Some Green Party members are threatening to quit if Julie Anne Genter wins the co-leadership.

A group of Green Party members have threatened to quit the party if Julie Anne Genter wins the co-leadership race.

Women's Minister Genter is facing off against backbencher Marama Davidson for co-leader of the party, filling the vacancy left when Metira Turei resigned last year.

Members are currently voting at their local branches for who they want their delegates to cast a final vote for.

STUFF Marama Davidson is up against Women's Minister Julie Anne Genter for co-leadership of the Green Party.

The winner will be announced on Sunday.

READ MORE: Battle for the future of the Green Party comes to a close

A small group of Young Greens members - understood to be fewer than ten - have loudly threatened online to quit if Genter wins. Several branches have also seen single members threaten to quit in person.

FACEBOOK Marama Davidson: "My focus is going to be on healing the party, particularly as a non-ministerial co-leader if I get elected, and convincing all the members that there's no need for people to leave if I'm not put into that position."

Aaryn Barlow, a member from Motueka, said his branch decided to give their delegate vote to Genter - but encountered one member who threatened to quit if Genter won.

"We've definitely heard that quite a bit from Marama supporters, which has put a lot of people off, because you really question their commitment to Green values if they are going to throw their toys out of the cot because they didn't get their co-leader," Barlow said.

"It's meant to be about more than just a co-leader."

Many Davidson supporters are very keen to make sure one of the co-leaders is Māori - if the Greens were to elect Genter they would be the only party in Parliament without Māori in the leadership team.

One member from Auckland who wished not to be named said he was considering leaving if Genter won.

"I daresay there would probably be a notable exodus of members if Julie Anne won," he said.

He was keen to see the Green Party become the new political home of Māori and didn't think having "two Pākehā middle class co-leaders" would help do that.

Davidson said that it was just a "handful" who were "free to speak about their own independent thoughts".

"My focus is going to be on healing the party, particularly as a non-ministerial co-leader if I get elected, and convincing all the members that there's no need for people to leave if I'm not put into that position."

Genter said it was "really disappointing and surprising".

"I don't think it would reflect the view of most Green Party members. If people really care about the party they know that both Marama and I are working in the best interests of the party.

"Whoever is going to be leader they should want to stay and contribute to the party - if they really care about the Green Party."

HOW THE GREEN VOTING SYSTEM WORKS

The Green Party co-leadership elections work on a kind of electoral college model.

Every electorate in the country has a Green Party branch - sometimes split into smaller sub-branches or amalgamated into wider branches, pooling their delegate votes.

Each electorate is given a number of delegate votes proportionate to their membership size.

A branch with less than 20 members gets one, more than 20 two, more than 100 three, and more than 200 four - the maximum. There are around 150 delegates in total.

It was understood one branch in a Māori seat has just one member deciding its single delegate vote - but this was actually the result of a spreadsheet error, and the electorate has more than one voter.

Branches have been holding meetings in the last week and a half to decide on who to vote for, before voting closes on Saturday.

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