This morning, after the first meeting of the New Zealand Parliament this year, Green Party MP James Shaw announced that he would resign as leader of the coalition party on March 10.
Shaw has been in politics for more than 12 years, first serving as deputy leader of the Green Party in 2015 and as climate change minister in the previous two governments.
In 2021 and 2022, he experienced challenges from party members to his position as coalition leader.
Despite resigning as coalition leader, he will remain in parliament to support a bill by Greens MPs to insert a bill into the Bill of Rights that states that everyone has the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment – a bill that will be tabled in parliament in December and has yet to be read for the first time.
The Greens have had a rough start to the year – MP Golriz Ghahraman resigned after shoplifting was exposed. And Elizabeth Kerekere of the Green Party also quit the Green Party last year due to bullying allegations.
Shaw was noncommittal on whether the Greens' No. 3 MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, would take over as coalition leader, and said he would not "publicly support any candidate".
The nomination for the coalition leader will begin tomorrow, January 31 and end on February 14, with the final results expected to be announced in March.
Shaw said he hopes to continue working in the environmental sector after resigning.
The Greens currently have 15 seats in Parliament, of which 14 members are still in Parliament.
If Shaw leaves Congress, Lawrence Xu-Nan, who ranks 16th in the party, may enter Congress and become the third Chinese member of parliament after Carlos Cheung and Nancy Lu of the National Party.
The New Zealand fishing industry has issued a warning
Recently, the New Zealand Fisheries Agency issued a warning that "it is strongly recommended to buy seafood from legitimate sources or face charges." ”
"It is highly recommended to buy seafood from regular channels, otherwise you will face charges. ”
What's going on?
Recently, the New Zealand Fisheries Agency pointed out that the price of lobsters sold through formal channels is between 65 and 90 New Zealand dollars, and the actual price depends on the size of the lobster.
"If it's lower than that, you have to be careful when you buy. A Fisheries Bureau official said.
Matt Parry, a senior official at the Department of Fisheries, said: "New Zealand has an abundance of seafood in the summer, and it's a time to eat seafood, so some people are illegally catching seafood and selling it on social media platforms such as Facebook Marketplace. ”
Parry warned: "Residents are advised to buy seafood from reliable sources or risk facing charges from the Fisheries Department." ”
Glen Blackwell, Regional Leader for Oak North Shore, New Zealand Fisheries, said: "Poaching increases significantly at this time of year. And this year's fishing conditions are very good, which will inevitably attract some unscrupulous elements.
"Expensive seafood is a circulating currency on the black market in New Zealand – especially in the drug market. ”
In May last year, investigators from the Department of Fisheries uncovered a major poaching case.
In this case, a poaching ring recovered 5,000 lobsters from the Mahia Peninsula in Hawke's Bay and sold them to residents of Auckland, Napier and other places through Facebook.
The Department of Fisheries said the 5,000 lobsters were worth about $300,000.
In this case, poaching gangs fabricated "sales permits" — pretending to be licensed by a local tribe.
After the case was cracked, a buyer left a message on Facebook: "I thought you got the lobster through legal channels, and I wouldn't have bought seafood from you if I knew so." ”
In response, Steve Ham, head of complaints at the New Zealand Fisheries Agency, said: "It is a violation to sell or buy non-compliant seafood, so it is recommended not to buy seafood below the market price to avoid getting involved in poaching investigations."
"If the lobster sells for a very low price, even $30, then everyone has to be careful. And try to choose a regular, reputable seller when buying. Ham said.