Rizzah
Contributor
Which article? I've been staying out of the news sphere due to the overall dire situation.
Politics NZ Politics
- Thread starter wizard of Tauranga
- Start date
Worried2Death
Contributor
Chloe is Dave Seymour's nemesis though. He'll be sweating now, all incels are shit scared of strong independent young women. You can tell he's never had a girlfriend when he's debating her.
Rizzah
Contributor
Apparently it doesn't need to be a man. The stipulation is a women needs to be one of the co-leaders.
Fran O’Sullivan, January 19th. Sorry I’d include the link however I’m operating off my phone, so in the too hard basket.
Is it time for James Shaw to bail out? - Fran O’Sullivan
It must be getting time, surely, for Greens co-leader James Shaw to pull his escape parachute and leave Parliament.Why would he want to stay on when a large number of party activists don’t support him and the party now presents as a shambles?
He appears completely lost among the sea of activists who are fast running the Greens’ brand into the ground as they resort to performative theatre, particularly on Palestine. You won’t see Shaw among other Green MPs wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh, the distinctive black-and-white scarf, in Parliament. Or shouting anti-Israel slogans, some of which verge on anti-Semitism.
The Golriz Ghahraman scandal just adds to the party’s brand damage.
Shaw’s year started on a bum note. It was bad enough to lose an election and be reduced to being a mere observer while the incoming Government ducks and dives on just what it will achieve on climate change. That goes with the political territory. Then, having to personally support Ghahraman as she came to her decision to resign from Parliament after shoplifting allegations surfaced, yet in no way defend her actions.
Yet Shaw has talents which ought to be kept in play, preferably on a playground some distance from his party.
The Prime Minister could do worse than consider Shaw for the top job at the Climate Change Commission when Dr Rod Carr steps down as commissioner this year.
He’s well qualified for the role.
Principled, particularly when it comes to climate change issues, reflecting the fact he was the portfolio minister in the Labour-led Government from 2017 to 2023, during which time he was responsible for guiding the landmark Zero Carbon Act through Parliament.
This required him to build support across Parliament, which meant forging pragmatic links with National.
He is also highly relatable to business, where he led support for the introduction of the climate-related disclosures legislation which required directors to report their companies’ exposures to climate-related risks. This covers large listed issuers with a market capitalisation exceeding $60 million, as well as large financial entities, including banks, insurers and managers of investment schemes with total assets exceeding $1 billion.
This has been a complex process. But Shaw built widespread support among senior business leaders.
Shaw has also been a fixture at various COP meetings, including last year’s in Dubai where he accompanied National’s Simon Watts, who was appointed to the portfolio by Christopher Luxon last year.
Now he’s stuck as co-leader of a party which has long left behind its roots in favour of mere activism. A party which despite a lengthy period in Parliament, has never had an MP sitting in Cabinet.
It is a party which is not fully behind him. That was obvious when he was ejected as co-leader via a party vote in mid-2022. He said then it was hard when there was a group organising against him. He had been so focused on his job as Minister for Climate Change, “doing what we need to do to fight the climate crisis”, that he really didn’t have a lot of time for factional organising. No one stood against him in the subsequent election. But the damage was done.
These days the Greens are more known for their stands on issues totally unrelated to climate or sustainability. For instance:
Māori independence: remember co-leader Marama Davidson high-fiving Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer in a TV3 political debate during the election campaign?
Gender: Davidson (again) hitting out at white men during the Albert Park-Posie Parker episode. “I am a violence prevention minister and I know who causes violence in the world, it is white CIS men,” she roared. Totally sexist too, given that on a pro rata basis white men are not the main perpetrators of family violence.
The current cause du jour is Palestine. Chloe Swarbrick and Davidson have been in the forefront of protests against the mounting humanitarian disaster in Palestine. But there has been precious little recognition of the slaughter waged on Israelis in the first place.
Shaw could return to consultancy. Or take a role leading sustainability within a large corporate.
