Tony Brunt Photo: Supplied
Formed in 1972 in Wellington, the Values Party claims the title of the world’s first national-level environmentalist party, and was a precursor to the Green Party we know today.
The party’s founder and leader Tony Brunt was, at 25 years old, part of a new generation that was starting to push back against the conservative, conformist monoculture dominating New Zealand at the time.
Alongside the party’s goal of protecting the environment, the party advocated for zero-population and zero-economic growth. Brunt’s vision for a more egalitarian society appealed to many others, with the party building momentum and contesting five elections between 1972 to 1984.
