Greens Unveil Election Manifesto At Packed AGM In Auckland

Tuwhenuaroa
Natanahira RNZ, Political reporter

The Green Party
have unveiled their election manifesto to a packed-out
annual general meeting at an auditorium in south
Auckland.

The 43-page document – which is developed by
party members – sets out the party’s priorities for the 2026
general election, and includes policies on climate action,
democracy, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, incomes and digital
technology.

Co-leader Marama Davidson said manifesto
contains issues that needed attention “now and over the next
three years”.

“We’re going to make sure that people
have affordable lives, that we protect nature to be healthy,
[and] that we return politics to being honest to make
decisions for all of us.”

“We will tax the super-rich
and address corporate greed so that we can invest that back
into the services that people rely on.”

Davidson said
the manifesto showed the party’s position on “broad issues”
and signalled some longer-term ambitions too.

The
party also unveiled their campaign slogan: “For All of
Us”.

Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the slogan
was for both supporters and people the party “don’t know and
even those we don’t like”.

“What we believe, very
fundamentally, is that we are not just here to fight for the
basic human rights to access food and healthcare and shelter
and education and job opportunities for the people that we
know and like, but also for the people we don’t know and
even those we don’t like.”

The manifesto launch
followed a call from the party
for a one-year pause on new AI data centre consents
until stricter national rules are in place.

In March,
Singapore-based company Datagrid was given
resource consent to develop a new $3.5 billion data
centre in Southland.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
called the Green Party “alarmist” and said data centres were
critical to adding value to the country’s economy.

But
Swarbrick told the AGM at Auckland University of
Technology’s Manukau campus that AI data centres did not
offer long term employment.

“Experience overseas has
shown AI data centres extract local water supplies and give
back sludge. They extract an enormous toll on the power
grid, driving up electricity prices for regular people and
local industry.”

“They extract power, they extract
water, and they extract profit.” she said

Swarbrick
took aim at “powerful men” who she said made decision to
increase profits for the few.

“They tell us it’s
inevitable, that we have to suck it up. We’re told this is
‘growth’.”

“They promise that if those companies can
just extract a bit more, we’ll surely get something
back.”

Swarbrick said she could not think of a “better
metaphor” for the “current economic insanity” than AI data
centres.

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