Speech by the Greens' co-leader Marama Davidson

Kia ora, thank you.

As James rightly said, this is the most important election that any of us have experienced in decades.

This campaign at times has brought out the worst in some political parties.

Instead of a contest of ideas, they’ve sought to make it a contest of fear and disinformation.

It has become alarmingly clear that the priority of National, and the other smaller parties, is not to keep us safe.

But to divide us, and to make us scared, in the pursuit of power.

The response of these parties to COVID-19 has made it, in our personal view, inconceivable that we would be able to work together in Government.

Which is why next term, in our opinion, the only possible Government which will ensure people are safe both now and in the future, is a Greens, Labour partnership.

We commend this Government’s handling of COVID-19, and our shared progress this term to make this fairer for our communities, and to better protect our planet and nature.

Labour cannot govern alone.

Unchallenged decisions can mean bad decisions, and with the Greens at the decision making table, we’ll make sure that we truly face the challenges we’ve been ignoring for too long.

The Greens will work productively with Labour to do more for our communities, and for our planet.

As a party, we understand we cannot rebuild the status quo – because the status quo wasn’t working.

And that understanding of the need to do things differently is reflected in our policies.

COVID-19 has not created the inequality in our society, but illuminated it.

The pandemic has affected all of us, but not equally.

Those with the least are suffering the most.

Our COVID-19 plan is grounded in building resilient communities, which can withstand the crises we know about – and those which will come down the line.

The cracks revealed during COVID-19 will be revealed again – so we must fix these inequities now.

We are the only party so far to come up with a plan to redistribute some of the wealth held by the richest in our country, so that the burden of recovery does not fall on the shoulders of those with the least.

So everyone has enough to live a dignified life – especially in the tough times.

The same goes for housing.

A warm, safe, secure home is a health plan. Ensuring people have a roof over their head, and a community around them, is a health response.

So let’s empower community housing organisations to create long-term non-profit rental homes, where families can put down roots and thrive.

While continuing to build more warm, dry and safe homes for whānau to live in.

Let’s think ahead, and take action to move to clean energy, by installing solar on the roofs of homes around Aotearoa, and offering grants to empower communities to be a part of a sustainable future.

Let’s transform farming from one of the drivers of climate change, to one of the biggest solutions, by creating funding for farmers to transition to sustainable practices.

Let’s protect our moana by placing a third of our oceans into marine protected areas.

Let’s connect our regions to the major centres, and create thousands of jobs, by building reliable, fast inter-city rail throughout Aotearoa.

And let’s ban new industrial coal boilers straight off the bat, and phase out coal by 2030.

These policies are our vision, and they are what we will bring with us to the negotiating table if we get the numbers to do so.

And that’s where you come in.

The more support the Greens get, the bolder Labour will be.

A strong Green voice means we will do more to ensure our grandchildren have a stable planet to live on, and that they can enjoy our precious environment.

That everyone has what they need.

Underlying all of that, the Greens know that upholding te Tiriti o Waitangi, and tino rangatiratanga for iwi and hapū is essential to a stable climate, healthy nature, and taking care of everyone.

The Greens in Government have done more for climate action in one term of government than the last three decades of governments combined – all while addressing inequality and protecting our environment.

But we must go further and faster, especially in our response to COVID-19.

Think ahead, for your mokopuna, and Party Vote Green.