Steve Abel is a List Member of Parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, having entered Parliament on 14 October 2023 [38].
Before entering politics, Abel is reported to have been involved in environmental and climate activism across several decades [9][12]. According to a single reputable secondary source, he began volunteering for Greenpeace in 1997 [25] and participated in campaigns against native logging on crown land during the 1990s [24]. He is also reported to have taken part in a GE Free environment campaign during the 2000s [22] and a Greenpeace campaign to stop the Marsden B coal-fired power station from 2005 [23]. According to a single reputable secondary source, he is a founding member of Mana Rākau, an urban tree protection group [20].
Abel is reported to have worked as a Senior Campaigner for Greenpeace Aotearoa from 2021 [4]. He is also described, according to single reputable secondary sources, as an alternative music writer and performer from 2005 [6], a vocalist, acoustic guitarist, and tambourine player [16], and a musician in the London band Corradi Kid from 1993 [13].
Abel is affiliated with the Green Party [44]. He stood as the Green Party candidate for the New Lynn electorate from 20 February 2020 [30] and again in 2023, where he held list rank 9 [26]. He was accepted into the Green Party list candidate pool for the 2023 election [31].
Since entering Parliament, Abel has held a number of spokesperson roles, according to single reputable secondary sources. These include Green Party Spokesperson for Just Transitions [27], Resources [29], and Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti [28], all from 29 November 2023. He is also reported to hold spokesperson roles for Agriculture [32], Animal Welfare [33], Food Safety [35], Minerals and Resources [36], and Racing [37]. Abel is reported to be a member of both the Petitions Select Committee [41] and the Primary Production Select Committee [42].