Election 2020: Greens co-leader James Shaw says having NZ First in Govt again is a risk not worth taking

Greens co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson during their stand-up after the reading of the Budget 2019, Parliament, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Another shot has been fired in the war-of-words between the Greens and New Zealand First, as Greens co-leader James Shaw yet again takes aim at Winston Peters' party.

Speaking to Q&A this morning, Shaw said having NZ First back in Government was a "risk that I don't think is worth taking in the next term".

He said, given the economic impact of Covid-19, New Zealand needed a "strong stable Government" and suggested NZ First would undermine that.

He added that his party has found that, at times, it has done all the policy work on an issue and just as he thought something was going to get over the line in Cabinet, "the rug gets pulled out from you at the last minute".

Greens co-leader Marama Davidson refused to say she trusted Peters this morning, even after being pressed on the question repeatedly.

This comes as tension continues to flare between the two parties, which have been in Government together for the past three years.

In a speech this week, Peters said the Greens were "away with the fairies" when it came to their tax policy and a Labour/Greens Government would be a "nightmare" for New Zealand.

Just days before he made those comments, he took aim at the Greens "inexperience" at his party's annual conference.

But Shaw fired back: "In my experience over the last three years, NZ First has not been a moderating force, but a force for chaos," he told the Herald.

"Their organisational culture is chaotic."

And just yesterday, Shaw said NZ First had been "more of a millstone than a handbrake" on the Government.

At the launch of the manifesto yesterday, Shaw said its new policy platform would "serve as a basis for negotiations as we seek to form a new Government after the election with the Labour Party" - specifically leaving out NZ First.

Peters did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The past three years hadn't been all bad, Shaw told Q&A.

"To give them [NZ First] some credit, we have done a lot during the course of the last term.

"All of the things that this Government has done, that the Greens have achieved as part of this Government, have been with the consent of all three parties in the Government."