Greens co-leaders Chlöe Swarbrick and Marama Davidson have a new chief of staff. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Greens co-leaders Chlöe Swarbrick and Marama Davidson have a new chief of staff. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Former Green Party MP Kevin Hague is returning to politics as the party’s new chief of staff.
In a social media post, Hague said he was “coming out of retirement” to take on the role that was made vacant in September when former chief of staff Eliza Prestidge-Oldfield steppeddown.
Hague said he would still live on the West Coast but would establish a base in Wellington, appealing to anyone with furniture to sell.
He said he would “pick up the reins in a couple of weeks”.
Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said she was “stoked” to bring Hague back into the party.
“Kevin is highly respected and brings a wealth of leadership experience, in parliament and outside of it across conservation, health and human rights.
“We look forward to the insight, compassion, work ethic, and integrity that Kevin brings everywhere he goes.”
Hague entered Parliament as a list MP for the Greens in 2008 and remained until retiring from politics in 2016 to become the chief executive of Forest and Bird.
Former Green MP Kevin Hague will be the party's new chief of staff. Photo / Fiona Goodall
At the time of his retirement, then-co-leader James Shaw said of Hague: “Kevin has been an excellent advocate for Green policies over many years. He has worked tirelessly and effectively, for the Green Party and with other political parties. We will miss his passion and his wisdom.”
The party has been without a permanent chief of staff since September when Prestidge-Oldfield gave up the role. Co-leader Marama Davidson explained Prestidge-Oldfield had left to “focus on her health, wellbeing and her whānau”.
“This has not been an easy decision for her to make, given the huge contribution that Eliza has made to the Green Party over many years,” Davidson said.
“However, the party fully supports her decision to prioritise her health and whānau.”
Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.
