My relationship with 2008: A spiel from the heart

And so it is that the year 2008AD was coming to an end, with just a few days and several traditional celebratory days remaining. That space in space around the sun beckons again which some cultures chose as their time for new beginnings and reflections. So, in that spirit, I shall now do what all good bloggers do, and blog.

How does one sum up a year? Well, for myself it has been a year of self-discovery, and discovering just some of what the world around has to offer. I have had no formal education whatsoever, but learnt so much. I've worked full time in an office. I've travelled alone, and travelled with strangers who quickly become new friends (significantly bulking out my friends list on Facebook). I've run for Parliament, learning a lot from New Zealand masters of Green politics.

One thing my cousin taught me while I was in Canada - one of those important things that you never forget, rather, dwell on at length - was the way the indigenous people of Canada measure individual success. For me it sums up two things really well. It reminds me that there are so many different ways of viewing the world out there already, let alone new philosophies to be thought up. It also, I feel, sums up well the way I think our culture needs to re-jig our priorities. My cousin told me that indigenous people in Canada use one's relationships as a measure of "success" - compared with our measure of money, stuff, and career success. Relationships with those around you, and also the world around are of huge importance to everyone's wellbeing. I have learnt a lot about relationships this year, of all types.

In terms of international affairs 2008 has been a particularly dramatic year. I remember thinking in 2004 that it was, for New Zealand at least, the year that I will see as the start of major weather events increasing in their ferocity. It was the year that we had all that flooding in February, and sure enough, plenty of extreme weather keeps coming. Two thousand and eight will certainly be remembered as crunch time. The sky-rocketing price of oil can not be ignored as a sign of intense pressures on our resources as we really start to live beyond our means. This being a failure of free-market capitalism, helping trigger another failure. Individuals running a system do in fact act with short term self interests as their primary concern, rather than for the greater good, even if the greater good will, eventually, advance their self-interests much further. Cue global financial crisis.

But, with the election of Barack Obama, there are signs of hope. No more Bush has got to be good for the world - he's done pretty well at screwing up as much as humanely possible. Now, I don't see Obama as a saviour, but I don't think anyone could possibly have been elected in that country and been able to make the changes we so desparately need. Not at the moment anyway. I think in Obama we got about the best we could possibly have hoped for. For me, the fact that he's black doesn't really matter so much (having grown up in an almost colour-blind environment). It's the fact that he's so multi-racial, and has had so many different experiences in his life. This seems to instruct his politics. He realises that if you want to move forward, you have to bring everyone forward, no matter what viewpoint or religion or philosophy they subscribe to. That is vitally important if we are ever to make the changes that really need to be made. Obama is ultimately going to be a failure - he wont enact a policy in the Middle East that is fair, he wont reform the US economy to a "New Green Deal" of the type that we really need, and he most certainly wont please everyone. But I do think that he will make significant progress on all fronts, and that's what we need not just in 2009, but long beyond that.

And so to my beloved New Zealand. What are we up to? National and ACT running the country? (With some Maori Party flavour in there.) So far all that that has meant is some very rapid backwards-running. I know I'll have to continue to invest in my future by investing my time with the Green Party. If right wing politics is the politics of fear, than Green politics is the politics of inspiration and vision, and that is what (with the help of Mr Obama) we need to use to continue to fight the good (non-violent) fight.

As for me, 2009 will be a year of more learning and growth (jeeze, is that all us young folk do?). I will be starting at university, most likely studying Environmental Studies and Economics (so watch out, I'll be able to spa it with the Business Round Table and people with similarily decrepit views and shatter their very reason for being). I'll also be moving out of the nest (yay!).

So to everyone who's read this - thanks! For those of you who flicked through to this final paragraph - go back and read it all! For my supporters on Facebook - thanks for continuing to grow in numbers. My ego needs stroking every now and again. For everyone - over the next couple of weeks, make sure you reflect, philosophise, and most importantly, work on your relationships. With friends, family, loved ones, yourself, your enemies, your garden, your cat and anything/anyone else you see fit. And make sure you do something a little crazy. Two thousand and nine is going to be a long year.

