Face of the Day

The new leader of the Opportunity Party says she’s coming for 150,000 New Zealand voters.

The party will contest next year’s general election under Qiulae Wong, as it tries to clear the five per cent threshold and enter parliament for the first time.

The announcement was made at an event in Auckland on Sunday, where the party also confirmed it will campaign on reducing house prices and reforming the New Zealand tax system.

Wong takes over from Raf Manji, who stood down after the 2023 election. Born in Fiji and of Chinese and European ancestry, the 37-year-old lives in Auckland with her husband and two daughters.

The centrist Opportunities Party was launched in 2016 by economist Gareth Morgan and won 2.4 per cent of the vote the following year. It received 1.5 per cent in 2020, rising to 2.2 per cent in 2023.

The party has rebranded itself as the Opportunity Party and Wong said she believed the party could reach five per cent under her leadership.

Stuff