The Opportunity Party has unveiled its party list for the election, with 40 candidates all contesting electorate seats.
Making the announcement at WQ Hotel in Wellington, leader Qiulae Wong said the team were standing because they expected “better than the current political parties are delivering”.
The latest RNZ-Reid Research poll put the party at 4.7 percent, on the cusp of making it over the 5 percent threshold that would get the party into Parliament even without winning an electorate.
Securing 5 percent of the vote would net the party six MPs.
Second on the list was Wong’s deputy Daniel Eb, standing in Kaipara ki Mahurangi, who previously founded an ‘open farm day’ initiative and handles the party’s communications.
Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb
RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Running for Wellington North, third-ranked Jessica Hammond has been a candidate for the party in every election it has contested and works in policy.
Fourth is Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, also in Wellington, who is the former chief executive of WWF New Zealand and Department of Conservation policy director with expertise in Treaty law and resource management.
Fifth is Ngāi Tahu leader Eden Skipper, standing in Christchurch, who the party said has researched “alternative economic futures”.
And sixth was Jodie Kuntzsch, in Nelson, who led the establishment of Moananui – a group that partners fishing, aquaculture and research groups – and has 20 years’ experience in the seafood industry.
Mt Albert the target
Wong told reporters the party was only looking to win the Mt Albert seat – her electorate – and everywhere else candidates were campaigning for the party vote.
“Our support is spread across the country, and we believe that there are certainly at least 150,000 New Zealanders out there that are committed to this mission with us,” she said.
Wong was confident the candidates had the policy expertise required to make a difference in government.
“People that have worked in the public service, in our full list, we have both central and local government experience, so I think we we do possess a lot of that knowledge of how things work,” she said.
“But I think importantly, we also bring a fresh perspective that can challenge the status quo because that has not been delivering what New Zealanders need, and that’s why we are bringing this new perspective to politics.”
Opportunity’s flagship policies include: establishing a universal basic income of up to $370 a week, and a 1.75 percent annual tax on the value or urban land and 0.5 percent on rural land.
Wong acknowledged those were unlikely to be supported by major parties, but she said it was important to show New Zealanders the direction Opportunity would be pursuing.
Opportunity has been open to working with any party – whether that be a coalition, confidence and supply agreement or from the cross-benches – and Wong said its door remained open to National, even after leader Christopher Luxon ruled out working with them.
She was not worried that rule-out would dissuade centre-right voters from supporting Opportunity.
“We’ve actually had the opposite. I’ve had numerous emails and messages from former National voters that were disappointed in Christopher Luxon’s comments and say that they want to see us working with them.”
The Opportunity Party’s full list:
1. Qiulae Wong | Mt Albert
2. Daniel Eb | Kaipara ki Mahurangi
3. Jessica Hammond | Wellington North
4. Kayla Kingdon-Bebb | Wellington Bays
5. Eden Skipper | Christchurch Central
6. Jodie Kuntzsch | Nelson
7. Sarah Lucas | New Plymouth
8. David Bainbridge-Zafar | Dunedin
9. Holly Knill | North Shore
10. Pāpā Wharewera | Waiariki
11. Bianca Beebe | Southland
12. Romeo Tevaga | Upper Harbour
13. Ben Wylie-van Eerd | Hutt South
14. Rachel Ward | Tukituki
15. Naomi Pocock | Hamilton East
17. Cody Marsh | Northcote
18. Adam Macrae-Martin | Otāhuhu
19. Mark Roach | Waitākere
20. Robert Mason | Kenepuru
22. Michael Carter | Tauranga
23. Derrick Paul | Maungakiekie
24. Matt Shepherd | Wairarapa
26. Chee Khiang (CK) Sng | Kāpiti
28. Evan French | Glendene
29. Jamie Attenborough | Mt Roskill
30. Matthew Harris | Rangitata
31. Sacha Haskell | Tāmaki
32. Netra Ghimire | Palmerston North
33. Cail Smith | East Cape
35. Blair Smith | Hamilton West
36. Johan Chang | Auckland Central
37. Almo Wong | Henderson
40. Kevin Huang | Pakuranga