and the
gender pay gap, a rent-to-own-scheme as part of
KiwiBuild, and re-establishing the
Mental Health Commission. In 2019, a number of Trans members resigned after a Green Party magazine published an article from a member concerned about the growing divide between women in the party and LGBTQIA+ members. In late August 2020, Shaw was criticised by members of the Green Party, the opposition
National Party, school principals and teachers unions for allocating, in his role as Associate Minister of Finance, NZ$11.7 million from the Government's $3 billion COVID-19 "shovel-ready" recovery fund to the private "Green School New Zealand" in
Taranaki. This funding boost contradicted the party's own policy of opposing giving government funds to private schools. Shaw had lobbied for the inclusion of the school in the "shovel-ready" fund, claiming that it would have boosted the local economy and created jobs. Former Green MPs
Catherine Delahunty,
Mojo Mathers and
Sue Bradford denounced Shaw's decision as a betrayal of the Green Party's policies and principles. Shaw subsequently apologised to Green MPs during a
Zoom call, describing his action as an "error of judgment." On 2 November, it was reported that the Government had reached an agreement with the school's owners, Michael and Rachel Perrett, for the NZ$11.7 million grant to be converted into a loan; a development that was welcomed by local principals.
2020 election , 2020 During the
2020 New Zealand general election held on 17 October, the Greens returned to Parliament with 7.9% of the popular vote, giving them ten seats. In addition, Green MP
Chlöe Swarbrick won the
Auckland Central electorate seat by 1,068 votes. Despite the Labour Party winning a parliamentary majority and not needing to form a coalition agreement with other parties, Labour and the Green parties undertook a series of discussions about areas of cooperation. Green co-leader James Shaw had indicated that the Greens would be open to negotiating with Labour about its
wealth tax policy as part of coalition negotiations. Earlier, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had ruled out supporting the Green's wealth tax policy during campaigning. On 20 October,
Newshub reported that Ardern was not seeking a formal coalition between Labour and the Green Party but was exploring a lower-level support arrangement.
Second term in Government, 2020–2023 Following prolonged negotiations between the Green and
Labour parties' leaderships, the Green Party accepted a deal on 31 October under which their co-leaders James Shaw and
Marama Davidson would become ministers outside the Cabinet. Under this cooperation agreement, Shaw would remain Minister for Climate Change and become an associate minister for the environment (with responsibility for biodiversity) while Davidson would take the new role of Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and become an associate minister of housing (with responsibility for homelessness). In addition, Green MPs would fill one chair and one deputy chair role on two
select committees.
Stuff reported that these would likely be held by former ministers Eugenie Sage and Julie Anne Genter on the Environment Committee and Transport Committee, respectively. During a
Zoom call, 85% of the 150 Green Party delegates voted to accept this cooperation agreement with Labour. The agreement was described by Ardern as "honouring the mandate provided to Labour to form a majority Government in our own right" while ensuring the Government "govern[s] for all New Zealanders and to reach as wide a consensus on key issues as possible." Several former Green MPs, including former co-leader
Russel Norman,
Sue Bradford, and
Catherine Delahunty, criticised the cooperation agreement for giving the Greens a weak position to influence the policy process within the newly formed Labour Government. On 19 May, Ghahraman sponsored a motion on behalf of the Green Party calling for Members of Parliament to recognise the right of Palestinians to self-determination and statehood. The motion was supported by the Greens and the
Māori Party but was opposed by the centre-right
National and
ACT parties. The governing Labour Party also declined to support the Greens' motion, with the Speaker of the House
Trevor Mallard criticising Ghahraman for sponsoring the motion despite knowing that it was going to be voted down. In June 2021, it was revealed the Green Party had received $54,000 in donations from Lindsay Fraser, whom the
Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RNZSPCA) has called the worst animal abuser in New Zealand history. In July 2021, Shaw's
co-leadership of the Greens was challenged by Dunedin climate activist and software developer James Cockle, who expressed dissatisfaction that the Greens were being seen as "Labour's little helper." During a vote at the party's annual general meeting in August 2021, Shaw was overwhelmingly re-elected, winning 116 delegate votes with just four to Cockle. In January 2022,
Radio New Zealand reported that several Green Party executive and policy branch members had resigned from the Party citing disagreement with the Green Party leadership's cooperation agreement with the governing Labour Party, taking issue with what they regarded as the Greens' perceived limited ability to hold the Government to account on policy differences. These former members also alleged Shaw was practising an autocratic leadership style and that the party executive was not holding the parliamentary caucus and leadership to account over policy decisions in government. In addition, several former Green leaders and MPs, including Bradford, Delahunty, and Norman, criticised the party's limited position within the Labour Government, the Government's alleged pro-business policies, and climate change position. In response to criticism, co-leaders Shaw and Davidson claimed that the party was democratic and making "progressive changes" in government. In early May 2022, the Green Party scrapped its male co-leadership requirement during a weekend special meeting to amend its constitution. Under these changes, the two new co-leaders now need to consist of one woman and one person of any gender (with leadership pathways for
non-binary and intersex individuals). In addition, at least one of the future co-leaders is required to be of
Māori descent. On 23 July, an annual general meeting was held online to decide on the party's leadership. While Davidson was re-elected unopposed, 32 of the 107 delegates voted to reopen nominations for Shaw's position, meeting the 25% threshold needed to remove him as co-leader and trigger
a leadership election under the party's rules. Shaw was criticised by elements within the party including party member Travis Mischewski and former Green MP Delahunty for his perceived "moderate leadership" and inability to effect change within the Labour Government and tackle climate change. On 25 July, Shaw confirmed that he would contest the co-leadership election. That same day, fellow MPs Chlöe Swarbrick and
Elizabeth Kerekere confirmed that they would not be contesting the co-leadership position. On 10 September, Shaw was re-elected as Green Party co-leader by 142 (97%) of the 145 eligible delegates in the party's special election. Shaw was the only candidate to contest the 2022 co-leadership election.
