Green MP Jeanette Fitzsimons will leave parliament next month, bringing a 13-year Parliamentary career to a close.
 
“It’s a good time for a change of pace,” said Ms Fitzsimons. “The caucus is in good shape. We have a good second generation of MPs joining our ranks and our co-leaders are doing good work.
 
“It means I can look forward to more time on the farm and with my grandchildren.”
 

In a deal unthinkable pre-John Key, the Prime Minister has reached across the aisle and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Green Party, and has already started work on some joint initiatives.

The deal proposes a framework around which the two parties can work together to develop policy and legislation in areas of common interest.

John Key signed the document with Green co-leaders Jeanette Fitzsimons and Russel Norman today.

The Green Party has predictably announced it would prefer work with Labour to form a government after the election, saying that “on the whole National would take the country in the wrong direction.”

“In fact,” Jeanette Fitzsimons said in a statement this afternoon, “many policies headed off down a dead end street.”

Green co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has written to National leader John Key to ask what his intentions are regarding an Emissions Trading Scheme.

Ms Fitzsimons wanted to know what National would do should it become the government after this year's election.

National is not supporting the Government's ETS included in a bill now before Parliament.