RE: https://mastodon.scot/@HI_Greens/115941170450899039
Please please please can the #NZ Greens copy this messaging.
Discussion
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@AngelaAntunovic
> Please please please can the NZ Greens copy this messaging
Not copy, but get inspiration from for sure. I'm not ashamed to say every part of that video put tears in my eyes, especially the way Zack landed the ending; make hope normal again.
Hope for a better future too. Not hope for a return to a romanticised past that wasn't so great for most people, as promoted by Winston First et al.
@strypey @chopsstephens Inspiring is the right word. The NZ Greens always have sensible well-costed policies and the bulk of voters don't even consider voting for them. They need to inspire people. That video makes you feel a better future is possible.
#nzpol (forgot to hashtag the first post, sorry)
@AngelaAntunovic
> The NZ Greens always have sensible well-costed policies and the bulk of voters don't even consider voting for them. They need to inspire people
Couldn't agree more, they used to be much better at that in the 90s/ early 2000s. But they were routinely pigeonholed as hippy radicals, so I think they worked on seeming more cozy and sensible, and they overcorrected. Time to change messaging strategy I think.
@strypey @AngelaAntunovic @chopsstephens
Both Zack Polanski and Zohran Mamdani have created and provided blueprints on how to reach the greater populace with meaningful messages of hope in a time of hopelessness.
I agree that this has to be the most effective way for NZ Greens to maximise their chances in the #NZPol 2026 election.
@AngelaAntunovic
> forgot to hashtag the first post
You could always edit the post to add the hashtag, so people's filters can sort the post appropriately if they come to it from now on.
@AngelaAntunovic This is powerful stuff.
Perhaps we should ask them. Are the Greens represented here?
@bananabob There are several NZ Green party members on Mastodon, but I don't remember who they are.
Kia ora! I'm an #NZGreens member, and one of the co-convenors of the Green Geeks network for techie people.
As far as I know there are no Green MPs currently using Mastodon, but there are plenty of members. I’m currently working on a position paper on social media which will advocate for a presence here. It's a classic challenge for any progressive organisation though: do you spend your time on building the world you want to see or on engaging with people in the world as it is? The answer always needs to be a balance of both, but at the moment we need to reckon with the fact that the raw numbers of users are stacked against spending time on Mastodon. Especially during an election year, it's a hard case to make for a very busy media team.
I’ll be emphasising that Mastodon users are disproportionately going to be people who’d consider voting Green, and look for ways to get started. In the meantime, we can make sure members have a visible presence.
@AngelaAntunovic @bananabob On the ad… my impression is that everybody within the NZ Green Party is very aware of what Zach Polanski and the England/Wales Green Party are doing. Likewise with Zohran Mamadani in NYC. I think there's general enthusiasm for an economic populist campaign.
There's a challenge though: conditions in the UK are different. They're at a historic point where both of the traditional large parties have been thoroughly discredited with the general public, and most people feel exactly the way that ad describes.
While I personally feel that way about New Zealand, I don't know that the exact same message would resonate here with people who aren't already Green voters. I think many are more likely to think "this government sucks, let's go back to Labour” than “Labour and National both suck, how do we get out of this mess?” So I think the general spirit of the ad would work here, but the specific message needs to be different.
@AngelaAntunovic @bananabob I personally think the right angle is something like “Yeah, Labour is OK. But if you're serious about getting us properly out of this mess and staying out, you want to vote Green”.
@isaacfreeman @bananabob I think the Greens need to be selling hope and transformation - that's what Polanski is doing so beautifully. It is not enough to be selling yourself as a sensible coalition partner. #nzpol
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@isaacfreeman @bananabob Thank you Isaac. Are the #NZGreens on Bluesky? I've never seen anything bridged.