An interesting article to digest:

New Zealand Herald opinion piece: The greening of New Zealand

by Gary Taylor

This article appears today in the New Zealand Herald. (29.11.2011)

The election results have seen support for the Greens surge past the 10% barrier for the first time. The remarkable number of seats they now hold reflects a shift in public sentiment: environment is now a mainstream concern.

Their success is due in part to a smart campaign from the Greens themselves. It can also be attributed to two big events during the past term of Parliament - the proposal to mine National Parks and the Rena disaster. Both revealed the depth of the strong public attachment to our wonderful environment and the need to take better care of it.