| Election Name: | 2006 Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand male co-leadership election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1995 Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand co-leadership elections |
| Previous Year: | 1995 |
| Next Election: | 2015 Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand male co-leadership election |
| Next Year: | 2015 |
| Election Date: | 3 June 2006 |
| Candidate1: | Russel Norman |
| Colour1: | 098137 |
| Popular Vote1: | Elected |
| Candidate2: | Nándor Tánczos |
| Colour2: | 098137 |
| Popular Vote2: | Eliminated |
| Candidate4: | David Clendon |
| Colour4: | 098137 |
| Popular Vote4: | Eliminated |
| Candidate5: | Mike Ward |
| Colour5: | 098137 |
| Popular Vote5: | Eliminated |
| Co-leader | |
| Posttitle: | Co-leader after election |
| Before Election: | Vacant |
| After Election: | Russel Norman |
The 2006 Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand male co-leadership election was held to determine the future leadership of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. The election was won by the party's 2005 election campaign manager Russel Norman.
Male co-leader Rod Donald died on 6 November 2005, the day before his scheduled swearing-in for his fourth term in Parliament, of myocarditis.[1] Donald was replaced as a list MP by Nándor Tánczos (who had been ranked too low to return to parliament prior to Donald's death). Female co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons stated the party would leave the co-leadership of the party vacant until next party annual general meeting (AGM) the following June.[2] The AGM was held on 3 June 2006 in Lower Hutt with the ballot being conducted via preferential voting.
Four candidates were nominated for the leadership:[3]
There was much media speculation that the leadership contest would be a "two-horse race" between Tánczos and Norman. Clendon, however, took exception to speculation that Tánczos and Norman were the only two serious contenders.[4] During the campaign Ward confirmed he would run for election to be Mayor of Nelson in 2007 regardless of whether he was co-leader or not.[5]
The vote of 110 party delegates was won by Norman on the first ballot by a decisive two-to-one majority over Tánczos, with Clendon third and Ward last.[6]
Norman was not an MP and co-led the party from outside parliament for two years. Tánczos resigned from parliament in June 2008 and Ward was next on the Green party list to re-enter parliament. He initially declined to stand aside so that Norman could take Tánczos's list seat. Ward changed his mind, because of the advantages in having the party co-leader in Parliament during an election year.[7] Norman became an MP on 27 June.[8] He remained in parliament as co-leader until 2015 when he resigned.[9]