The Greens In Real Government in October 2023

Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, September 11th, 2023 - 21 comments
Categories: climate change, community democracy, Conservation, election 2023, greens, housing, political parties, science, social democracy, transport - Tags:

So let’s say the Green Party gets 10% of the vote and the top 9 get in, including Chloe.

And say they get to form a government, from some miracle.

And it’s an actual coalition not some half baked thing, and they get actual Cabinet seats.

What would Greens in Cabinet look like?

So imagine Marama Davidson as actual Minister of Housing.

Barfoot and Thompson would shit their pants.

Just imagine government policy requiring that rent increases can only go up a maximum of 3% a year. Imagine all rental houses requiring a warrant of fitness like a car, and landlords being held accountable for ensuring those standards are met. There would be something of a revolution and the backlash from the real estate management community would be pretty organised. But there would also be something of a revolution from those who rent their houses, and it would be a groundswell of happiness and security pure and simple.

Imagine if the next time the Reserve Bank felt the need to artificially raise interest rates and hence put a lot of first home buyers in serious financial strife, you could go to the government directly for low-interest home loans.

Davidson in housing would probably be the minister under the most intense political attack and would likely need support.

James Shaw, Minister of Climate Change, Environment, and Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery

So let’s look at James Shaw keeping the Climate Change portfolio, but also picking up Gabrielle recovery, and Environment as well. That would put him in charge of a multi-billion effort with both Auckland Council and on the East Coast rebuild effort.

He would put the Climate Change Adaptation Bill on the first years’ legislative agenda. A dedicated fund would be set up in the first budget to implement climate change and adaptation measures. We’d likely see MFAT required to set up strong climate adaptation projects with Pacific islands.

Shaw would also continue his fun with project-by-project carbon mitigation deals as he has with Fonterra, Synlait, and Glenbrook Steel.

Chloe Swarbrick – Minister of Democractic Reform

I think Chloe Swarbrick would need a specific portfolio focused on the Greens’ democracy initiatives. I suspect she’d be tasked with working with the Maori Party on ensuring our constitutional arrangements recognise He Wahakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tirene and te Tiriti o Waitangi, working with them to initiatie formal dialogue with iwi, hapu and Maori organisations. No need to expect anything fast out of it, just start engaging with Maori about constitutional arrangements and recognitions. That would include entrenching the Maori electoral seats.

Chloe would be tasked with corralling a party-line vote on reducing the voting age to 16 in both local and general elections. Chloe would also propose legislative change to enable all in prison to vote not just some.

She would also get the job of working with the Minister of Education to require civics to be taught in all high schools.

Julie Ann Genter  – Minister of Transport

Now what would Julie Ann Genter do as Minister of Transport? I think she would be smart enough to shift focus using the NLTP prioritisations from projects to operational programmes, that is to say shift from finding for megaprojects to more operational public transport subsidy. She would be smart enough not to get caught up in foolish MoT games like whether to legislate for scooters on footpaths like last time. I suspect either MoT will be cleared out or they will have to be merged into a single Transport Department with NZTA. She will otherwise get eaten up in the intense politics of transport both in Wellington and with the regions.

Teanau Tuiono – Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs

He would carve out a delegation that would focus on Pacific peoples and nations with a particular focus on climate change impacts, decolonisation, and clearer and more purpose representation on the Pacific Islands Forum. I suspect he will lead a strong move to make New Zealand a much more neutral voice in global diplomacy with a focus on peacemaking not joining sides. MFAT will likely take time to adjust.

Steve Abel – Minister of Conservation

Steve would likely struggle to start with transitioning from activist mode to running a big ministry like conservation. But he and Shaw would I think have a lot in common starting to merge back Environment with Conservation like it used to. And he would be winner winner chicken dinner banning mining on conservation land, and accelerating the Predator Free 2050 including the Auckland Islands. Ringfencing visitor Great Walk fees to Conservation efforts will be another popular win.

Steve Abel would have more fun than he’s ever had in  his life.

If they get the shot, the Greens will be ready with the hard ask this time, and at 10% they will get the share of power they need to implement policy at a scale they’ve never previously had possible.

21 comments on “The Greens In Real Government in October 2023 ”

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  1. arkie 1
    11 September 2023 at 10:55 am

    Chlöe Swarbrick not Chloe Davidson

  2. Tricledrown 2
    11 September 2023 at 11:12 am

    The Greens need to keep reminding people that National ACT will take NZ back to the 1990's of a Stagnating economy by trickle down economics. Austerity is the only way they know. The downward spiral it creates. ACT have such a high level of support that National will have bend to ACT'S demands!

  3. Tricledrown 3
    11 September 2023 at 11:19 am

    The Greens need to ask this question of Nationals dubious promise of increasing spending on healthcare,education ,police etc.Last 9 years of National govt National increasing the amount of money but it became a reduction of spending because population and inflation increased much faster than spending. National cut Health and police spending by more than 20% while claiming they had increased spending!Police numbers were cut when National claim their tough on Crime, no promise increase in police numbers by National is telling how Nationals policy failures.

    • barry 3.1
      11 September 2023 at 1:47 pm

      also remember that the last National government found that the promised tax cuts were unaffordable and increased GST to get enough money to govern.

      Ask, is that their real plan now, as otherwise they won't be able to put a budget together if they win.

  4. weka 4
    11 September 2023 at 1:06 pm

    thanks Ad. That cheered me up. Especially appreciated this,

    But there would also be something of a revolution from those who rent their houses, and it would be a groundswell of happiness and security pure and simple.

