Green Party co-leader James Shaw has opened the party's annual conference with a list of wins - and an acknowledgement of dead rats.

The party's two-day Palmerston North conference is their 28th but first in Government, and first with Marama Davidson as co-leader.

Shaw used his Saturday morning speech to recount wins and to remind the party membership that the decision to go into Government was not just made by him, the sole co-leader at the time.

SUPPLIED Co-leader James Shaw says the party is " just getting warmed up".

"We haven't won every debate and the menu does feature the occasional deceased rodent. But it just goes to show, you made the right choice to go into Government," Shaw said - one of 49 mentions of the word "you" in the speech.

The party's membership delegates did vote overwhelmingly for the Green Party to help form the Government late last year in a late-night conference call after Winston Peters announced he was going with Labour.

Shaw acknowledged that Government was challenging the purity of the Green Party's values as they were in opposition.

"Our values, our Green kaupapa, are being tested in ways that I just don't think we faced when we were in Opposition," Shaw said.

SUPPLIED "Our values, our Green kaupapa, are being tested in ways that I just don't think we faced when we were in Opposition," Shaw said.

But he believed this was making the party's values "even stronger" as they had to be properly challenged and delivered on.

The party is notably voting for Waka Jumping legislation it openly disagrees with, and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has signed off on the consent for a Chinese water bottler to expand their operation.

Shaw recounted the decision to ban new oil and gas exploration, his own Zero Carbon Act, and Jan Logie's domestic violence leave members' bill.

Notably, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage's work to ban plastic bags went unmentioned - indeed Sage was not mentioned by name at all, unlike the rest of the caucus.

"The wins we're celebrating this weekend are momentous and should not be underestimated," Shaw said.

"They are not just caucus's wins. They are your wins. The work that we've done, and will continue to do, is your work."

There were no announcements in Shaw's speech - he will likely leave that for his co-leader Marama Davidson, who is speaking later today.

He ended it by telling the crowd of faithful the party was just getting started.

"There is so much more to be done. But we are just getting warmed up," Shaw said, noting that the party could secure achievements that were not included in the Confidence and Supply Agreement with Labour.

"I remember, actually, that one of the big concerns that was raised on that conference call about going into Government was that we hadn't managed to negotiate a commitment to ending new exploration for offshore oil and gas," Shaw said.

"That's right. Being in Government means we can deliver on our Confidence and Supply Agreement – but also so much more."

The party's conference last year was the site of the momentous Metiria Turei speech where she told the world she had once committed benefit fraud in order to feed her child.

That speech set off a series of events that eventually saw her step down as leader and two MPs resign at the election.

Shaw said what she stood for was still a part of the party however.

"It's been a year and nine days since Metiria stepped aside as co-leader," Shaw said.

"But what she fought for – a welfare system that treats people with dignity and respect, which offers people a decent life, at every stage of life – we now have a shot at delivering on as part of this Government."

Most of the sessions - including one named "Election 2017: Learning - Healing - Strengthening" - are closed to media.

While they made it to Government for the first time the Green Party only received 6.3 per cent of the vote in the last election, far lower than its 2011 and 2014 results.

It's understood internal polling currently has the party at around 7 per cent. The latest public poll from One News/Colmar Brunton had the party on 6 per cent.