The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand held an election for the position of co-leader of the party in March 2024, following the resignation of James Shaw. Incumbent MP Chlöe Swarbrick and Dunedin-based activist Alex Foulkes were the only two candidates.
Swarbrick was elected almost unanimously, receiving 169 votes out of the total 171; Foulkes receives no votes.
James Shaw was elected as co-leader of the Greens in 2015, initially serving alongside Metiria Turei until her resignation in 2017. This lead him to serve as sole co-leader during the 2017 general election period, following which the party ended up in government through a confidence and supply agreement with the Labour Party; Shaw would serve as Minister of Climate Change as part of that agreement. He would be joined soon after by Marama Davidson as co-leader. That co-leadership team lead the party in the 2020 and 2023 general elections. Following the latter, Shaw announced his intention to resign as co-leader. He said he felt his time in parliament was done, following the ousting of the Labour government the party had supported.
Nominations for the election opened on 31 January and closed on 14 February 2024. Party members hold local meetings that decide how each branch will vote, with each branch getting a number of votes proportional to the number of members who live in the electorate they represent.
Prior to May 2022, it had been required by the party's constitution that one co-leader of the party be male and one be female; this was changed such that now it was only required that one co-leader be female. There was also the additional requirement added that one co-leader be MÃÂori. As Marama Davidson (the other incumbent co-leader) fulfilled both requirements, any member of the party was able to run for the position in this election. Co-leaders are not required to be sitting members of parliament.
Results were announced by the Green Party on 10 March 2024.