VZCZCXRO0122
RR RUEHNZ
DE RUEHWL #0432/01 1572351
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 062351Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2858
INFO RUEHNZ/AMCONSUL AUCKLAND 0768
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WELLINGTON 000432 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR D (FRITZ), EAP/FO, AND EAP/ANP 
NSC FOR VICTOR CHA 
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISD LIZ PHU 
PACOM FOR J01E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV NZ
SUBJECT:  ELECTION OF NEW GREEN PARTY CO-LEADER UNLIKELY TO HERALD 
SEA CHANGE IN POLICIES 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Nearly eight months after the death of co-leader 
Rod Donald, the Green Party has chosen Russel Norman as his 
replacement.  Elected by delegates at the party's annual conference, 
Norman will share the leadership with Jeannette Fitzsimons, who was 
re-elected female co-leader for the 12th time.  Norman's election is 
a victory for traditional Green Party principles.  Although the 
conference signaled that the Greens are open to working with 
National in the future, most analysts agree this was likely to 
strengthen the Party's negotiating leverage with Labour and not a 
signal of a significant change in policies. 
 
The background of the new co-leader 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Norman, 39, was born in Brisbane, Australia.  He immigrated 
to New Zealand in 1997 to study the Alliance Party, a now disbanded 
political coalition of leftist and Green parties.  He wrote his 
political science PhD thesis on the Alliance, and was active within 
the party editing its party newsletter.  He soon became actively 
involved in the Auckland branch of the Green Party working as an 
assistant to Green MPs Sue Kedgley, Nandor Tanczos, and Keith Locke. 
 Norman was a researcher for the party from 2002 to 2004 and was the 
national campaign manager prior to the 2005 election and the 
national Party Development Co-coordinator afterwards. 
 
New co-leader will not sit in Parliament 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Norman is not a current MP and therefore will take up the 
co-leadership from a position outside Parliament.  Co-leader 
Fitzsimons is a current MP and has a seat in Parliament.  The Green 
Party charter stipulates that the party leadership must be shared by 
a male and a female.  Norman has stated that he will concentrate on 
party building and community work.  He has announced his intention 
to stand for Parliament on the party list at the next election. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Although he will not serve in Parliament, Norman is no 
stranger to parliamentary politics.  During the last parliamentary 
term, he surreptitiously drafted parliamentary questions for Green 
MPs and attended meetings with them.  He also provided advice on 
parliamentary strategy. 
 
Greens look to fix its electoral prospects 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) While no polling on the impact of Norman's election is 
currently available, the Greens have been under-performing in the 
polls of late.  The Greens' political influence has also waned since 
it had its parliamentary representation slashed from nine MPs to six 
MPs at the last election and is no longer a coalition partner with 
the Government.  Norman has stated that he hopes his election will 
boost Green Party support in suburbs, provincial areas and towns 
around New Zealand, in addition to attracting a greater share of the 
youth vote. 
 
But not its policy positions 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The election of Norman is unlikely to greatly alter the 
party's politics or approach to politics.  By all accounts, the new 
co-leader is a traditional Green.  Norman has identified the 
established issues of climate change, public transport, declining 
oil resources, healthy food, healthy rivers and low wages as ones he 
intends to pursue.  His election is a victory for the traditional 
left-leaning wing of the party, who fought off a co-leadership 
challenge by Tanczos.  Tanczos wanted to move the Green Party to a 
position where it could bridge the Left-Right political divide. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Norman has maintained that under his co-leadership the 
party will continue to take an independent and principled position, 
working with all political parties issue by issue.  He and others at 
the conference signaled that the Greens could even relax their 
long-held aversion to working with the right-of-center National 
Party if the Nats change their climate change policy.  However, 
given the selection of the traditionally Green Norman as leader, 
most analysts see this move as a tactic of political leveraging 
rather than a moderation of the Party's beliefs.  After the last 
election, Labour was forced to reach out to United Future and NZ 
First in order to gain a working governing arrangement, and both 
parties refused to agree to a deal unless the Greens were left out 
of the picture.  By making it clear it would not ally with National 
 
WELLINGTON 00000432  002 OF 002 
 
 
under any circumstances, the Greens were left vulnerable. 
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the National Party would 
even be interested in working with the Greens.  It could be a 
valuable way for the Nats to reach a less mainstream audience. 
However, they may decide that the possible cost in core support 
could be too heavy a price to pay. 
 
McCormick