The Opportunity Party (formerly TOP) is on the move. Suddenly this party, mid-2026, are starting to assume some relevance, or so the polls and the media would have us believe. Their more accurate name is probably the ‘Aotearoa Opportunity Party’ or the ‘Opportunity Party of Aotearoa’ because the ‘A’ word appears with nauseating regularity. This is not surprising if you take a quick look at their candidates. They have this look of well-meaning innocence about them, rather like a newborn in its mother’s arms. Reading each one’s history to date, I am sure they are very well-intentioned people but, in truth, they are somewhat removed from the reality of today’s world.
Their policies might look lovely in theory but put them into practice and all sorts of problems would ensue, certainly regarding the economy. The candidates, while appearing to be quite bright, look as if economics is not their strong point. They are firm believers in equality for all, renewable energy, climate change, te Tiriti and observing what they believe it to be – a document they have screwed in meaning to suit the narrative of the political left and the radical minority. These people have a disturbing naïveté about them which does not inspire confidence.
They are probably best described as an ‘idealist’ party and this is where the problem with ‘practicality’ arises. Like every politician before them, they are going to Wellington to ‘do good’, to better the country for us all, to unite us as a country and to stand up for honesty (that would be a first) to bring the right and left together (completely idealistic) although they might be able to work with National (my words, not theirs). What they are really saying is they are going to Wellington to make a difference (another first) as so many others have done before them and failed.
When their train (they like the idea of free public transport) arrives in Wellington, they will soon find themselves going off the rails, simply because ‘you can’t beat the system’. And parliament is exactly that – a system. It is commonly known as the Westminster system because those dreadful colonisers who came from England brought it with them. The system itself is not the problem: it is how the politicians and, more particularly, the back-room people (think Sir Humphrey Appleby, Yes Minister) operate within it and use it to and for their own political ends.
This is where they will find their name hard to live up to. They will find that when it comes to putting their ideas into practice, the opportunity to do so will rarely come about, if at all. Reality will hit our newly elected opportunists like a severe punch on the snog. They will quickly find out that idealism and transparency are a foreign concept in the Beehive. The busy bees in the garden collecting pollen to make honey have a well-structured order designed to achieve and get results. The busy bees in parliament, not so much. Those on the left work to an impractical ideology not fit for purpose in 2026, while the right with better policies often struggle to implement them.
The Opportunity Party says it can work with the left or right, but a read of their policies belies this. They would sit more comfortably on the left side of politics. Their latest leader, business woman Qiulae Wong, comes with a background of climate advocacy and sustainability. There’s the first clue. They decided they needed an overhaul so the person selected for the job was none other than former sacked Labour minister Ian Lees-Galloway. There’s the second clue. Wong was not democratically elected but answered a situations vacant advertisement.
Wong describes her party as centrist but, outside of compulsory KiwiSaver, there is virtually nothing that has appeal to right-wing voters. Bigger government, free public transport (it isn’t free), a universal income across the board, deliberate reduction of property values (even Labour wouldn’t contemplate that), extending the jurisdiction of the Youth Court to age 25 (insane), extending powers relating to Treaty claims and injustices (insane) and the Treaty (the made-up version, no doubt) to be taught in all schools (insane). All paid for by the left’s favourite ploy, taxes, including a land tax. Centrist? I don’t think so.
The latest Roy Morgan poll proves the point. The Opportunity Party has risen to 6.5 per cent while Labour has slumped to 25.5 per cent. Duncan Garner put it very eloquently: “Opportunity is eating Labour’s lunch.” Those attracted to the party are people believing Labour is not the answer and are shopping around for a new party that holds similar views. If you as a party are taking votes from one side of the political spectrum only, then you cannot call yourself centrist. The reality is they are not. It is a deception.
If they think they are centrist then, to their eyes, the left-leaning Tower of Pisa must look straight.
