Act Green, Think Green, Vote Green

One thing about the Greens is that we are all for a free society, one in which every member of our society is free to participate.   In my address this evening, I am making a commitment to this principle.  Therefore it is a participatory address, you are free to shout out Yes! or No!, to Boo! or exclaim Yay!.  But I would reiterate that just as freedom is not the same as choice, you are free to so participate, but you dont have any choice!

We Greens are masters and mistresses of Vision.  We, above all other political parties, know how important it is to have a vision of NZ not just for a 3 year political policy platform, but a vision for a generation and a generation after that.  Our members, many of whom were campaigning for the Values Party back in medieval times, have had this vision since then and are still working to see it to fruition.  We thank them for their commitment.

And thats what I want to talk about with you tonight.  Our vision for the bright and beautiful future that our country deserves: the radical concepts that the Greens are renown for.    Because like everything Green our vision is grandiose, light years ahead in thinking, radical and progressive.  We pride ourselves on our radicalsim.  So here it is.  Our Vision for New Zealand.

First that every home is warm and dry.  Well,  I am glad you like it, i was worried that such radical ideas might shock you into uncomprehending slience!  Radical ideas often do y'know.  

Thats right,  the Greens believe that every person in our country deserves to live in a home that is warm and dry, easy and cheap to run and to heat.  A home built to keep at bay illnesses like asthma, scabies or ear infections.    

And, whats more we have already begun the process to make this radical vision real.  We have acquired the money to insultate every single state house in NZ within 5 years.  And more recently, a billion dollars to insulate every single other home within 15 years.  Really quite extraordinary dont you agree!

Well if you like that, theres more in store!

What do you think of our ambitious plan to have every stream in NZ swimmable; every stream in NZ drinkable.

I quite agree, astounding as it may seem the Green Party believes that every child should be able to swm for our streams safely.  And not only that but that if you want to, you ( yes you) could go to any stream, bend down and drink from it secure in the knowledge that you wont get sick from it.  We have an abundance of water in our country, so much luckier than many countries in the world.  It is a precious resource that is ours for the caring.

How about those buses aye?  I know that in this country our love affair with the car has become part of our culture.  But the Greens have another vision, one that doesnt mean that every single person must have their very own personal private transportation capsule as the only means to get around.  No, we want to see accessible, usable, and cheap public transport available to every community.  Hurrah!

A  public transport system that anyone can use regardless of ability or age, one that gets you to work, to school, to the shops and to your friends and family in a safe and regular way.  And in doing so we make our streets safe for those on bikes, in prams, those who meander and those who jog.  We will radically reduce the child traffic accident and death rate and prepare us all for the transformation to a less fuel intensive lifestyle.

You know its ideas like this that make the Greens seems so advanced compared to the slow lumbering grey old parties of the past.  Its ideas like this, that makes a Party Vote for the Greens a vote for change.

Very helpfully, my friend Helen, has announced the date for the election.  So November 8 is Party time, or rather Party Vote time.  Or rather Party Vote Green time .  So we have a campaign for change to run over the next two months.  

And our campaign, into which I hope you shall all throw yourselves with gay abandon is one of positive vision, practical solutions and principled politics. Thank you for not laughly derisively!

And you can see in our beautiful billboards, how we are putting that campaign into practice.  The girl child is Ayla and the boy is Aotea.  And the planet, well the planet is home.  

Through these images of children and the planet we communicate the fullness of our vision.  Through simple words and beautiful pictures we inspire and aspire to a world in which these children, all our children can live well and happily.  

I want to talk briefly about our Reo. The Green Party has produced Reo billboards in our election campaigns since 2002.  We remain the only party, including the Maori Party, to use the Reo fully in ourcampaign materials.   

'Mo nga uri' literally, this means “For future generations”.  We did not use a direct translation of “Vote for me’ because in the Maori lexicon there is a communitarian not an individual approach.  The use of 'mo mga uri' communicates exactly the same point, that a vote for the Greens is a vote to keep our future, children, families and communities safe and well.

'Mo te ao' literally this means “For the Planet.”  Again, we chose not to take a literal translation of the English phrase because that fails to communicate the breadth of our message.  This messaging puts the power to protect our future in the hands of the viewer and voter.

These phrases could be read as “We work for future generations and for our world”.  This is also the message we intend to convey in our English and Reo material: that the Greens choose to do this work and make this commitment precisely in order to secure a future for our children, families and environment.    

These issues are not separate, each is dependent on the other, each equally deserving of the highest priority.   Only the Greens know this and act on it.  

And in addition to asking for the Party Vote in our campaign there are two other key messages we must get across.  

The first is to split your vote.  Under MMP it is absolutely essential that the MMP parties are well represented, regardless of your political interests.   And each election we are seeing the percentage of vote for MMP parties fall.  We must reverse that trend  and the key means is the message to Split your Vote.  Because to give both your votes to the same party is to dilute your political power.  For Maori voters this is even more important.  Splitting the vote gives voters the best chance at the best representation of their full political and social interests.

The second message is Tell everyone!  Too often those who vote Green keep it to themselves, as if their vote is  some precious jewel that if put on public display will be stolen or fade when exposed to sunlight.  No, my friends, a Party Vote for the Greens is a precious seed.  And like any seed it needs to be nurtured with friends and love, exposed to the elements, to rain and sunlight, to be allowed to grow so that everyone can see it, rejoice in it and reap its fruits!

So go forth, spread those seeds around, tell everyone you know that you choose change:

You choose free education from your first steps to your greying days – Yes!

You choose an ocean teeming with fish, with our precious Maui and Hectors, an ocean full of whales – Yes!

You choose a Treaty based nation, where justice is the priority and cultural difference is a highly valued and respected – Yes!

You choose food free of pesticides and chemicals, grown in our own gardens, shared through farmers markets and community gardens and food free of GE – Yes!

You choose a zero waste NZ, where we recycle and reuse and only ask our ground and waters to absorb that which it truly can – Yes!

You choose a country that leads on reducing emissions, on taking climate change seriously and makig sure that not only the worst polluters pay their share, but that families are protected from the worst costs – Yes!

You choose a community where every person who wants to work can get a job, regardless of education or disabilty, where every person is treated fairly, justly and respectfully - Yes

So, the time is now.  Go forth and be the change you want to see.  Make it happen.  Party Vote Green!