Greens Party's new chief of staff Kevin Hague. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Former Green MP Kevin Hague is returning to politics to be the party's new chief of staff.
In a social media post on Thursday, Hague said he was coming "out of retirement" to take up the role after Eliza Prestidge-Oldfield stepped down.
Hague said his home would remain on the West Coast, but he would also be setting up a "second base" in the capital.
"Got any furniture you want to sell? I will pick up the reins in a couple of weeks."
Hague entered Parliament as a list MP in 2008. Despite being considered a frontrunner for the party's co-leadership in 2015, he was beaten by James Shaw.
Hague left a year later to become the chief executive of environmental organisation Forest and Bird.
The party has not had a permanent chief of staff since September when Prestidge-Oldfield resigned.
At the time, co-leader Marama Davidson said Prestidge-Oldfield had left "to focus on her health, well-being and her whānau".
"This has not been an easy decision for her to make, given the huge contribution that Eliza has made to the Green Party over many years," Davidson said.
"However, the party fully supports her decision to prioritise her health and whānau."
The opposition party has had a fairly high turnover of staff this term. Its director of communications Louis Day also resigned several weeks after Prestidge-Oldfield.
"I felt that now was the right time for me to move on from Parliament and take a bit of a break before finding a new challenge for my career," Day said in an email to journalists.
"I leave with a lot of love for the co-leaders, MPs and party, as well as a lot of hope for the Green movement I have had the privilege of being part of for almost four years now."
RNZ understands another member of the party's media team has also recently departed. The Greens also saw an exodus of senior staff in early 2024 connected to the resignation of then-co-leader James Shaw.
The Green Party has had a particularly difficult time since the 2023 election.
The term has been marked by scandals and resignations: Golriz Ghahraman quit after being accused, and later convicted, of shop-lifting. Darleen Tana was ejected from Parliament amid allegations of migrant exploitation at her husband's bicycle business.
Most recently, Benjamin Doyle quit Parliament after facing threats of violence and abuse in response to historical social media posts. In a valedictory speech last week, Doyle described Parliament as a "hostile and toxic" environment.
The party has also been struck by tragedy: Fa'anānā Efeso Collins suddenly died in February 2024, and Davidson took time off for treatment after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
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