Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has urged the party faithful to build the biggest Green movement the world has ever seen.
At a media standup, Swarbrick said she expects to have a 'far larger' Green movement going into 2026 election.
She said she did not expect the coalition government to be so anti-environment.
"You're talking about a government that is talking about rewriting the founding document of New Zealand, it's absolutely bonkers that this is the stuff on their agenda."
Former MP Darleen Tana was ousted by the Greens and asked to quit politics altogether this month after an independent investigation found the MP likely knew about allegations of worker exploitation at husband Christian Hoff-Nielsen's business, and did not disclose them to the party until after last year's election.
Swarbrick said the party is considering the future of Tana, but would not say if the waka-jumping rule will be invoked.
"Our caucus has come to the unanimous position that Darleen Tana is not fit to be a member of Parliament," she said.
"It's not a personal thing," she said, citing the executive summary of their investigation into her business affairs.
Swarbrick said she hopes to make the party the major party on the left, and looks to South Auckland to be a big part of that push.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Greens need to "win trust," she said.
Swarbrick has addressed members at the Green's AGM in Christchurch - her first since becoming co-leader in March.
"The Greens aren't here just to get into power. We are here to redistribute power. That's the difference between real representation and mere tokenism," she said in her speech.
Since becoming co-leader, Swarbrick has spoken of her belief the Greens can become the leading party on the left, and that the see-sawing of "legacy parties" had disenfranchised voters.
She re-iterated those points at the AGM, telling members that while she believed many members aligned themselves with green values, it was up to members to have the conversations to turn that into votes.
"For me, that's not just about more seats in Parliament. It's actually not even just about holding the government benches. It's about a country of citizens equipped with the understanding and the time and the resources to actively participate in our democracy. To hold those who make decisions on their behalf accountable. Even and especially if that's us."
Swarbrick spoke of past mass-movements such as the women winning the right to vote, the revitalisation of te reo Māori, and the introduction of MMP.
She told members that Green values too could be an unstoppable movement.
"If that's what we in the Greens want to be, we've got to be brave enough to look at ourselves in the mirror and consider whether we want to evolve as a party," she said.
Acknowledging that many members of the public had become jaded with politics, and the Greens' opponents were relying on people being too tired to engage.
"Trust is broken when someone doesn't come through with what they've promised. You don't have to be a psychologist to understand this is why many communities across our country long ago gave up their trust in politicians," she said.
"If we believe we're different from the other guys, we can't just say it. We've got to prove it. Again, and again, and again."
She told them the party needs to go through some growing pains and reflect on what it used to be and what it wants to be.
One of those difficult conversations is set to happen this afternoon, with members discussing whether to use legislation it has been historically opposed to.
Members will discuss whether to use the waka jumping or party-hopping legislation to remove Darleen Tana from Parliament - but a vote will not be forced.
Despite voting for the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act in 2018, the Greens have long made their opposition to the legislation clear.
However, with Tana determined to stay in Parliament, and the Greens' proportionality now affected, Swarbrick said the party would now formally explore other avenues at the AGM.
