The Greens have officially signed on to join the Labour Party in Government this morning.
The agreement was released yesterday, outlining plans to give Greens co-leader Marama Davidson Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness) and James Shaw Minister of Climate Change and Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity).
Instead of policies, it had 'areas of cooperation' that included achieving the purpose and goals of the Zero Carbon Act, protecting our environment and biodiversity and improving child wellbeing and marginalised communities.
"For us this agreement represents the relationship that the Labour Party and the Green Party have formed over the last three years and the continuation of that," Labour leader Jacinda Ardern said today.
"It also importantly for the Government brings stability. In this agreement there is agreement from the Green Party not to oppose the Government on important votes like confidence and supply, to support us in procedural motions and at Select Committee."
She said it was an opportunity to draw on the skills that exist across Parliament.
"Marama and James as co-leaders of the Greens bring skills in the environment, in the family and sexual violence space, spaces that we want to work together on as well as the other areas set out in this agreement."
Yesterday, Ardern said: "The Cooperation agreement balances these two objective, while not committing to a more formal coalition or confidence and supply arrangement."
The agreement is far less specific than the 2017 coalition and supply agreement. Part of that was reflected in the appointment of just two Ministers. The Green Party held three in the last Government.
Davidson told media after the signing today she was proud to sign the agreement while maintaining the Greens' voice.
It comes after a landslide win for Labour in the 2020 election on October 17.
In the preliminary vote count, Labour received 49.1 per cent - 64 seats in Parliament, well ahead of National's 26.8 per cent - 35 seats. ACT and Greens both received 10 seats.
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