Getting it off my chest

It has now been about two weeks and three days since election night, so plenty of time to reflect, recuperate and ignore my blog. It really is time to do what I've been avoiding and record my post election-musings.

First things first. Me. It was the first general election for me that I could vote in (after having made up my mind a long time ago) and the first time I ran as a candidate. I felt it had to be done. Not to get into Parliament - it's far too soon for a serious run like that - but to increase the Green Party Party Vote, creatively vent my frustration at lack of youth participation and representation in politics, and I guess have a good time, learn a lot and see whether it was a role I could see myself in in the future - as either a lowly-ranked candidate again and/or a serious candidate.

I felt I did make a difference, and most importantly for myself, felt I did as much as I could have hoped to do to increase the Green's Party Vote. I had a good time. I learnt things across the board, from creating event ideas, organising them and organising media to honing my public speaking skills (something I really enjoy) and talking to strangers one on one about issues that they're passionate about, and I'm passionate about. I'll tell you the biggest thing I've noticed since November 8 though. I thought that I might burn myself out on the election trail and then go on hiatus for a little while afterward. But that's not the case. It's put a fire in my belly that's stronger than ever before, and it's not going out. And every time Rodney Hide says climate change is a hoax, or John Key champions the free market over simple social and environmental logic it will only get stronger. Because if there was ever a time to dither over climate solutions, it is not now - I think there's been enough of that since Kyoto was signed in 1997.

Which brings me on to my next subject for my pre-bed muse. The election result. Boy was I nervous on election day - the worst I'd felt the whole campaign. I'm learning to trust my instincts a little more now, and my nervousness gradually morphed into the inevitable disappointment as the results rolled in. I said a few months ago that I would be disappointed with anything less than 8% for the Green Party, and so I was disappointed. I also wasn't expecting the result to be so decisive for National.

So what happened? Well Labour were punished for running such a crappy campaign. Weren't they watching the US elections, and seeing how John McCain was punished for running such a negative campaign against someone who was running such a positive and inspiring one? Labour gave us plenty of reasons not to vote National, and to vote for Labour in the last three elections, but I still haven't figured out what they would have done if they were elected again (other than go into coalition with the Green Party and implement a whole bunch of our brilliant ideas because they had none and ours are so intellegent and needed). Nationals campaign wasn't very inspiring either, but at least they offered something, which was change, some positive messages and a nice guy as their front man. Since Brash disappeared, Key got better and better at saying either "Don't worry, we'll keep what Labour did" or "We'll keep what they did, just change it a bit" which completely took the wind out of Labour's sails. Then he just had to come up with a few issues that struck a chord with the public and voila, he romped home in the end.

As for the Green Party, I think we can count it as a pretty successful campaign. It's so difficult to sell our message when we got so little media coverage compared to the big parties, given that our message is a whole new way of looking at things. But of course, it is a very necessary and logical way, we just need to keep working on getting it accross. We had by far the best billboards and advertising campaign, which got to the heart of our message and our voters. And so we increased our vote against what was a big swing towards a National-led Government. We now have 9 MPs, solidifying our place in Parliament as the third largest Party and a major political force. This is a great base to build on. But the challenges ahead are immense - for both the Green Party and every citizen of Earth. We, along with all the groups and individuals fighting on our side, are the only ones that have the solutions for the future. But we do have the solutions, so we're half way there. All we have to do is make sure the left side of the brain wakes up the right side so that we can all move forward - not just those with the same ideologies. We're all in the same boat.

In the meantime, ponder this: What were those things that National promised to do before the election again?

(PS As for the future of this blog, I think I shall keep writing, though less frequently. And I shall keep cross-posting where relevant to g.blog, which still seems to be going quite strong. Let's build on this momentum!

