Peter MacDonald
New Zealand politics has a new face: Qiulae Wong, leader of the Opportunity Party, who promises ethics, sustainability and progressive change. But behind the friendly rhetoric there lies a policy agenda that risks undermining the very foundation of Kiwi life: homeownership as a pathway to upward mobility.
For decades, ordinary families have relied on step-up homeownership: buying a modest home, building equity and gradually moving toward larger urban or rural properties. It’s a system that encourages savings, long-term planning and personal growth. A Kiwi cultural tradition. The proposed Land Value Tax (LVT) threatens to freeze that ladder in place.
Take a typical South Dunedin home. A property with a $155,000 house and $185,000 of land currently carries combined city and regional council rates of around $3,500. Under a one per cent LVT on the land, that’s an additional $1,850 per year, bringing total annual costs to $5,350. Families trying to step up to larger homes now face higher costs and slower equity growth, while corporate investors and wealthy buyers can absorb the hit. Policies designed to make homes ‘affordable’ may instead lock ordinary Kiwis into homes that no longer suit their needs.
The Opportunity Party, presented as a ‘blue-green’ alternative, is in fact advancing a disguised extreme green agenda. While the branding suggests moderate reform, its policies mirror the forces driving Labour and the Greens. Hidden wealth transfers are common: first-time buyers may benefit briefly, but middle income families risk being trapped.
The party’s history with inconvenient truths illustrates its approach. Founder Gareth Morgan famously stated that feral cats are New Zealand’s number one predators of native birds. This mirrors the infamous Stephens Island cat, whose lighthouse keeper owner’s domestic cats Tibbles came to the island pregnant, and Tibbles and her offspring drove the Stephens Island wren to extinction in the late 19th century. The revelation by Mr Morgan angered a cat-loving public and caused the party to stumble, losing supporters. Today, that truth is largely downplayed, demonstrating a pattern: inconvenient realities are buried when they threaten popularity. Morgan has since reinvented himself as a retired art collector of note, acquiring massive land-based installations on his rural property in a style reminiscent of Alan Gibbs.
The Opportunity Party’s ‘sustainable’ agenda reflects this same pattern. Large businesses like Larnach Castle in Dunedin have voluntarily adopted fully climate friendly and compliant green models across all operations. While profitable enterprises can absorb the cost, smaller businesses may struggle to remain viable, just as families struggle under policies like LVT. Sustainability is framed as ‘fairness’ but, in practice, it favours the wealthy and well resourced, leaving ordinary Kiwis to shoulder the burden.
The LVT is just one example. Step-up homeownership, the Kiwi dream of improving one’s life through effort, savings and smart property decisions, is at risk. Mobility shrinks, equity erodes and the ladder disappears, leaving ordinary Kiwis trapped and despondent, unable to build their future nests. Transparency, ethical business and sustainability are commendable, but not when deployed as a Trojan horse that benefits the few at the expense of the many.
The Kiwi dream must remain accessible to all families, not just those who can play by deep pocketed rules. The step-up system, buying a modest home, adding value through hard work, learning practical skills and moving gradually toward a lifestyle that suits your family has always been more than economics. It’s been a cultural tradition that builds resilience, confidence and intergenerational opportunity.
The proposed Land Value Tax isn’t just a tax change: it’s a cultural shift with serious consequences. For generations, incremental homeownership has allowed families to improve their circumstances and eventually reach their dream property. An LVT risks freezing that pathway – trapping families in their starter homes while large corporate buyers remain free to accumulate land and wealth. What’s being sold as ‘fairness’ may instead dismantle one of our most egalitarian traditions; the Kiwi practice of buying modest homes, renovating them and stepping up the property ladder is an archetype of our homesteading heritage: a living legacy of self-reliance, skill and gradual family prosperity.