But his six years as Climate Minister boost his cachet, making him worthy of a more significant role.
When Shaw appointed Carr as the inaugural Climate Change Commissioner in late 2019, the appointment was to be for a maximum of five years.
That’s nearly up.
The Cabinet will have a range of potential appointees in mind. There may be some resistance in political quarters, but the mere fact Shaw has not put on the keffiyeh suggests it won’t be long before he makes the final decision to leave a tribe that long ago left him.
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Fran O’Sullivan: Is it time for James Shaw to bail out?
OPINION: Lacking support, why would Shaw want to stay?
www.nzherald.co.nz
Sorry mate.... it wouldn't let post the article all at once so I had to edit it a couple of times. All there now!!
Rizzah
Contributor
Okay, I thought it was one of each but not sure.
I, for one, am sorry to see Shaw go. The more radical side of the party tried to roll him but he stayed firm.
I'd actually like to see him head up the Climate Change Commission. Apparently, he and Simon Watt's worked well together in Dubai last year and, while they don't agree on a lot of things, seen to respect each other. I personally think he'd do a lot more there than "green washing" a large companies climate policies. Or he may just head back into a consultancy role again.
I think you'll find one has to be a female and one a Maori (Davidson fits both those) but there's no stipulation that there has to be a male co-leader.
Rizzah
Contributor
Yeah, he'd be a great CCC, but I imagine the current govt would baulk at Shaw being appointed. Is the CCC a Ministry appointed role or is there some political independence in appointing the position?
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Not so sure. I’d be surprised if Luxon & Shaw didn’t have decent dialogue on carbon emission initiatives when Luxon was CEO at Air NZ.
According to the Climate Commission website:
Appointments to our board are made under the Crown Entities Act 2004, in accordance with requirements set out in sections 5E–5I of the Climate Change Response Act 2002. Commissioners are appointed by the Governor-General at the recommendation of the Minister of Climate Change, supported by a nominating committee. This appointment process is external to the Commission and is managed by the Ministry for the Environment.
Our Board and Chief Executive
He Pou a Rangi - The Climate Change Commission provides independent, expert advice to government to help Aotearoa New Zealand transition to a low-emissions and climate-resilient economy.
www.climatecommission.govt.nz
Rick O’Shay
Contributor
Wouldn't be at all surprised to see Shaw get appointed to the CCC. Would fit in with Luxon chatting to JA re the Christchurch call and where that goes. Seems to be some consensus with Best Person for the Job.
- Thread starter
- #5,296
Just not a cis white male…
Bay39er
Contributor
What I heard was
a) a Māori, and
b) a non-male
Which allows for either a woman or a transgender
It's at least one woman and one Māori - so Marama ticks both boxes.
Chloe, Chloe, Chloe.....
Chloe, Chloe, Chloe.....
- Thread starter
- #5,299
Isn’t that sexist?
Surely if the criteria is met and the second person is not a male you don’t have a co-leader?
Bay39er
Contributor
Have just had a look at their constitution
I had it wrong but for the life of me I can't make out what the rules actually are from this
5.8. The Co-Leader, Party Co-Convenor and Policy Co-Convenor positions are elected annually at
the AGM:
5.8.1. One woman; and
5.8.2. One person of any gender
5.8.2.1. If no women are nominated for Co-Leader, Party Co-Convenor or Policy Co-Convenor,
nominations for one Co-Leader, Party Co-Convenor or Policy Co-Convenor position
(as the case may be) must be re-opened.
5.8.3. For the Co-Leader positions, one must be Māori.
5.8.3.1. If no Māori candidates are nominated for Co-Leader or only one Māori candidate is
nominated and their nomination is not endorsed by Te Rōpū Pounamu, nominations
for one Co-Leader position must be re-opened.
5.8.3.2. If two or more Māori candidates run, Te Rōpū Pounamu endorsement is not required
for eligibility.
5.8.3.2.1. However, Te Rōpū Pounamu may, if they wish to, formally express their
support for one or more Māori candidates.
