Green Party's old guard moves on

Green MPs Keith Locke and Sue Kedgley are the last remaining of the party's original seven who entered Parliament in 1999, and will depart at this election. Photo / Mark Mitchell

This week's valedictory speeches from Sue Kedgley and Keith Locke will mark the changing of the guard for the Greens.

The pair are the last remaining of the party's original seven MPs who entered Parliament in 1999, and will be remembered as such when they step down at this year's election.

Both will deliver their speeches this week, with Ms Kedgley to kick off the valedictory season tomorrow as the first of 14 departing MPs to bid final farewells.

Changes to the Green Party line up have frequently raised questions about the party's survival, first with the death of co-leader Rod Donald in 2005 then with the resignation of co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons in 2009.

"People have stopped predicting our demise, because when Rod died they said well that's end of the Greens, and then they said that when Jeanette left," Ms Kedgley said.

"It's just a normal process of renewal, and we're just handing the torch to the next generation, and I think that's incredibly healthy and the way it should be."

Mr Locke said the drama that went with the party's arrival in Parliament was probably one of the reasons people had focused on the original group.

"It was a sort of very refreshing thing to a lot of people who liked Green politics, and shocking for the people who didn't - you could see that in the way the National Government went to quite extreme lengths to try to stop the Greens coming in."

However, there appears to have been a changing of tides over the last decade, and both Mr Locke and Ms Kedgley acknowledged greater public acceptance of Green policies.

In Parliament too, the shift in attitudes has been notable - once labelled "extremists", Green MPs are now considered more mainstream, and the bashing they once suffered from across the parliamentary benches has somewhat faded.

Although neither would be a stranger to the party when they left Parliament, both made it clear they were not intending to be backseat drivers.

"That is the challenge for any MP that has played some sort of a leadership role in an area in the past, you don't want to be in the background saying you're doing things wrong, and undermining their authority," Mr Locke said.

KEITH LOCKE

True champion of human rights Keith Locke walks naked, wearing body paint, down Broadway in Newmarket as he promised he would if Rodney Hide won the Epsom electorate in 2005. I won't be uninvolved with political issues, but I'll be able to pick and choose what I do and focus on certain issues. Keith Locke Green MP Keith Locke likes to joke that he came into Parliament on the right-wing Christian vote.

The life-long political activist became the Green's last MP in 1999 after the special vote count gave the party an extra seventh seat.

Of particular amusement to Mr Locke was the fact that the Christian Heritage Party took almost 50,000 votes off National - which would otherwise have taken the final seat.

From the get-go, Mr Locke faced a battle in Parliament as he was ridiculed from across the benches for being an "extremist".

Most memorable were New Zealand First leader Winston Peters' attacks when he referred to Mr Locke as "Pol Pot", referencing Mr Locke's initial support for the Khmer Rouge, which he renounced after the regime's atrocities were reported.

Mr Peters continued to lash out at Mr Locke when he fought for the freedom of Algerian asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui, saying the Greens were supporting terrorists.

"Strangely enough I came under a double attack sometimes - I was a namby-pamby pacifist who didn't believe in violence and at the same time I was a supporter of terrorism. I always found that a bit of a contradiction," said Mr Locke.

Since those days, attitudes around Parliament had become somewhat more accepting, and Mr Locke said he would be disappointed to see the return of Mr Peters.

Although, at age 55, Mr Locke was not the youngest MP to enter Parliament, he was by all accounts one of the most energetic, and constantly challenged the Government on issues around spy agencies, civil liberties and defence.

Among his notable battles was his focus on New Zealand's operations in Afghanistan, as well as the Government's counter-terrorism laws.

Mr Locke said he had been part of a number of victories in Parliament, and Mr Zaoui's release from jail was one of his greatest moments.

The case of Mr Zaoui was one that well illustrated not only Mr Locke's relentless commitment to human rights campaigning, but also the extent to which he became personally involved.

