Ian McLean Spokesperson for the Green Party

When 50 participants at Welcome Bay Community Centre's election meeting on August 17 were offered ultimate power to fix the world, not one of them asked for economic growth. Instead, they wanted to improve wellbeing, create prosperity and reduce violence and inequality.

There is fear out there. People are afraid the extremes in our weather are linked to global warming.

They wonder if income inequality just might be a root cause of social problems. And they're concerned our enormously-privileged lifestyle is under threat.

Recent Letters to the Editor to The Weekend Sun attacking the Green Party are symptomatic of that fear. Shooting the messenger is an age-old tradition.

We need realism, not fear. The precautionary principle suggests we sit up and take notice of the events of our times, and think carefully about the long-term.

A quality future is most likely to be found in community resilience, in strong local economies, in people that enjoy quality wellbeing; and in a healthy environment. That is the Green kaupapa.

During this election, we are being told wealth and wellbeing must eventually flow from a growing economy; that resource exploitation will generate wealth; and environmental compromise is necessary to growth.

The poor economic performance of Waihi is just one local example suggesting otherwise, along with more than 200,000 children living in poverty nationally.

If real, wealth is not being shared.

The Green Party wants to introduce progressive taxation, and will tax capital gains as income.

It wants to invest in schools and communities. It wants to introduce a living wage, and will link superannuation and welfare payments to average incomes, and create smart jobs.

It will support public transport, safe cycling and improved local roads. And it wants clean rivers and lakes. These are creative solutions that take the long view on delivering prosperity.