PPS You're hoping for an explanation about the photo right? Well, on the final day of the campaign we had a bit a fun with some sumo suits. Can you guess what their underpants might be a symbol of? Anyway, after the two fought it out in many battles it turns out they both fall over time and time again whenever faced with a challenge. When it comes to having a positive long term vision that everyone should be a part of, the Green Party was the winner of the day - the only ones that could stand on their own two feet. Below is some more of the action.)

Final campaign shots and MAKE SURE YOU VOTE!

I'm back, and with some pictures to prove I'm still alive! No posts of late as a) I've been very busy and b) things such as modems tend to decide to die just when you need them! But never fear, the last campaign shots are here, as are my final words. So firstly enjoy student debt-monster day at Auckland University, as Xavier Goldie is saddled with the weight of it all.

Next is Jeanette Fitzsimons doing what she does best - convincing one voter at a time, but always...

...because she has one eye on the future!

This campaign has been a lot of fun, and there's only one more day to go - and it will be a very busy day. So make it a Green day, and show your support. Because with record highs in the polls (9% on TV1 and 3) we can have a much more Green Parliament for the next three years. But most important is that you turn up and vote! If you can't get to a polling booth on Saturday, vote tomorrow at an advance polling booth and forget about it. And if you can, check out www.voteparty.co.nz to find out how to celebrate democracy in NZ.

The change we need is Green!

Freakin' sweet!

A brilliant website has emerged out of the Green Party campaign, and I must resist using it too much. It is voteforus.co.nz and allows you to create your own billboard. The image I chose was the closest one of myself to the image our star girl Aila, but unfortunately at the old age of 19 I don't quite have to appeal of a child anymore. I'm glad they didn't choose this design.

Incidentally, that's me in the Amazon, with the Rio Negro behind me. So not quite a kiwi background either, but one that is definitely under threat, and one that we definitely need to protect with the help of the Greens.

Party in Hamilton

On Saturday night I was lucky enough to be in Hamilton where a gig was organised to promote the Green Party. All I had to do was help set up a bit, and speak. The bar, called Altitude, sure was pimped out in Green paraphernalia and although it started off quiet, by the end of the night it was teaming with dancing bodies wearing "I only date boys/girls who vote Green" stickers. Nice.

Above is one of the musical performances of the night. She was pretty damn good I must say. Big thanks to her, the DJs, the local organisers and the bar for a good night out.

What I'm up to tomorrow in a formal sorta way

Youngest Greens to young workers: you CAN take a paid break to vote

Media Advisory 24 October 2008

The Green Party’s youngest candidates are teaming up this Saturday to tell young workers that they CAN take the most important break of their lives.

Zachary Dorner (Pakaranga) and Gareth Hughes (Ohariu) are visiting Hamilton to mobilise young people to vote on November 8.

On a tour through the CBD, they will be visiting young Saturday workers in food outlets, shops and cinemas to tell them that they have a right to take a paid break to go and vote, if they have to work on Election Day. The young Green duo will be at the Ward Street crossing, outside the Village Cinemas and Centreplace, in Hamilton, at 11:30am for about half an hour, before walking through to the Southend.

“It’s vitally important young people who work Saturdays know they are entitled to time off work on November 8, so they can have their say. Educating young workers about this little-known fact may boost the tragically low youth-voter turnout,” says Zachary Dorner, the Party’s youngest candidate at just 19.

“With the global financial crisis and the need for urgent action on climate change, this election is critical. This is especially true for young people, who will have to face the future consequences of how these challenges are handled,” says Gareth Hughes, who at No. 11 on the Green Party List, could make it into Parliament if enough young people Party Vote Green.

“The Green Party has a good range of quality young candidates, because we believe the Greens are the Party for the future, and for young people.”

All workers are entitled to be released no later than 3pm for the rest of the day if they have to work on November 8, if they have not had a reasonable chance to vote before they started their shift. If they have to work after 3pm for essential work, their employer must give them two hours paid leave to vote at a reasonable time earlier in the day.

