Risky

The Greens have decided not to stand any electorate candidates next election.

It's a risky strategy, but one that makes clear the stakes. If you want a solid Green voice in Parliament, you'll have to give them your party vote.

There's also the question of whether electorate candidates are a worthwhile expenditure of resources for a small party anyway. The Greens have only ever won one electorate seat - Coromandel - and they lost it soon afterwards (and to National, at that). Fighting locally costs money for little obvious return, and may split votes from allied candidates (though MMP complicates this). And OTOH, contesting a few well-chosen electorates may be worthwhile, and could raise the party's profile.

It's an icky problem, one that ACT has been wrestling with as well, and I guess we won't know whether the gambit pays off until election night.

The more interesting news is that the Greens may finally be accepting that they've lost on GE, and are willing to cut a deal with Labour in the future. Maybe the threat of Don Brash sharpened their minds a bit...