New Zealand Greens Shift to Economic Populism and See Poll Surge

The Green Party of New Zealand has climbed to about 15% in several recent surveys after a dramatic shift in its campaign focus. Earlier this year the party struggled at roughly 7% support, but it has since adopted an economic-populist platform that targets supermarkets, power firms, banks and tech giants, proposing public ownership and higher taxes on extreme wealth. At the same time, it has reduced emphasis on cultural-war issues such as pronoun debates and Palestine, opting instead for policies on cheaper electricity, AI regulation and publicly owned supermarkets.

Co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick say the new slogan “For All of Us” is meant to reach voters who feel left out of the political system. The move reflects a broader trend of left-wing parties embracing material concerns to counter right-wing populism, drawing inspiration from figures like Jeremy Corbyn and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.