Dorner and Hughes will be then speaking on Saturday evening at the start of the Greens' Party at Altitude at 8pm.

What: Young Green candidates Zachary Dorner and Gareth Hughes touring youth workplaces to inform young workers of their rights
When: THIS Saturday 25 October, from 11:30am
Where: Meet at Ward Street crossing, outside Village Cinemas and Centreplace in Hamilton
For further information contact: Zachary Dorner 027 374 5144

Getting stuck in with the big shots

Here's the profiles of the candidates in Pakuranga that I am running against (though of course only running for the Party Vote). My first of two debates against them is on Labour Day, though I'm sure by the end of it it will be more of a Green Day. It will have a Christian focus, but should be fun.

This one's for the workers

Another weekend's wizzed by, and now it's only two and a half weeks to go! This weekend I spent with fellow young candidates Gareth Hughes and Xavier Goldie. It included handing out fliers, trying to get the media's attention and another pub crawl. The above picture is some hard working women wearing our "I only date boys who vote Green" stickers and serving sausages to the hungry partying masses on Saturday night.

On Saturday we, with the help of another Young Green (and tireless campaigner called Alexis - he always hands out way more fliers than anyone else!) went around downtown Auckland. Our main focus was, as pictured above, handing out our leaflets aimed at young people, and especially Saturday workers (with Gareth on the left). We wanted to inform them of their right to paid time off work on election day to vote if they don't have another reasonable chance. No one knew this fact that we came across, and they were grateful to find out. More info at here if you or someone you know is in that boat. Don't let anything stop you from voting!

That night we did the pub crawl. Although we were few in numbers we had a good time and got a very good response from everyone. It's a great way to campaign.

The next couple of days consisted of more leafleting and trying to bait the media (with some small results, but no big fish).

The next few days I am catching up on some work, then next weekend the Young Candidates are hitting Hamiltron! After that the last two weeks will be the final hard push. So stop watching the American elections (what a bore, a forgone conclusion) and get involved in what is by no means a done deal. The Greens have shown yet again that we are the only fully-honest Party in Parliament, so we will see how that plays out.

And remember, every vote counts.

I'm on Alt tonight!

I'll be on Greencore at 8:00pm either on Sky channel 65 or streaming live on their website. Check yah there.

Yes ladies I am single... But I only date girls who vote Green

On Friday 26 September the Young Greens of Auckland embarked on one of the most epic and original nights of campaigning this country has ever seen. We went on a pub crawl.

The popular feature of said pub crawl was our "I only date boys/girls who vote Green" stickers, coasters and badges. Yes, that's right, it says "I only date girls who vote Green" not a girl. Hence the above photo...

We had a good team, shown in part above, though some other left early. We had a good reception overall as well, though of course it depended on the venue. A few drinks and people can get quite rude and direct! We went around about 12 or so bars. We our message out, and had some good conversations in the process, in some cases changing perceptions of the Green Party and winning over voters.

So we got our message out, and had a whole bunch of fun doing so. Perfect. Thus, this week's poll is about the effectiveness of innovative campaigning. Do you think it makes more of a difference if it's clever and fun? I believe it made one for the above backsides and their respective partners, if any. They are sporting our "I only date boys who vote Green" stickers.

Keep your eyes peeled for more great Young Green campaigning coming very soon to a place near you!

I've been selected!

Youngest candidate receives Pakuranga electorate for his 19th birthday

Tonight Zachary Dorner officially became the Green Party's candidate for Pakuranga, four days before his 19th birthday. At that age he is easily the youngest candidate in the country out of the established political parties.

On becoming the Green candidate for Pakuranga, Dorner said “I am excited to be able to represent the Green Party in Pakuranga. I am seeking the Party Vote, which is the most important. I want everyone in Pakuranga to know that we in the Green Party have practical solutions in our approach to the big issues of our time. I am positive about the future, creative ideas and a ‘can-do’ approach is abundant in New Zealand."

