NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Election 2011: Greens learn from past campaigns

NZ Herald
5 Dec, 2011 04:30 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Greens co-leader Russel Norman showed a tendency to wear suits and ties, a difference from the party's past. Photo / Michael Craig

Greens co-leader Russel Norman showed a tendency to wear suits and ties, a difference from the party's past. Photo / Michael Craig

Lauded as the best campaign of the election, the Greens 2011 effort owed its success to an early spadework, the party's mounting experience, and lessons learned from its bigger rivals, key party insiders say.

Green Party communications director Andrew Campbell said the "biggest thing we did that was good" was to start work on the campaign "a year if not two years out".

Greens' campaign manager Megan Salole said a vital part of that early work was focus group testing.

Previously frustrated by a lack of resources, this was the first time the party was able to use focus groups and their major role was in working out how the party was being perceived.

Mr Campbell said once the party's weaknesses - perceived or otherwise - were identified, it worked to address those areas in Parliament for a year or more before the campaign proper began.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"That was particularly in the economics area and also in our communications and political strategy in relation to raising our co-leaders' profiles."

The most visible evidence of the Greens' quest for economic credibility was in co-leader Russel Norman's preference for a conservative suit and tie. However, that was backed up with a willingness to discuss or debate the detail of economic issues and policies.

His co-leader Metiria Turei consolidated her profile and status as a contributor to debates on social justice issues with moves including a well received speech to the House on child poverty which, while deeply personal, was written with input from professional contributors.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In terms of the campaign proper, Mr Campbell says the style was closer to that of the major parties than it had been in the past.

"I guess it was a recognition that election campaigns are becoming more and more presidential and while we're not in that game in terms of Labour and National it is important that there are co-leaders or leaders that the public have trust and confidence in and know who they are."

Ms Salole said the party had built on its success in 2008, employing the same "winning formula" but "getting sharper and more sophisticated in delivery and more ambitious with our goals".

That saw greater discipline about having priorities - "Jobs, Rivers, Kids".

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

'Great night to be a Green'

26 Nov 12:27 PM
New Zealand|politics

Election 2011: Greens set to go but have long winding road ahead

26 Nov 04:30 PM
New Zealand|politics

Election 2011: Greens weigh options

27 Nov 04:30 PM
New Zealand|politics

Greens' first caucus welcomes new faces

29 Nov 12:06 AM

"That was an extraordinary wedge for us. It helped us penetrate into a very crowded campaign space and we hadn't been able to do that in the past, possibly because we hadn't been as consistent in saying what we were doing."

Those priorities were also successful because they had broad appeal, "no matter where you are on the political spectrum".

While the Greens have in the past been good at wringing every single dollar and ounce of energy out of its 4000 or so members, one of its successes this time around was the development of the "Green Machine" as a way of engaging and harnessing supporters who weren't ready to become members but wanted to do more.

Ms Salole said the "tremendously successful" strategy mobilised thousands of "slacktivists", mostly younger people who were passionate about the environment or securing change but who were otherwise more likely to rant about it online rather than stuffing leaflets in letter boxes.

While some did end up helping out with leaflet drops, they made a major contribution by helping maintain a significant online presence for the Greens thereby facilitating wider direct communication with voters.

The Greens also had help from a more activist volunteer in the shape of actress Robin Malcolm, whose attack on Prime Minister John Key landed her and the party on the front page of the Herald.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It certainly raised the profile of our campaign launch", said Mr Campbell.

Finally, Ms Salole said the Greens campaign, in which the party's policy gains under its memorandum of understanding with National in the last term, was successful in that it communicated the party's independence while still getting the message across that it could make progress on its policies no matter who got into Government, "not if we got into Government".

"A Green vote wasn't a wasted vote in that regard."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Person critically injured in Levin crash

11 May 08:31 PM
New Zealand

'The silent killer': Heart Foundation's urgent blood pressure push

11 May 08:11 PM
Premium
Opinion

Roger Brooking: What prison statistics get wrong on violent crime rates

11 May 08:00 PM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Person critically injured in Levin crash

Person critically injured in Levin crash

11 May 08:31 PM

Two people were injured, one critically.

'The silent killer': Heart Foundation's urgent blood pressure push

'The silent killer': Heart Foundation's urgent blood pressure push

11 May 08:11 PM
Premium
Roger Brooking: What prison statistics get wrong on violent crime rates

Roger Brooking: What prison statistics get wrong on violent crime rates

11 May 08:00 PM
Crews battle suspicious Napier house fire

Crews battle suspicious Napier house fire

11 May 07:53 PM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP