Chloe Swarbrick and the Greens in an unofficial deal with Te Pฤti Mฤori?
Full-blown rumours are circulating that the Greens are now quietly cooperating with Te Pฤti Mฤori to secure enough seats between them to form part of a Labour-led coalition โ while applying collective pressure on Labour for more ambitious, progressive change, rather than risking handing those seats over to Labour.
For a political newcomer Tania Waikato sits at a very strong number 13 on the Green Party list. That makes a split vote highly appealing in many Mฤori electorates: candidate vote for Te Pฤti Mฤori (e.g., Rawiri Waititi in Waiariki), party vote Green. The same strategy applies across other Mฤori seats โ Te Pฤti Mฤori for the candidate, Green for the party.
This approach feels especially obvious in Tฤmaki Makaurau, where the Greensโ candidate, Florence Te Ohaere, remains a virtual unknown. Here, a party vote for the Greens paired with a candidate vote for sitting MP Oriini Kaipara (Te Pฤti Mฤori) makes perfect strategic sense.
As the election draws closer the Greens seem to appearing with Te Pฤti Mฤori MPโs more frequently in social media.
Chloe Swarbrick, the Greens, and Te Pฤti Mฤori owe their supporters and the public full honesty and transparency. They should come clean about any collusion or coordination between the two parties