Although Zachary Dorner's chances of getting into Parliament are slim, the lack of representation for young people in Parliament was a major motivation for standing. Mr Dorner does not rule out a serious attempt at becoming a young Green MP in the future.

“Young people are a glaring omission from the so-called 'House of Representatives.' I want more young people to follow in my footsteps by standing and participating in the democratic process. The Green Party is the only Party that truly represents a youthful perspective at the moment, and I see no sign of that changing.

“In an election supposedly about trust I want people to ask themselves who they really trust. Who do they trust with taking serious action on climate change? Who do they trust to provide New Zealanders with safe, sustainable and healthy food? Who do they trust with their children's future? Their best answer to that question is for them to Party Vote Green on November 8.”

Have you decided who you will give your party vote to yet?

The results of this weeks poll. Obviously not a scientific one... I hope more people vote in my one for this week, as do I hope there will be a good turnout come November 8. But, as I said when I started this blog, internet polls don't show anything statistically sound, unless they have a very high number of voters, in which case they are a general indication only. I use them in this blog to raise issues.

I hope the voters who have decided in this poll are all voting Green... I do have a feeling there is an ACT voter who voted in the poll though but no matter. They are few and far between at the moment luckily.

Real freedom = freedom from cars!

Yesterday was Car Free day, and it was celebrated by the Green Party in style.

Above you can see what they did in Wellington as they launched the Green Party Transport Policy for the election. After convincing 48 Greenies to drive their cars (no small task) to the waterfront they got a very graphic example of why bussing is so much better for the environment and eases traffic jams so much. One full bus is so much smaller! Especially when you add the space between cars that you get when driving. Of course I would generally put myself in the bicycle crew at the front because it is far more fun, especially in hilly places like Wellington and Auckland (downhill of course is what I'm talking about!).

The Green Party transport policy would see the funness of cycling made much safer and, as I said in my previous post, a funding role reversal. No longer would transport funding be so weighed in favour of dirty cars, but weighed in favour of public transport, cycling and walking. Let's free ourselves from cars and make our cities more liveable!

I'm also very keen on the $1 off-peak travel anywhere for two hours for public transport, and the half price fares for senior citizens, children and, most importantly, students. The poor beggars (of whom I will be one next year) currently have to pay through their teeth and fork out full adult prices! Mental considering how poor they already are.
As for myself, I walked to university in Auckland with three others. We wore visibility vests, had music pumping from a wheelie bin (courtesy of Greenpeace) and spread the word and love, handing out Green Transport Policy leaflets.

Next major car-related day is Free Car Day. Look for ACT and National in particular to be capatilising on that with their transport policies. as free cars will be the only thing that makes driving cars everywhere affordable in the near future.

RIding whales before they become extinct

As I failed to tell you in my last post, the awesome candidate who is now standing for Maungakiekie for the Green Party is Rawiri Paratene, who was in Whale Rider. Like a number of Green candidates (including yours truly), he does not want to become an MP, but is giving his name and time to try and get as many Green MPs in the next Parliament. As he put it: "My message to people is to party vote Green, I say to people `Vote for your kids and your grandchildren – they will thank you for it." So to all of you who do party vote Green, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Auckland!!!!!!

Yes, that's where I'm at now. I've popped up again in Auckland, land of plenty (of people and stuff). On Thursday I came up here, and that evening I attended the Auckland Campaign launch as an Auckland candidate. Thus, I will now be hanging here for the next seven weeks.

It was a great night at the Safari Lounge in Ponsonby where we proudly announced the 21 candidates in 21 electorates - the first time we've had a candidate in every electorate. My one will be Pakuranga after my official selection evening coming up this week. Apart from the other excellent candidates there's also a very high profile candidate who has leant his good name and time, and will be running in Maungakiekie. So watch out.

Most important of all we have an undeniably strong message, summed up perfectly by our much-praised billboards. Which political party would you most trust with your children's future? I know I'm hedging my bets to ensure maximum Green representation in the Parliament.

