Sustainable New Zealand has launched in Wellington this afternoon with its leader stating the party's willingness to work with any political party will set them apart from other environmental groups like the Greens.
Sustainable New Zealand party leader Vernon Tava, second from left. Photo: RNZ / Charlie Dreaver
The official launch of the party was held this afternoon at wildlife sanctuary Zealandia in Wellington.
Party leader Vernon Tava said until now if someone wanted to vote for the environment, they would have had to vote for a party which had been a "clearinghouse for left-of-Labour activist movements".
"This has excluded many of us, perhaps most of us who genuinely care about the environment, but don't accept this requires some sort of evolutionary overturning of the economic system."
He said polluted waterways, diversity and climate change were too important to be dealt with by any party committed to occupying the opposition benches half the time.
Its top three priorities are water, saving native species from extinction and sustainable economic growth.
Among the party's policies is to invest $1 billion in conservation.
The party is aiming for 10 percent of the vote next election.
Vernon Tava's Sustainable New Zealand Party website. Photo: RNZ
Mr Tava said it was extremely ambitious, but there were plenty of people in the centre of politics who were mobile with their votes.
He said so far the membership of the party had been broad.
"It is a really clear spread across many different former parties of political support, we're not just taking votes off of National.
"We've got disgruntled Greens, we've got some people who voted for Jacinda last election, people who have supported National in the past, even some New Zealand First people have even joined the party," he said.
He said they're also looking for voters outside the inner-city strongholds.