Editing Rod Donald (section)

==Early political career==
Donald held [[Values Party]] membership from 1974 to 1979 and then [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]] membership from 1982 to 1988. On becoming national spokesperson of the impartial [[Electoral Reform Coalition]] from 1989 to 1993 he had to resign his party membership. After the success of the MMP referendum at the [[1993 New Zealand general election|1993 election]] he joined the Green Party in February 1994. After he became co-leader of the Greens in 1995, voters first elected him to [[New Zealand Parliament|Parliament]] in the [[1996 New Zealand general election|1996 election]] as an [[Alliance (New Zealand political party)|Alliance]] [[list MP]].

The Green Party left the Alliance to stand alone in the [[1999 New Zealand general election|1999 election]]. He entered the 1999 parliament as number two on the Greens' [[Party-list proportional representation|party list]]. He retained his list seat in the [[2002 New Zealand general election|2002]] and [[2005 New Zealand general election|2005 election]]s.