Greens co-leader faces challenging year

Metiria Turei, who faces a challenging year - politically and personally. Photo by Gregor...
Metiria Turei, who faces a challenging year - politically and personally. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
Highlighting the growing gap between the country's rich and poor is a political goal for MP and Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei, of Dunedin. However, she tells political editor Dene Mackenzie she has some personal goals to achieve in 2011.

The Green Party's "Mind the Gap" policy has become something of a personal mission for Green Party MP and co-leader Metiria Turei and she plans to spend an extensive amount of time promoting it in 2011.

The policy is a plan to close the gap Mrs Turei sees growing between the New Zealand's rich and poor.

"The 1980s and 1990s were focused on the pursuit of wealth. That caused us long-term social distress. But that can be turned around.

"The wellbeing of the community is most important and we can all be part of that. Love our people, love our environment and take care of each other. That message hasn't been expressed often enough or directly enough."

Mrs Turei faces a challenging year - politically and personally.

She will be one of the public faces of what traditionally in New Zealand becomes a presidential-style election with her co-leader Russel Norman, and her daughter is off to university.

"She is an adult now, whether I like it or not," she joked.

The balance of her time in Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland would be crucial, she said, but the support of her husband and daughter made the job possible.

"They see me being an MP as a family job. The are all in it in one way or another and that makes it wonderful."

Two of Mrs Turei's goals included becoming more able to talk economics within a boardroom-like situation and developing her management skills to the next level.

While she felt comfortable addressing community groups about the Green's "Mind the Gap" policy, she felt she needed the right language to talk to different audiences.

Co-leadership was about managing people at a variety levels and that required genuine skills, she said.

"It's an interesting process, but I haven't had specific instruction."

She and Dr Norman are the first of a new generation of Green leaders who represent the main demographic of party supporters - 18 to 45.

Mrs Turei (40) will be standing in Dunedin North, campaigning for the Green Party vote, something she will be doing around the country.

Although specialising in social justice, children's issues and equity and fairness, she felt comfortable campaigning on a wide range of issues.

She planned splitting her time between Dunedin North and the rest of the country and realised she might not be in the city as much as she would have liked.

"We have a really strong team here, and a good vote. Our party vote went up from 10% to 15% at the last election. Dunedin North is a supportive electorate and I won't be ignoring Dunedin North."

On a personal level, Mrs Turei has one main aim: "I expect to be a much better ukulele player by this time next year. I have been playing for 12 months now and it's an absolute joy. I am amazed how many people I meet that talk to me when I am carrying my ukulele on my back."

Her long-term political aim was to have the Green Party in a government as part of a coalition.

The Greens had achieved plenty of goals on the outside, including home insulation, but Mrs Turei believed having the Greens as part of a Government should be the ultimate goal.

 

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