Greens advertise desire for party list revision

Green Party supporters feel so strongly about how the party list is ranked they have put an ad in today's Herald before their annual meeting in Christchurch this weekend.

Some members want a constitutional change saying that a ballot of members must be taken into account by the executive and they are publicly urging delegates to vote for the remit, Remit 2.

The constitution at present says the party executive ranks the list. According to co-leader Russel Norman, in reality a conference of activists comes up with a draft list which is given out to members with ballot papers.

The ranking is then based almost entirely on the members' ballot, he said, apart from one or two occasions when it has been altered for gender, ethnic or geographic balance.

He said some members wanted the practice formalised in the constitution.

He was not sure whether the wording proposed for the change was the best.

Dr Norman said he was not concerned that the debate had been taken to the public arena. "It's an open democratic process. The Greens have nothing to fear."