Greens want to lead Government, Chris Hipkins not interested in ‘arguing' with them
The party's Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Wellington this weekend included speeches from Marama Davidson and ChloeADD UMLAUT
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Otago Daily Times
9 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Netanyahu has 'lost the plot': Luxon
By Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira of RNZ The Prime Minister says the war in Gaza is "utterly appalling" and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "lost the plot". Christopher Luxon's comments came on a tense day in Parliament, where Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was 'named' for refusing to leave the House following a heated debate on the government's plan to consider recognising Palestinian statehood. Speaking to media, Luxon said Netanyahu had "gone too far". "I think he has lost the plot and I think that what we're seeing overnight - the attack on Gaza City - is utterly, utterly unacceptable" he said. Luxon said Israel had consistently ignored pleas from the international community for humanitarian aid to be delivered "unfettered", and the situation was driving more human catastrophe across Gaza. "We are a small country a long way away, with very limited trade with Israel. We have very little connection with the country, but we have stood up for values, and we keep articulating them very consistently, and what you have seen is Israel not listening to the global community at all. "We have said a forcible displacement of people and an annexation of Gaza would be a breach of international law. We have called these things out consistently time and time again. "You've seen New Zealand join many of our friends and partners around the world to make these statements, and he's just not listening," the prime minister said. The government is considering whether it will join other countries like France, Canada and Australia in recognising Palestinian statehood at a UN Leaders Meeting next month. Luxon said recent attacks could "extinguish a pathway" to a two-state solution. "I'm telling you what my personal view is, as a human being, looking at the situation, that's how I feel about." he said. Labour leader Chris Hipkins has called the war an "unfolding genocide", echoing the comments made by former prime minister Helen Clark, who visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian territory this week. "She's used the words 'unfolding genocide', and yes, I do agree with that. That's a good description of the situation at the moment." Hipkins said calling it an "unfolding genocide" meant that we were not "appointing ourselves judge and jury" because there was still a case to be heard before the International Court of Justice. "Recognising that there is an unfolding genocide in Gaza is an important part of the world community standing up and saying, we're not going to tolerate it. "We should recognise that there is now a growing acknowledgement around the world that there is an unfolding genocide in Gaza, and I think we should call that for what it is, and the world community needs to react to that to prevent it from happening," Hipkins said.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
Parliament set for showdown as Greens' co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick refuses to apologise for comments
Parliament is set for a showdown on Wednesday afternoon as the Greens' co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick refuses to apologise for comments which saw her booted from the debating chamber. Speaker Gerry Brownlee on Tuesday, barred her for the rest of the week , unless she said sorry for suggesting coalition MPs lacked a spine during a debate on the war in Gaza. Speaking to RNZ on Wednesday morning, Swarbrick said she had no intention of doing so, but would be turning up to the debating chamber for Wednesday's 2pm Question Time regardless. "I am returning to work," she said. Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was barred from Parliament for a week due to her Gaza speech on Tuesday. Photo: Screengrab / Parliament TV Swarbrick said the party had received correspondence from legal experts and the public pointing out "far worse" things had been said by other MPs, where the Speaker had chosen not to intervene. "It just doesn't really wash." Swarbrick said she would prefer Parliament's attention was focused on the "real issues of the day" and re-iterated her call for more action against Israel. "New Zealanders want action, and if our House can come together on the point of sanctioning Israel for its war crimes, then that finally would bring us in line with our legacy of standing for human rights and justice." Otago University professor Andrew Geddis told RNZ it was unusual for Swarbrick to be asked to withdraw and apologise, given many MPs had made similar comments in Parliament before without consequence. Professor Andrew Geddis said Swarbricks ban was "unusual". (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly He said the standard penalty for challenging the Speaker's authority was to be ordered out of the House for one day. A week-long punishment, Geddis said, was inconsistent with other rulings made by Speakers in recent times. "If the Speaker is starting to almost make up the rules as he goes along, he puts at risk the preparedness of other MPs to accord him his authority. "MPs might start asking, 'well, if the Speaker is just