Being new, makes a grand change for Rene (5)
I believe the answer is:
green
'being new' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for green that I've seen before include "Consultative document" , "Eco-friendly" , "17's colour" , "driver may go on it" , "raw, as > part of course" .)