One can hardly take seriously last week's letters to the editor by M Houlding and Mike Kuipers von Lande about the Greens.
The Greens are now well-established as the third biggest political party in New Zealand, with an average of 12 per cent national support in recent opinion polls. Because they are agents of and advocates for change, however, they inevitably attract vitriol.
Yes, there will always be those who prefer not to accept what scientists are trying to tell us about climate change and man-made global warming. Such predictions are dismissed as alarmist. Those skeptics will never vote Green and will continue to write uninformed letters to the editor.

However, an increasing number of New Zealanders understand that Green policies could help to transition us away from fossil fuels and build a vibrant ‘green' economy, offering fresh and positive solutions. Their well thought-out policies will not only provide jobs but also address the challenges ahead. On economic issues, the Greens are not trying to dismantle capitalism, nor are they closet communists. However, they are concerned about the widening gap between the extremely wealthy (the 1 per cent), and the poor.

This level of inequality creates social, health and other problems that affect us all. The Greens are interested in social justice and a fair go for everyone.
Thankfully, the Green Party offers a voting option for the growing number of us who wish to see action on climate change, to build a green sustainable low-carbon economy, reduce levels of inequality; and the disparate social, health and justice ills, which it causes, and to leave behind a healthy habitable planet for future generations and for other species.
R Lopert & G Oakbrook, Welcome Bay.