I'm gonna be having a good time getting out that message in Auckland, so see you round.

Have you decided who you will give your party vote to yet?

With newly invigorated blogness happening, time for a new poll - which will now be renewed weekly. I promise.

This one's a simple one. Have you decided who your going to vote for? I know I have...

With all the madness of silly season almost in full swing it's interesting to take a look at how many people decide who to vote for (and sometimes also whether to vote) over what happens during the next 52 days (and counting). And with MMP that can have a huge impact on governing arrangements after the election.

On another similar note, a general whinge about the importance placed on polling data. It becomes an obsession in the media, and leads to what Nicky Hager calls "horse racing politics". It is a week to week commentary about who did what and how that effected their polling (even if it is relatively unreliable data), rather than the analysis we so desperately lack about what each party's policies are and how that will effect the country. But of course an election campaign focused on policy would be too much to ask for...

And, back to the matter at hand, maybe some of you undecideds are waiting for more policies to be announced perhaps?

Sorry! Just hit me on the head like a whack-a-mole

Monday, 15 September 2008

My dearest blog readers,

Please accept my sincerest apologies. It has now been a month since I last posted which is nothing short of embarrassing. This last month has been an abysmal effort on my part, and for that I am truly sorry. I can only hope that you will forgive me.

In my defense I have been busy and been thinking of you often, even if I haven't been communicating that with you. After the Guelph by-election campaign I traveled to my hometown (named with the very original name London, Ontario, Canada), the city where my dad was born and grew up (Windsor - accross the river from Detroit) then on the train all the way to Quebec (which took a complete day), then to Montreal to see what all the hype was about and then back to Ottawa. This was quite rushed and, just like my last sentence, was done all in one go. In Ottawa I hung with my fan-dam-ly some more and eventually ended up in a place called Shelter Valley for a folk festival by the same name. This was an excellent way to end my big trip, and the festival itself turned out to be a great example of a positive grassroots community doing good stuff, which had developed over the last five years. It was mainly volunteer run and, as a volunteer myself I was thanked many times. That made me feel guilty as I was really just putting in my 12 hours for the free entry, free camping and free food. From there I was on a plane, spent two days in Hollywood (like the start of my trip) and then back to home turf aka Wellington. Since my arrival I've been extremely busy sorting out my life again and helping out the Green Party who are to be a major feature of my life for the next couple of months.

Next I will be disappearing like a whack-a-mole in a few days, only to pop up again somewhere else. But, just like a whack-a-mole, I'm not going to tell you where or when - haha.

But I will promise you this. Things are serious now. The election date has been announced and as a candidate it's going to be exciting and I'm going to be working hard to bring a much greater representation for the Green Vision in Parliament. And during the next couple of months I will keep you up to date as best and often I can. So sorry again, from the bottom of my heart, and talk to you soon.

Love from Zack

I guess Guelph's going Green

Well, what an inspiring weekend I had last weekend. I went to Guelph in Ontario, Canada to help out with the campaign to elect the Green Party Candidate Mike Nagy there, and what a pleasant surprise I got. It is a by-election campaign, and the Canadian Greens think it's their best shot ever at getting a Green MP elected under their First Past the Post (FPP) electoral system (the poor things). I must admit, I was skeptical about whether they actually had that good a chance before I got there, but now I'm sure they have a damn good one.

Firstly, the campaign has gotten off to the best start ever for a Green Party campaign in Canada. They've already had many volunteers, including about thirty Young Greens the weekend I was there, with four weeks of campaigning remaining. They've had many people getting Mike Nagy signs for their lawns, and a lot of support coming in.

Guelph is a green city anyway, with, most notably, a fantastic farmers market. It is also a university town which, as we all know, means plenty of Green supporters as the Green Party is the Party for young people. In a riding (electorate) in London Ontario (my birthplace), some polling booths at the last Canadian Federal Election in the University there polled as high as 80% Green. Furthermore, Guelph is on track to have the highest amount of Green support ever from Green Party canvasing.