2023 election As part of the party's policy plan for the
2023 general election it put forward the policy of a guaranteed minimum income for those out of work and those studying of
$385 a week for individuals, $770 a week for couples, and $735 for single parents, all after tax. This would be phased in over 2 years and paid for via a wealth tax of 2.5% (two point five percent) on assets worth more than four million New Zealand dollars for couples and two million for singles, as well as a top rate of tax of 45% on incomes over $180,000 and a 33% corporate tax rate. Those with a salary under $125,000 would be granted a tax free threshold of $10,000. The party stated this would result in "tax cuts of between $16 and $26 a week for 3.7 million New Zealanders" and anyone earning under $125,000 would pay less tax as part of its plan. In the 2023 general election, the Green Party's share of the party vote rose to 11.6% and it increased its number of seats by six to 15: three electorates and 12 list MPs. This is the highest number of Green MPs to ever be elected into Parliament thus far. The party returned to opposition, as support partner Labour came second to National.
In opposition, 2023–present In January 2024 Shaw announced that he would be resigning as co-leader of the Green Party and retiring from politics. Amid shoplifting allegations, Golriz Ghahraman resigned in January 2024. She was replaced by Celia Wade-Brown. On 21 February 2024, Fa'anānā
Efeso Collins died during a charity run in Auckland. He was replaced by
Lawrence Xu-Nan. On 15 March 2024,
Darleen Tana was stood down after allegations of migrant exploitation. On 6 May 2024, James Shaw resigned from parliament and was replaced by
Francisco Hernandez. In late September 2024, Swarbrick announced that the Greens would hold a special meeting on 17 October to decide whether to expel Tana from Parliament using the waka-jumping legislation. In mid-October, Tana appealed the High Court ruling upholding the Green Party's proceedings to expel her from Parliament. In response, Swarbrick said that the appeal would not affect the special meeting scheduled for 17 October. At that meeting 185 party delegates voted to support the use of the legislation by an overwhelming consensus. On 22 October, House Speaker
Gerry Brownlee revoked Tana's ability to attend Parliament and expelled her using the
Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act 2018. She ceased to be an MP immediately following this announcement. In response to the ruling, Tana maintained her innocence but said she respected the speaker's decision due to the waka-jumping law. In early November 2024, the Greens' Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill, which proposed allowing copyrighted works to be used for parody, satire and
memes, was pulled from Parliament's ballot. On 20 November, Green MP
Teanau Tuiono's
member's bill restoring
New Zealand citizenship to people born in
Western Samoa between 1924 and 1949 passed into law with unanimous support from all parties. In early May 2025, Swarbrick unveiled the Greens' alternative budget, which proposed investing $8 billion over the next four years in various green policies including creating a Ministry of Green Works and supporting sustainable infrastructure. Other key Green Budget policies have included a new
wealth tax, higher corporate taxes, a private jet tax, higher mining royalties and income tax rates. In response, the ACT party described the Green Budget as a "reckless attack on family farming" while Prime Minister Luxon described the alternative budget as "clown show economics." On 18 May, Swarbrick defended the Green Budget as during an interview with
TVNZ journalist
Jack Tame, saying that it had been "independently costed." In mid July 2025, the Greens' supported the National-led coalition government's proposed online casino legislation during its first reading, which would introduce 15 licenses for online casinos operating in New Zealand. On 5 September 2025,
Benjamin Doyle announced they would resign from Parliament, effective 3 October, citing safety concerns.
