GREENS NAME NON-MP AS LEADER

The Greens have elected Russel Norman as their new male-co-leader,
bypassing MP Nandor Tanczos.

About 200 delegates and party members attended the Greens' AGM, where
preferential voting was used to fill the co-leader's position left
vacant by Rod Donald's death last year.

Under the voting system, the winning candidate needed a 50 per cent
majority and it was thought second and third preferences might have to
be calculated in, but Dr Norman won outright.

The other two candidates were Auckland's Dave Clendon and former MP
Mike Ward.

Dr Norman, the party's election campaign manager, is pledging to
broaden the party's support base.

He said he did not believe that not being an MP would handicap him, as
it would enable him to focus on building the party within the
community. Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said he would have the same
duties and responsibilities as would a co-leader who was an MP.

Dr Norman said he would focus on better communication of the party's
core messages on issues such as sustainability, climate change and
public transport and "broadening our support in the suburbs and
provincial towns".

He downplayed suggestions from some detractors that he would pull the
party to the left.

"We have a social justice dimension to our party, but we are very much
focused on issues of sustainability and the environment," he said.

He believed Mr Tanczos had "suffered to some extent from 'the shooting
of the messenger'. Nandor was the person who told the truth that
prohibition of cannabis wasn't working and he has to some extent paid
the price for that."

Mr Tanczos praised Dr Norman and said he was "behind him 100 per
cent".

The MP has battled image issues within the party as well as outside of
it and said it had played a key role in the contest.

"It probably was the deciding factor...that I'm a dreadlocked
Rastafarian, that probably was a single factor for many people," Mr
Tanczos said.

He refused to express his disappointment over this however. "My view
is that it doesn't matter, it's not important."

Ms Fitzsimons said: "This is a new beginning for the Greens. Rod has
left very large shoes but I know Russel will put his own stamp on the
position, as Rod did, as we work to advance the Green vision
sustainability, justice, democracy and peace."