The departure from Parliament of former Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons clears the ground for the new generation of the party’s leadership - Russel Norman and Metiria Turei - to demonstrate whether they have what it takes to continue the Greens’ significant impact on NZ environmental and social policy-making over the last decade. It’s a truism to say the untimely death of former co-leader Rod Donald in 2005 was a shock to the party. As Fitzsimons herself has said, the plan had always been she would retire ahead of Donald. Instead, she remained in Parliament for longer than she ever intended, establishing a deserved reputation as a quietly determined negotiator who understood being a minority coalition party imparted no more than the ability to influence policy.

Fitzsimons will have her own list of triumphs, but perhaps the most significant of recent times was ensuring the new National Govt reinstated the home insulation scheme started under Labour. This policy is not only a huge political success, but is improving national energy efficiency and health outcomes, even if the carbon savings from warmer, healthier homes are relatively minor. More than anything else, Fitzsimons brought a combination of dignity and principle to the Greens’ public dealings, while exhibiting an uncanny behind-the-scenes ability to make political calculations which built the Green brand through incremental and constructive engagement with political foes and allies alike. At times, more fiery colleagues might have preferred to howl at the moon, but Fitzsimons was as careful as any seasoned politician only to take on fights she was confident the Greens could win.

She continued to cast a shadow for the new leadership, simply by virtue of her mana. Her departure will give Norman and Turei a clear run, but it remains to be seen whether they can capitalise on the approximately 7% support the Greens are consistently capable of attracting at the polls. The Greens rode high in 2008 because they drew disenchanted Labour voters and were on the money with growing world concern about climate change. In 2010, climate change is no less urgent, but considerably less potent as a campaigning issue while it remains mired in global indecision. While Norman and Turei have had a few things to say on the govt’s intention to stocktake mineral resources and potentially to allow more extensive mining on DoC land, they have so far failed to align themselves forcefully to this or other major environmental issues of the day.

The new Green leadership has big shoes to fill and, at this stage anyway, they are looking more like sideline commentators than being in the game.

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