"It was an important issue that broke through that whole momentum of the so-called war on terror, and all of that sort of aura of terrorism that undercut due process," Mr Locke said.

He has fought vigorously against passing laws without proper public scrutiny, most recently putting his valedictory speech writing on hold to fight the Government's plans to pass an urgent bill to retrospectively make covert filming by police lawful.

But Mr Locke said the pressure of being in a small party and constantly having another issue to turn to was tiring, and he was ready for a break. "It's not so much wearing me down, but I find a bit of a difference between age 55 and age 67," he said.

"I'm moving really to a situation where I won't be uninvolved with political issues, but I'll be able to pick and choose what I do and focus on certain issues."

Human Rights Foundation chief executive Peter Hosking said Mr Locke had been a human rights stalwart, and his presence in Parliament would be missed.

"He has a human rights heart, as every legislator should have," Mr Hosking said.

"Sadly, expediency and appealing to the lowest common denominator, or what gets more votes, increasingly drives the main parties to our ultimate peril as a fair country. Keith stood on principle, often the only one to do so."

SUE KEDGLEY

Sue Kedgley explored many avenues before becoming a Green MP - she was a beauty queen, a feminist activist, a television reporter and producer and a city councillor.

It's still, to a considerable extent, a bit of an old boys' club and it's still dominated by a handful of men.Sue Kedgley As Sue Kedgley prepares to farewell Parliament, her next move is still unclear.

So far the Green Party MP, who is 63, has followed no clear-cut life plan - having been a beauty queen, a feminist, a television reporter and an "accidental MP".

While her university studies in political science come as no great shock, she and her twin sister's participation in a "Miss Victoria University" was less indicative of things to come.

"I think I was runner-up and then we went into Miss New Zealand University and I came second and she came third, or something ridiculous like that," Ms Kedgley said.

Rest assured, the pageant days came a number of years before her women's liberation activism, during which she became a regular fixture in 1970s news footage of protests.

After a decade of reporting, producing and directing in television, then an eight-year stint as a Wellington City Councillor, Ms Kedgley found herself in Parliament in 1999.

At sixth on the Green Party list, she said it was a great shock to be elected, although life seemed to carry on in a similar fashion.

"I really just carried on doing what I had done before I came into Parliament, sort of campaigning for issues I cared really passionately about, just with all this new resource instead of having to work out of my study at home," she said.

"I really had no idea of how Parliament worked at all, never mind the 400 arcane rules and standing orders that run the place, which, I must say, I have never read to this day."

Ms Kedgley continued to grace television screens, pushing for animal welfare and protesting over genetically modified crops.

She started inquiries into ambulance services, obesity and regulation of natural health products, and secured Budget funding for a range of initiatives.

In 2007, she left her legislative mark on the country when she passed a bill giving employees with dependents the right to request part-time or flexible hours.

However, while legislation and budgets were a concrete measure of success, Ms Kedgley said her proudest moments had come from changing attitudes.

Despite there being a greater acceptance of "green" ideas, Ms Kedgley struggled to push her agenda in areas considered unimportant by some.

"It's still, to a considerable extent, a bit of an old boys' club and it's still dominated by a handful of men.

"There was a different group of men who were dominating Parliament 12 years ago, there's just a different cast of characters now."

Among her frustrations was the Government's refusal to implement mandatory country-of-origin labelling, the Greens being "shafted" in 2005 - excluded from the Labour-led Government despite signalling clear support throughout the campaign - and facing shenanigans in Parliament with "bullying" tactics by parliamentary opponents.

Adopting a "zen" attitude was the best way to deal with frustrations, Ms Kedgley said.

With the November 26 election looming, she said she was looking forward to having a break to decide on her next direction.

"For someone who never even intended to become an MP, I think I've done 12 years and I think it's good to have renewal in political parties," she said.

"Parliament is quite an addictive world. It's incredibly stimulating and you feel you're right close to where things are happening, close to the hub of power.

"It's easy for this to become your world and have no other world."