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August 9, 2025 • 14 mins

The Greens say they're the only ones offering solutions to tax issues, in a time where communities are crying out for change. 

With next year's elections coming soon, they held their Annual meeting this weekend, and expressed their desire to lead the next government. The Party's co-leaders called for transformational change, and a future driven by fresh thinking.

So what will that actually look like, and how promising does it sound?

Party Co-leader Marama Davidson joins Tim Beveridge for more.

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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks
EDB Politics Central.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
So the Greens they're in the middle of their big
catch up there. I think they called their in your conference.
I imagine they're so they're the only ones offering solutions
to tax issues in a time where communities are crying
up for change, and where with next year's elections coming soon,
they've got there in your meeting this weekend and of
course expressed their desire to lead the next government. Parties

(00:32):
co leaders calling for transformational change and a future driven
by fresh thinking. What does that actually look like? How
promising does it sound? Party co leader Madam and Davidson
is with me now, Good.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Afternoon, Childer.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
So what's the vibe. How's it been gone?

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Gee? Good, good shape. Actually the members are pretty pumped.
They're really proud of the solutions and the deep work
that we've been doing and getting out on the community.
So really positive, pretty awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
What's the goal of your party conference and your meeting
if I can put it?

Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah, sure, agm yep. Bringing our members together, reassuming who
we are and talking about the work that we've got
to do. Basically, I had a look.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
At the actually didn't manage to get through. I've had
to scan through your speech and I've just to be honest,
in the first couple of pages, I thought I was
reading a speech by Rawity White TT and it's about
the White Treaty of White tangy centric approach to things.
What does that actually mean?

Speaker 3 (01:31):
Greens have always up how tity or waitang is a
founding document. When we talk about a party that gears
for Mokopna and for our planet tetinity, justice is essential
to that. So that's something that we've always stood on
that we've always been proud of. We think every party
should be, you know, assuming tatidity. But the Greens have
always had that as a core part of our chatter.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
But what does it mean for you?

Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah? Sure, because I don't know.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
I mean, that sounds that sounds like something I've heard before.
But I couldn't tell you if I couldn't go to
someone else without you helping me out with that.

Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, that's fair enough. So when we afford Mary the
independence to do the mahi and be the kajaki for example,
on the ground, what happens they straight around, turn around
and share it with the neighborhood, whether it's Miday looking
after for people and weather crisis events, whether it's people
restoring wetlands like la who down in the South Island

(02:30):
who have their local neighboring farmers looking over the fence
going oh, that looks pretty awesome. Can you come and
help us through that? When we afford Papoo, particularly Papu
and Mada the Mama, the power, the resource to be Kaitiaki,
it ends up benefiting all of us. So that's just
some examples of why we know that affirming tednity is now.

(02:53):
We ensure that everyone has what they need to live
with dignity, and we ensure that we protect our living systems.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
What what are the new have you had any new
ideas that have come out of this in particularly cool?
That's a good one. Let's run with that.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
You mean out of the ADM itself. Oh, our members
are always buzzing with how we can reach out, what
are the ways to build our movement. I think what
we've been hearing from the members is there really proud
of our new now, our new ideas, the fiscal strategy
that we've put out, the Bob strategy that we've put out,

(03:29):
us putting out a whole alternative budget to the government's budget,
you know, the the Climate Emission Introduction Plan. You know,
that's that's a new idea that actually there is a
political party putting up an alternative path that will actually
take care of people and take care of our planet.
And our members are proud of that because it gives

(03:49):
us something to go out in the community with and
to be able to have those conversations about.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Was there being a chat with some of the people
in the newsroom and they said, there was some talk
about you wanting to reach beyond your traditional sort of
groups who were invested in the Greens. Can you talk
a bit a bit more about that. Are you trying
to I guess finding more voters, isn't it?

Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yeah? It it's realizing that understandably, many people don't think
that they're into politics. You know, they see politicians as
not being relevant, as not being connected to their realities.
What we know is when we get out on the ground.
Cooley often talks about the visit to the West Coast
and the miners, and we discover that they've got a

(04:31):
lot in common. We want homes for people, We want
people to be able to live good lives and care
for their faro and people actually want to care for
their rivers, their healthy water, their healthy soil. There's a
lot of those things we've got in common, but we
don't always necessarily have good relationships, you know, across communities
and across groups of people. Actually, a whole lot of

(04:52):
us believe and want those things for our families, for
our community. It's the relationships across the so called borders
that we need to do more work on, and that
what we're excited about doing.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Would there be some I mean you mentioned the mining.
Would there be mining that you would actually support, so
for instance that we don't actually have any reserves, I
don't think of lithium and things for evs, But would
you be supportive of mining when it comes to creating
more sustainable transport solutions for instance?

Speaker 3 (05:23):
I think what you will see in our jobs ready,
for example, is for our rural communities, our isolated communities,
our communities like Talkador who are having their entire paper
mills shut down. What are the jobs that our communities
are going to need to take us into the future. So,
whether it's the West Coast communities or rural communities on

(05:44):
the East Coast, we need housing to be built. For example,
cross laminated timber can be a way of you know,
powering up the mills that we have that are currently
being shut down. What are the resources that we've got
and how can we turn them into the jobs that
our country needs to build the things we all need
and that will provide people with meaningful, secure jobs in

(06:07):
those communities into the future.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, I mean, I wasn't willing to drill into the
mining question, but I don't think you quite answered that
if we had a lithium mind and we could dig
into it and help have more sustainable transport, would you
support that sort of mining as there are there some
mining projects that you'd support, I.

Speaker 3 (06:22):
Think, and I honestly don't have an answer for you
for that right now. But what I was purposefully trying
to do is let's look at the bigger, bigger picture,
because batteries are alone, aren't the big picture of sustainable
transport that we're interested in on itself. But what we
are interested in is what is the enduring infrastructure that

(06:43):
we are going to need because we also want public
transport and trains, you know, including to connect our regional areas.
So those are the sorts of jobs solar energy, renewable
energy jobs, green nature jobs, protecting rivers? What are the
big picture jobs that we need for every community rather
than limiting ourselves.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
Think that the current government is working on that you
would like to contribute to in a in a collaborative
way or a more collaborative way.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
Lots of things. Let's look at infrastructure, like, come on,
surely we can agree that our pipes need fixing, that
our water needs purifying, and needing needs protection. Surely we
can agree that good public transporters in a good public
health system is something worth investing in for our people.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
Well, for instance, I think I was thinking of Willow
Jane who seemed to reject the Erica Stanford's Were you
involved in in CEA education? What do you make of
those changes?

Speaker 3 (07:46):
No? But my no, But my MPs have reached across
to Erica Stanford, so I believe, including our education and
tertiary education MPs have actually been requesting meetings with Erica
Stanford and we haven't heard back. So yeah, we're always
willing willing to What.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
Do you think of the recent changes on NCO. We
don't to dig into this too much because it's more specific.

Speaker 3 (08:07):
Sure, sure, throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Perhaps I understand that MC was worked with over a
long period of time, principles teachers, the I guess, the
expert groups who understand education. It was worked on for
a long long time. And throwing the baby out with

(08:28):
the bath water. So what are actually the good thing?
So this is a complete, massive, big reform that we're talking.
Let's try and hold on to some of the good stuff.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
What about you talk a bit about the fiscal policy
and making sure people pay their fair share. What does
that look like to you? What changes would you make
on that?

Speaker 3 (08:47):
Oh, it's knowing, for example, that only three hundred and
eleven families in the entirety of the country hold more
than half of this country's wealth while the bigger percentage
of the country are scrapping over a little bit of wealth.
That's just it's not just unfair, but it's actually unsustainable.
It means that we are depriving our country of investing

(09:08):
in good health system, good education system, public transport, all
the things that we share together. So that's something that
we've been quite clear about for a long time.

Speaker 2 (09:20):
What about the income tax itself, I know there'll be
different views on capital gains and wealth taxt and things.
Would you mess around with income text?

Speaker 3 (09:28):
Do you think in our budget we do increase income
tax for the higher earners a little bit and alongside
our wealth tax as well. It's a way of trying
to ensure that people who can afford it can pay
their fair share. But what we get for it is
free GPS, free ECE for people, making sure that we

(09:53):
invest in our public transport, our health system, and that
we've got to guaranteed livable income for people. So it's
a good way to invest and make sure our country
is getting what it deserves fair.

Speaker 2 (10:05):
I mean because as you earn more, you pay a
higher percentage of our income. So a household who's on
one hundred thousand dollars were working for families with three
or four children, pays effectively no tax, whereas a household
on double that income would be paying close to sixty
thousand in tax. I mean that sounds like they're doing
their bit or do you think that's not enough?

Speaker 3 (10:24):
No, what we have got actually is we tax people
who earn. We tax people who earn and not people
who own. So we've got a bigger emphasis on the
wealth tax because ordinary people doing critical work in our community. Yes,
you're right, have been getting taxes. These are not big earners.
These are ordinary, ordinary earners. And that's why our wealth

(10:45):
tax is a big, a big part and an important
part of how we build our revenue. While a slight
increase on the higher end of the threshold, but actually
we also ensure that the bottom threshold, the ten up
to ten thousand dollars threshold, that that's tax free. So
we're building that in and most people, the majority of

(11:06):
people actually benefit from both our wealth tax and our
income tax plan.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
Looking ahead to the election, and I'll be honest with you,
I don't really like questions about bottom lines because I
think it's always too early to say. But what are
the areas tax of policy, not tax policy, What are
the areas of policy which you really are going to
be drilling in to try and make sure you get
your way. It's die in here government.

Speaker 3 (11:29):
Yeah, understood. We've been hearing from communities that people are
struggling with the cost of living, people are worried about
the state of the environment, and people really are worried
about climate change. So those will be priorities for us
and what we are asking voters is, look, if you
want that stuff, help us make it a bottom line,
It's up to the voters. It's not up to political parties.

(11:51):
But you can have it. If you want it, you
just have to vote for it.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Okay, is there? I've also lost my place in the
in the notes there for a second. But is there
a way you could? Can you imagine working with New
Zealand first? Are you're hoping that you'll be able to
form an alliance with Labor and peraps to party?

Speaker 3 (12:10):
Mari? Well, you know if New Zealand first, we're actually
New Zealand first instead of New Zealand last. The party
who are selling this is very country off to big
masses overseas, billionaires, bidders. We will work with people who
want to see us protect our environment, want to see
us end poverty and end homelessness. Absolutely we will. What

(12:33):
we know is most political parties on in government are
a long way off, and so yeah, we are happy
to work with people who are align with our visions. No,
my heart, Tom, is my message?

Speaker 2 (12:45):
What about the just quickly, the rural community. You don't
pull too well out there at the moment. Are you
going to be trying to reach out to that part
of the community as well.

Speaker 3 (12:53):
I'm really proud. For example, in our free GPS policy
it also includes having vans. My mother lives into a
torya I grew up in hook younger. We know that
health services are not always equitable when it comes to
isolated communities. Sending mobiles and into those communities picking up
on those sort of early diagnostic issues so that people

(13:17):
don't have to travel two hours, which is what some
communities have to face. Those are the sorts of solutions
and policies we know that you know, are particularly acknowledging
the specific issues that people in rural communities face. So
absolutely we want to reach out to everyone.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
Okay, hey Martama, thanks so much for your time. Best
of Like for the rest of the AGM, I re
appreciate your time this afternoon. That's Mardam and Davidson, Green
Parties co leader. You can text your feedback on nine
two nine to two and you don't worry about the email.
We might do a little bit of talk about that,
but up next we'll be chatting with chatting about Albanezy
and Luxe and catching up in Queenstown. Back in a
moment this is News Talks ed B. It's twenty three

(13:56):
and a half past three.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
For more from the weekend collective, listen live to News
Talks EDB weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast
a hard radio
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