A former Green Party leader forced to lead the party on her own says James Shaw is "capable" of steering the party to a good result at the election.
The Greens have plummeted in recent polls, following Metiria Turei's benefit and electoral fraud admissions and resignation of the leadership.
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The Newshub-Reid Research poll earlier this month had the Greens fall from 13 percent to 8.3, and Thursday's TVNZ-Colmar-Brunton poll had them drop further, down to 4 percent and in danger of not making it back into Parliament.
"Obviously it's not a good result, but look - I've been in elections where we've fluctuated between seven and 15 in different polls, at different times," former leader Jeanette Fitzsimons told Newshub.
Ms Fitzsimons led the party by herself for eight months after Rod Donald died in 2005.
"It was harder work, but we certainly didn't suffer as a result of that, and we went up in polls. So of course, James is capable of doing it."
The Greens aren't likely to have a new leader until their AGM next year.
Despite the negative effect she's had on the party's polling, Ms Fitzsimons had praise for Ms Turei.
"I think we can thank her for doing that, and I think it was a brave move. We'll have to wait and see what the long-term outcome is."
Newshub.