Mike Davidson would enter Parliament to fill the vacancy. In mid November 2025, co-leader Davidson announced that a Green government would revoke coal, gold and seabed mining consents approved under the National-led coalition government's
Fast-track Approvals Act 2024. In response to fuel shortages in March 2026 caused by the
2026 Iran war, the Green Party offered to support the National-led coalition government's crisis-relief package in Parliament if the government agreed to subsidise free public transportation, transport relief payments for low income earners and rural residents, increase mileage rates for care and support workers and reverse cuts to school bus funding and the Total Mobility Scheme. On 24 March, the Government announced its NZ$373 million relief package which consisted of a $50 in-work tax credit for 143,000 working families with children from 7 April, and a lower tax credit for another 14,000 families will also be eligible. While beneficiaries and pensioners would be ineligible for the tax credit, their payments would be adjusted from 1st April per procedure. In response, Swarbrick described the tax credits as insufficient for helping low income groups and said it favoured fossil fuels over public transportation.
Local body elections 2013 local elections In the
2013 local elections, the Greens won three city council and two regional council seats in
Wellington, a council seat in
Dunedin, and also enjoyed success in
Christchurch and
Gisborne.
2016 local elections During the
2016 local elections, Green Dunedin candidate Aaron Hawkins was re-elected to the
Dunedin City Council and was joined by the Green Party's first successful local or parliamentary
Pasifika candidate, Councillor
Marie Laufiso. During the
2016 Wellington local election, four Green candidates
Sue Kedgley, Iona Pannett, Sarah Free, and David Lee were elected onto the
Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Lambton, Eastern, and Southern Wards of the
Wellington City Council. Several Green candidates also contested seats on the
Auckland Council, local boards, and licensing trusts during the
2016 Auckland local body elections. In addition, Brent Barrett was elected to
Palmerston North City Council.
2019 local elections The
2019 New Zealand local elections were the most successful local body elections ever for the party, culminating in 42 successful candidates. Notably,
Aaron Hawkins was elected
Mayor of Dunedin, becoming the first Green Party candidate to ever win a mayoralty in New Zealand. In addition, Brent Barrett was re-elected to the Palmerston North City Council and was joined by a second Green candidate Renee Dingwall. Future Green MP
Teanau Tuiono also ran for the position of
Mayor of Palmerston North but was defeated by the incumbent Grant Smith. Though Aaron Hawkins was defeated in his bid to be
re-elected as Mayor of Dunedin, the Green-endorsed
Tory Whanau was elected as
Mayor of Wellington. Green councillor
Tamatha Paul was
elected to the
Wellington City Council (WCC) and became the chair of its new environment and infrastructure committee. In addition, Laurie Foon and Nīkau Wi Neera were elected to the WCC's Southern General Ward and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori ward. In addition, Yadana Saw, Thomas Nash, and Quentin Duthie were elected on the Green Party ticket to the
Greater Wellington Regional Council. Green councillor Brent Barrett was re-elected for a third term on the
Palmerston North City Council (PNCC). In addition, Kaydee Zabelin was elected to the PNCC on the Green ticket. In
Otago,
Marie Laufiso was elected to the
Dunedin City Council as a councillor. In addition, Alan Somerville was elected to the Dunedin Regional Constituency of the
Otago Regional Council. In July 2024, Laufiso resigned from the party over the ousting of Tana, becoming an independent city councillor.
2024 Wellington by-election In February 2024, Green Party candidate Georgie Rogers was elected to the Pukehīnau/Lambton General Ward in the
Wellington City Council. The ward had been vacated by
Tamatha Paul, who had been elected to Parliament as a Green MP during the 2023 New Zealand general election.
2025 New Zealand local elections During the
2025 New Zealand local elections and the
local referenda on Māori wards and constituencies, the Greens campaigned on retaining
Māori wards and constituencies, sustainability and upholding the
Treaty of Waitangi.
Mayor of Wellington Tory Whanau pulled out of the
2025 Wellington mayoral election and instead ran for the
Wellington City Council's Māori ward. Whanau was unsuccessful, losing that race to Labour candidate Matthew Reweti. During the 2025 Wellington City Council election, four Green candidates Jonnie Osborne, Geordie Rogers, Rebecca Matthews and Laurie Foon were elected to the council. During the
2025 Dunedin City Council election, Green candidate Mike Treadwell was elected to the
Dunedin City Council.{{cite web | title = 2025 Triennial Elections Declaration of Result | url = https://www.electionz.com/LGE2025Results/ELT71DC25_Result.pdf | website = electionz.com | publisher =
Dunedin City Council | date = 16 October 2025 | first = Anthony | last = Morton | url-status = live == Structure ==