Scoop's Meet The New MPs Project: Kevin Hague

Scoop's Meet The New MPs Project: Antonio Bradley talks to the Green Party’s Kevin Hague

Kevin Hague discusses how being green can co-exist with a healthy economy, what changes need to be made to achieve this, and points out some of the possible pitfalls.

He also discusses his adoption reform bill - which would allow gay and de facto couples to adopt - and why he is passionate to see it become law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I4OfMwM1mw

BIOGRAPHY

Kevin Hague says he realised he didn’t want to be a bystander in life during the environment movement heyday of the ‘70s.

The surrounding racism, education, and feminism issues also demanded that he take a stand, and drew him into politics.

His studies in mathematics and physics at the University of Auckland took a backseat, and he became president of its students’ association.

Since then, Mr Hague has held tenures as executive director of the AIDS foundation, and as chief executive of the West Coast District Health Board.

He made the switch to party politics to make a change in environmental policy, he says.

“I reached a point where I knew that the issues we were facing in terms of climate change and environmental disregard were so massive, I needed to make a contribution, and make it now.”

Kevin Hague discusses how being green can co-exist with a healthy economy, what changes need to be made to achieve this, and points out some of the possible pitfalls.

He also discusses his adoption reform bill - which would allow gay and de facto couples to adopt - and why he is passionate to see it become law.

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Q & A

What are your thoughts on citizen-initiated referenda? Should they be frequent? Should they be legally binding?

Almost all of the outcomes for citizen-initiated referenda in New Zealand have been hard to interpret because the questions were “loaded, confusing or misleading”, Mr Hague says.

Because the anti-smacking referendum question was not related specifically to the relevant law, a direction for the government was not given.

“Well, what on earth would you do?”

He would be in favour of binding referenda only if there was a robust process for tailoring the question to relate to public policy or law.

Sometimes governments need to lead change, but binding citizen-initiated referenda can be a force for “conservatism and doing the wrong thing”, Mr Hague says.

He was involved in the successful Homosexual Law Reform campaign in the ‘80s, and says if a binding citizen-initiated referendum had been held, reform in this area may have been unsuccessful.

If you were to ask New Zealanders now whether they favour the current state of the law, a commanding majority would say yes, he says.

Should the MMP system continue? Or should it be changed?

The difference between MMP and FPP can be seen in a collage in the old Parliament building, where there are pictures of all past MPs, Mr Hague says.

MPs from the FPP era have similar faces – they were all representing pakeha males with a “particular type of background”, he says.

MMP should stay, because the system represents New Zealand’s broad range of people better than First Past the Post did.

Under FPP, some New Zealanders felt disenfranchised, he says.

People shouldn’t forget the “almost tyrannical” rule a party held under FPP, he says.

This often led to flip flops in policy when there were changes in Government.

The MMP system may result in slower decisions, but the decisions are better.

It also allows small parties to bring in initiatives such as NZ First’s Super Gold Card, and the Greens’ home insulation subsidy.

Which five current MPs influence/impress you the most? (Limit three from the Greens party).

Mr Hague says Green MP Jeannette Fitzsimons is an inspirational figure.

When she first started she brought new values and a programme of change to Parliament that had little support from other MPs.

She stuck to her guns in the face of criticism and ridicule.

“As a result the whole political conversation about environment and sustainability in NZ has changed,” he says.

Another member that inspires him is Sue Bradford, he says.

She is well-known for sticking to her guns in the face of adversity, but away from the public eye she works hard in select committees.

This hard work has made her the only person in NZ parliament history to have three member’s bills passed in parliament, Mr Hague says.

“That’s an amazing achievement – it shows that balanced set of skills that we need in this job.”

Mr Hague also says he is inspired by Maori Party MP Hone Harawira, Labour’s Jacinda Ardern, and National’s Michael Woodhouse.

Antonio Bradley is a journalism student at Massey University

ENDS

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