    Happiness and security might be the thing missing from the campaign narratives.

  5. Darien Fenton 5
    11 September 2023 at 4:29 pm

    Looking unlikely. Shouldn't we be concentrating on the real threat in front of us, aka National and ACT rather than discussing Greens baubles of office? Do the other work ; who will be in positions of power with National/ACT and be really afraid.

    • Shanreagh 5.1
      11 September 2023 at 5:49 pm

      Agree Darien, and Davidson in higher office gives me the shivers bearing in mind her non showing in her Ministerial portfolios up until now.

      We should be concentrating in getting the Left in rather than counting chickens before they hatch……..it gives me a feeling of tempting fate to see stuff like this I am afraid. in more ways than one.

      • arkie 5.1.1
        11 September 2023 at 6:21 pm

        We should be concentrating in getting the Left in

        Yes, and the only way to get a Left government is to party vote for the Greens or Te Pāti Māori. As has been pointed out many times before:

        Labour has been gradually drifting rightward … and is not and has not been a centre-Left party for quite some time…

        https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09-09-2023/#comment-1967471

        • Shanreagh 5.1.1.1
          11 September 2023 at 7:03 pm

          Well I for one still class Labour as left, whether it is left enough is a question for some.

          If people continue to say Labour is not left and the electorate believes this and does not want to vote Greens or TPM then we are hastening a Right turnout.

          There are people who don’t actually want to vote for TPM or the Greens but are quite happy to vote for Labour who they think are left enough for them.

          These snide little views/arguments about Labour not being a party of the left actually have a large dose of ‘shooting oneself in the foot’ or ‘cutting ones’ nose off to spite the face’, whichever trope takes your fancy.

          • arkie 5.1.1.1.1
            11 September 2023 at 9:05 pm

            It is a failure of analysis to class Labour as left, they are only left in comparison to the other parties of the centre and the right.

            There is a process known as the ratchet effect where the Overton window moves rightward and the nominally left party prevents further movement in either direction. This is not a compelling argument to voters, it is far better to offer positive alternatives and this was most successfully demonstrated by the 2020 Labour party. Sadly they since have lost their popularity and pointing out that there are parties that will work with them but in a different way seems to me to be a better way of building the left vote than the same old strategy of fearmongering with a TINA attitude.

          • PsyclingLeft.Always 5.1.1.1.2
            12 September 2023 at 8:08 am

            These snide little views/arguments about Labour not being a party of the left actually have a large dose of ‘shooting oneself in the foot’ or ‘cutting ones’ nose off to spite the face’, whichever trope takes your fancy.

            And aye Shanreagh !

            There is also this…

            Don’t share defeatist bollocks. It tells swing, undecided and habitual non-voters to not bother voting left.

            https://thestandard.org.nz/the-report-of-our-death-has-been-grossly-exaggerated/

            "some" on the Standard should take note….

      • Belladonna 5.1.2
        11 September 2023 at 9:02 pm

        I agree that, if the Left win, that they'd be bonkers to shift Woods out of Housing. She has single-handedly turned that from a rolling maul of disaster headlines for Labour (remember the hapless Twyford), into a moderate, but increasing, success story.
        Davidson has achieved close to nothing in her portfolio.

        • weka 5.1.2.1
          12 September 2023 at 12:19 am

          Davidson has achieved close to nothing in her portfolio.

          I know this has become a thing people are saying, but what's the evidence for it?

          • Belladonna 5.1.2.1.1
            12 September 2023 at 7:51 am

            Can you provide any evidence of one single change that has been made in any of her ministeries attributable to her? There's been talk-fest galore but action?

            Is homelessness better since she took office? Given the increased waiting lists for public housing, it seems not.

            Is family violence diminishing? Ha! Talk about failure.

            And, yes, other Ministers and Ministeries have just as hard a time with intergenrational issues, and markets outside their control. Woods has done a sterling job in Housing – in exactly the same tough climate – and has demonstrably made a difference. Is it perfect? No, nothing is. Is it measurably better is the question.

            • weka 5.1.2.1.1.1
              12 September 2023 at 8:16 am

              I'll take that as there being no evidence.

              Is homelessness better since she took office? Given the increased waiting lists for public housing, it seems not.

              By your argument, Shaw has failed as Climate Minister because we still have climate change.

              • Belladonna …
                12 September 2023 at 9:19 am

                Nope. Shaw has made policy gains and achievements. I think things are measurably better since he's been in office. Is it fixed? Of course not. Have things altered (albeit not as quickly as some would be hoping for). Yes they have.

                Not the case with Davidson. There is indeed no evidence that she's made a blind bit of difference in the last 3 years.

  6. Roy Cartland 6
    11 September 2023 at 5:20 pm

    I can't paste from the mobile, but there is an article on what am ACT govt would look like, it's about 6 articles back 👍

  7. Ngungukai 7
    11 September 2023 at 8:44 pm

    I think Winston and NZF will hold the Balance of Power again and Winston will be calling the shots.

    • Belladonna 7.1
      11 September 2023 at 8:55 pm

      Just out of interest, I cranked NZF at 5% into the seat calculator – without changing any of the other percentages from the latest Newshub poll- and, while it dropped the right margin down to 3 seats, it was still a National/ACT majority.

      https://tinyurl.com/5244vw8r

      On the current polling, NZF are going to have to poll around 8-9% to get a seat at the RW table.