Hague quits

The Herald reports:

Green MP Kevin Hague is quitting Parliament to take on the top job at environmental organisation Forest and Bird.

The party confirmed this afternoon that Hague, the Greens’ third-ranked MP, had accepted the chief executive position at Forest and Bird and would be resigning as an MP.

He will be replaced by Auckland-based candidate Barry Coates, the former executive director of Oxfam New Zealand.

Greens’ co-leader Metiria Turei said the party was sorry to be losing Hague, who had “worked tirelessly and effectively” for the party.

“We will miss his passion and his wisdom,” co-leader James Shaw said.

Hague ran for the male co-leadership of the party last year, but was defeated by Shaw, a relative newcomer.

The West Coast-based MP was respected on both sides of the House, and would have been a certain minister in a potential Labour-Greens Government.

Among his biggest victories were lobbying for a culture change at ACC in 2012, and playing a leading role in the legalisation of same-sex marriage the same year.

Kevin is by far, in my opinion, the most effective Green MP. I enjoyed working with him on the same-sex marriage and Keep It 18 campaigns. I also of course have disagreed with him on many issues. But he was an MP who would work across party lines to get some wins on the board for what he believed.

I have little doubt he would have been Health Minister if there was a Labour-Green Government.

The fact he has decided to leave strongly suggests he doesn’t see that as likely.

Kevin will be an effective CEO for Forest & Bird. I wish him well there.