going to do their own thing with no regard to precedence, do we really trust them to have that sort of power?" The incident occurred during an urgent debate on Tuesday afternoon which was called after the coalition's announcement that it would come to a formal decision in September over whether to recognise the state of Palestine . As Swarbrick came to the end of her contribution, she challenged coalition MPs to back her member's bill allowing New Zealand to apply sanctions on Israel. "If we find six of 68 government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history," Swarbrick said. Almost immediately, Brownlee condemned the remark as "completely unacceptable" and demanded she "withdraw it and apologise". Speaker Gerry Brownlee ordered Swarbrick out of the chamber on Tuesday. (File photo) Photo: VNP / Phil Smith Swarbrick shot back a curt - "no" - prompting Brownlee to order her out of the chamber for the remainder of the week. "Happily," Swarbrick said, as she rose to leave. Green Party whip Ricardo Menéndez March later stood to question the severity of punishment, saying Parliament's rules suggested Swarbrick should be barred for no more than a day. Brownlee later clarified that Swarbrick could come back to the debating chamber on Wednesday, but only if she agreed to withdraw and apologise. "If she doesn't, then she'll be leaving the House again," he said. "I'm not going to sit in this chair and tolerate a member standing on her feet... and saying that other members of this House are spineless." Swarbrick was not the only MP to run afoul of the Speaker during Tuesday's debate. Labour MP Damien O'Connor was told to either exit the chamber or apologise after interjecting "bloody gutless" while Foreign Minister Winston Peters was speaking. O'Connor stood and left. Brownlee also demanded ACT MP Simon Court say sorry - which he did - after Court accused Swarbrick of "hallucinating outrage". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
17 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Tail-wagging jibe may have Labour worried
Analysis by Craig McCulloch The most telling line out of the Green Party's AGM held over the weekend was not its claim to be leading the opposition, nor its ambitions on leading the next government. Such lofty goals are to be expected as all parties try to motivate members at their annual conferences. More interesting was an observation from co-leader Marama Davidson, dropped almost as an afterthought near the end of Sunday's media conference. "Setting the agenda isn't just about numbers," she said. "We've got a government right now whose tail is being wagged by two smaller parties." The subtext is clear: if Act New Zealand and New Zealand First can have a disproportionate influence — as David Seymour likes to put it — then why not the Greens, alongside perhaps, Te Pāti Māori? That framing is politically dangerous for Labour. National will seize on it, warning of a Labour government beholden to its minor partners. Remember previous attempts to tie Labour to the Greens' wealth tax. Those attacks might be undermined somewhat by its own coalition tensions, but they will be aided by Labour's current policy paucity. If Labour's manifesto remains light on detail for too long, the Greens could end up setting the agenda and the terms of debate by default. That is where the Greens' claim of opposition dominance has some merit. They have pumped out a suite of detailed policies on tax, climate and industrial strategy this term, while Labour has deliberately kept its powder dry. Co-leader Chloe Swarbrick pointed to this year's Budget day, claiming ministers spent most of their time talking about the Green Budget. But that also proves the problem for Labour: Chris Hipkins and finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds spent weeks after the Budget being questioned about the Greens' plan, to their obvious frustration. Labour will look to correct that imbalance as the election gets closer. But in the meantime, it risks losing support to the Greens' big talk. Monday's Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll suggests that has not happened yet. The poll records Labour on 33.6% — the most popular party in Parliament — with the Greens just under 10%, more than 20% behind. That severely undercuts the Greens' self-styled role as the main force on the centre-left. However, look deeper and the polling shows voters are lukewarm on all party leaders. Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins are level-pegging as preferred prime minister, but on numbers that would have been considered dire in previous cycles. In that environment, a smaller party talking up its ability to call the shots could help mobilise its supporters — or it could alienate swing voters wary of instability. Both would be a concern for Labour, although again, a similar tension will play out on the centre-right as well. Ms Swarbrick's push for the Greens to reach beyond its comfort zone — to miners, mill workers, even farmers — recognises the need to expand its base. The question is whether those voters can realistically be convinced to back a party long associated with a different set of priorities and values. For now, the Greens remain what they have been for years: a minor party with a loyal base and a clear agenda. Their claims on leading the opposition are more marketing than reality. Still, in a race this tight, marketing might make the difference. • Craig McCulloch is RNZ's acting political editor.
