Kennedy Graham

After standing in the Ilam electorate during the 2008 election, Graham was elected as a list MP after counting of the special votes.[2] In his maiden speech, Graham noted that: "We are drawing down on Earth's natural resources, borrowing forward on the human heritage, irretrievably encroaching on our children's right to inherit the Earth in a natural and sustainable state."[3]

In July 2009 Graham's International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill was drawn from the member's ballot.[6] The bill would have outlawed the crime of aggression in New Zealand domestic law, with imprisonment for any New Zealand leader involved, and also required the government to table a legal opinion in Parliament before committing any forces to overseas military operations.[7] The bill was voted down at its first reading, 64 to 58.[8]

Graham at the Cross-party Climate Change Vivid Report launch in Parliament in March 2017

In 2011, Graham stood again in Ilam and was re-elected as a list MP.

In June 2013, Graham organised a public one-day climate change conference which was held at the old Legislative Council chamber at Parliament. The conference explored the state of climate science, the link between international action and domestic responsibility, the roles of civil society and businesses, available policy mechanisms, and ended with a political panel of MPs discussing climate change.[9][10]

At the 2014 general election, Graham was listed at number 7 on the Green party list.[11] The ranking was two places lower than his 2011 ranking of number 5.[12] Graham contested the Helensville electorate and was re-elected as a list MP. Graham holds the Green caucus portfolios of Assoc. Social Development: Veterans Affairs, Global Affairs (including Defence and Disarmament), and National Intelligence and Security (including NZSIS and GCSB).[13] He serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Privileges Committee.[14] In October 2015, Graham formed a cross-party group, GLOBE-NZ, working on climate change. GLOBE-NZ is a national chapter of GLOBE-International, and has 35 MP's as members drawn from all seven political parties represented in the 51st Parliament. As chairman of the national chapter, Graham contracted a London-based consultancy, Vivid Economics, to prepare a report on "transformational pathways to carbon neutrality for New Zealand". The report, Net Zero in New Zealand: Scenarios to achieve domestic emission reduction the second half of the century, was launched in the New Zealand Parliament in March 2017. The initiative is regarded as a major step forward in clarifying inter-party discourse and debate on New Zealand's national climate change policy.[15]

On 7 August 2017,[16] Graham and Party whip David Clendon announced that they were planning to resign as Green Party candidates for the 2017 election, after revelations that Party co-leader Metiria Turei committed benefit and electoral fraud.[17] Graham and Clendon stated that their resignations were due to the public positions she had taken regarding her offending, and her subsequent refusal to step down from her leadership role.[17][18][19] The next day, both Clendon and Graham resigned from the Party caucus,[20][18] after there were moves to remove them involuntarily.[17] On 9 August 2017, Turei resigned as Co-Leader of the Party and as a list candidate for the 2017 election.[21] After Turei announced her resignation, Graham asked to be returned to the Green Party list, however co-leader James Shaw said he felt it unlikely to happen though acknowledged it was up to the party's executive to ultimately decide the issue.[22] On 12 August it was announced that Graham's appeal to rejoin the list had been declined by the party executive.[23]

He gave his valedictory speech in Parliament on 16 August.[24] He said he was leaving without "hard feelings", and said that: "If politics transgresses conscience, politics must cede.”[25][26] Graham noted he was proud of the cross-party group on climate change he formed at Parliament ("Globe-NZ"), which produced a plan for New Zealand to reach zero net carbon emissions by 2050.[25]