The new leader of the newly-rebranded Opportunity Party says she will chase the 5% threshold at next year’s election as she looks to focus on connecting with voters rather than just releasing policy.
Qiulae Wong, appointed leader after an application process, said she was frustrated with the state of politics and the lack of “ambitious, bold solutions” to challenges including climate change, long-term superannuation sustainability and housing affordability.
The party has changed its name from the Opportunities Party (TOP) to “Opportunity”, stuck with the colour teal, and said it supports both business and the environment..
Asked why she entered politics, Wong told Q+A this morning: “Like a lot of Kiwis, I am very frustrated at the state of politics at the moment, and there doesn’t really seem to be a good vision for me and lots of people like me to get behind.
“It feels like our economy is stuck, and that we’re throwing some outdated ideas at it to try and get it going again. That’s clearly not working.
“At the same time, we’ve got some really big challenges ahead of us as a country.
“We’ve got our changing climate. We’re trying to figure out how we’re going to pay for superannuation. We’ve got a housing market that’s on its knees, and generations of Kiwis that are never going to be able to afford a home.
“There’s just no ambitious, bold solutions out there, and now is the time for bold action.”
Wong, a 37-year-old Auckland sustainable business consultant who currently works at KPMG, was selected through an application process to lead the party.
She acknowledged that the Opportunity Party had been “accurately criticised” in the past for focusing too much on policy intricacies rather than connecting with voters.
Candidates from Labour, National and The Opportunities Party will be battling it out, Ryan Boswell reports. (Source: 1News)
The party, founded nearly a decade ago and initially bankrolled by philanthropist Gareth Morgan, has repeatedly failed to reach the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament.
“This is going to look and feel very different from the last few times,” Wong said.
“In the past, we’ve potentially been accurately criticised for maybe focusing too much on policy and not enough on what that means for everyday Kiwis.
“We’ve got the substance, but it’s actually making that resonate with people, and getting out and talking to them and hearing their concerns.”
She confirmed that the party would run electorate candidates but would be chiefly focussed on hitting the 5% MMP threshold for minor parties. At the last general election, then-leader Raf Manji pushed a failed attempt to secure the Christchurch seat of Ilam.
If the party were to be successful, Wong said the party’s bottom lines would include “serious” tax reform, growing the economy while protecting the environment, and introducing citizens assemblies to restore trust in the political system.
In the re-launch of TOP, she announced the party’s “new New Zealand” platform.
More details would be released about the party’s tax plans next year but they would include a land value tax, universal citizen’s income — similar to a universal basic income, and big changes to the income tax system.
The party also emphasised it agreed with Housing Minister Chris Bishop’s calls for house prices to fall, which was a key driver behind its tax reform plans.
Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