Then there are the stories. Firstly - the campaign office. It is an ex-car rental lot on one of the most busy corners in Guelph, with excellent visibility. All the other major contenders for Guelph contacted the owner about leasing the now empty and awesome place, but the guy wanted Guelph to go Green, so he gave it to Mike Nagy. The other campaign offices were barely visible, so Guelphites know that the Greens are serious contenders. You can see the sweet location above, with it's sweet signs beneath the other sign - the beautiful rainbows on the Saturday night. Now, I've seen many rainbows in my time, but never one as full and vivid as that one, and it's second shadow rainbow. And they are rare in Guelph apparently. It seemed too coincidental to be just a coincidence...

The other thing I was very impressed with was the energy and excitement that was there. It feels like the Canadian Greens have momentum and are on the verge of breaking the deadlock that is created by being in an FPP environment. The best result they've ever had was in the Ontario Provincial Election last year by the awesome Shane Jolley (who I was lucky enough to hang with while in Guelph) who scored 33% of the vote and a disappointingly close second place. This is consistent with the upward trend they've been having in certain areas, and it's about time they break through. Once they get an MP, everything changes. They are no longer seen as unelectable, and their leader Elizabeth May gets to participate in the televised leaders debates in the next Federal Election (ie. shatter the old white guys who lead the other four parties in Parliament).

So from the weekend I was inspired by how the Canadian Greens are doing, and i will take their energy with me back to New Zealand to help with our election campaign. It also serves as a good reminder that New Zealand should never abandon proportional representation. A Party with as much support as the Greens in Canada should have fair representation.

So will Guelph go Green? Time will tell. Do Guelphites ever want me to return to their lovely township? Time will tell. I for one hope they do, because that would be fantastic. Mike Nagy has an excellent chance, and so do the Greens in Canada for their future. It is time.

I will be following the campaign and checking the results after September 8.

A video in which I partially explain myself

Here is a video from the Youth Campaign Launch that happened in Wellington on August 1. My insiders tell me it was awesome, but of course I knew that as I attended in spirit. It explains partially why I am running this election and I "made" it in my sister's apartment in Mexico (ie recorded the sound and someone way better than me made it look pretty).

Canadian press release

I released this press release in Ottawa this morning (with some help from the local Greens - thanks). It remains to be seen how interested they are in the story, but I hope it gets out there and convinces some New Zealanders over here to party vote Green.

Eighteen year old New Zealand Green Party candidate hits Canada

6 August 2008

Late last week a young New Zealand Green Party election candidate, Zachary Dorner, arrived in Canada. He is here because of family, but also has a more serious goal.

“With oil prices going through the roof and carbon emissions desperately needing reduction, I want to see as many New Zealanders who can vote in the upcoming national elections use their Party Vote for the Green Party,” said Mr Dorner.

Under New Zealand Electoral Law any New Zealand citizen who has set foot in New Zealand during the last three years, or any permanent resident who has visited New Zealand in the last year is eligible to vote. They can go to elections.org.nz for more info.

As New Zealand has MMP, every Party Vote counts towards the number of seats a party gets in Parliament.“The Green Party in New Zealand has always done well with the overseas vote. In fact, it was the overseas vote that got us over the 5% Party Vote threshold for entering Parliament on our own for the first time in 1999. Furthermore, every citizen of the world has an interest in all Governments taking issues like climate change seriously, no matter where they currently live.”

At just 18 years old Mr Dorner is taking this year off to travel and campaign for the Green Party.“I decided to run in this year's election because I can see that the Green Party is the only political party with positive, practical and principled solutions to the major issues of our time. As a young person these issues are all the more urgent.”

Zachary Dorner will be in Canada until 1 September, and will be back in his home town of Wellington on the5th. He will stay mostly in Ottawa, though plans to do some travel around Canada and help local Greens, including with the Guelph by-election campaign.

The New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has yet to announce the final election date, which must be on a Saturday no later than November 15.