Catherine Delahunty: Former Green Party MP on what the Green party needs to do if they want to lead the government

The greens want to lead the next government. 

Co-Leader Chloe Swarbrick admits they’ve got ‘work to do’ - with the party polling just under 10% and Labour in the early 30s. 

Former Green MP Catherine Delahunty told Ryan Bridge that Green will need to ‘team up’ with smaller parties if they want to push Labour out of the spotlight. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Greens want to lead the next government.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
We're not just here to lead the opposition.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
We are here because we want to.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Lead the least government.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is from their event at the weekend. Co lead
Chloe's Warbrick admits they've quote got work to do with
Poland just under ten percent and labor in the early thirties,
So how's this going to work? Cassin Dale Hunt is
a former Green Party and p joins me this morning. Catherine,
good morning, what in now? How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah? Well, I'm good. You're trying to leave the next government.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Do you think that's a little ambitious of them?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
I think politicians of smaller parties are required to talk
like this. I also think there is a really strong
need in this country this time to stop the incredible
damage being done to communities and to the environment by
the current government, and so leadership is required, and I
think that the Greens and Party Marty are going to

(01:01):
need to be strong in order to push labor out
of the center, to actually do some very strong, brave
and authentic work to get rid of this government and
actually make a country that is it looks after its
people and environment again. So you know, go for it.
But you've got to go for it realistically by building

(01:22):
relationships with the other small party on the left and
making sure that there is a realistic and brave approach
right now because people are looking for it.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
So you reckon they need to better integrate themselves with
to party Maori and increase them and increase the bargaining
gun problem.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
I think that those parties have to tivity policies in common.
I think they both care about the inequality gap. I
think they both care about the state of the environment,
so I think that they have to You know, parties
have to compete for the vote in the current system,
but there is also a really strong need for both
those parties to build their vote so that they can

(02:05):
negotiate strongly with labor so that we can have some
genuine procressor policy. I mean, for example, the Greens have
got a very decent tax policy. Labor need to come
up with some really strong policy.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
It's strong, it's as strong, it's an out there policy.
I don't know if it's good.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Well your politics that I think there's the care of
people through good taxes and.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
What would be your for the Greens going into this,
What is the bottom line, what's the one area that
they should not compromise on.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
I don't really think like that, Ryan, but I think
if you're going to talk about it, these two bottom lines.
One is we have to do something about the growth
inequality that this government is entrenching, and we have to
do in all kinds of fronts. And we also have
to protect our environments for future generations. And those are
two things that absolutely as well as protected tededity or

(02:58):
white technique. There's a terrible attack right now on Marty
by this government and on THDT. So those are three
things they have to be done. They can be done,
but you actually have to be brave to do them
and show some leadership.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Catherine, appreciate your time this morning. Captain Dalla Hunting, former
Green Party MP.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
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