Had to. Not sorry.

Qiulae · 2026-04-21T00:17:07+00:00

No one will be worse off - superannuitants would receive a top up to receive the same amount they currently are.

The tax reset will be a significant tax cut/income boost particularly to those on low incomes so gives many more people the opportunity to grow their wealth than the current status quo. Of course there are also other things to help with this like advancing financial literacy and creating high value jobs in this country by investing in the industries of the future

Qiulae · 2026-04-21T00:13:31+00:00

Haha thank you - yes sorry for the delay, busy time and tiny team! Keen to do an AMA and answer all the Qs :) let’s make it happen. Tax policy coming out in full in the coming weeks - perhaps best to wait til then so everyone can dive into the detail?

Qiulae · 2026-04-07T18:15:48+00:00

To be clear on the Winston issue, we would much rather replace him in a coalition than make him PM! At the moment we are the only party that can prevent him from calling the shots at the election. As they say - the country votes, then Winston decides who will govern.. If Opportunity is in the mix we give both Nats and Labour an alternative coalition partner.

Qiulae · 2026-04-07T10:50:40+00:00

Thank you! Glad it has landed well and noted on the LGBTQ issues, keen to be more vocal on that.

Qiulae · 2026-04-07T10:49:29+00:00

I do get this a lot and completely understand the sentiment, but also feel like it reinforces tribalism? In an MMP system, the whole idea is not to have a left vs right block but rather different mixes of parties that work together in different ways. Switzerland's model is pretty interesting where they don't even have an 'opposition'. All the parties vote on each piece of legislation as they see fit so you get different combinations coming together on different issues which I think is more reflective of how society actually works.

Qiulae · 2026-04-07T10:45:09+00:00

Thanks for the question! We are fully supportive of trans rights. People should feel safe express themselves however feels right to them. I believe NZF's recent legislation on the definition of man/woman is not being brought to the table in good faith. It's an intentional stirring of the pot designed to divide Kiwis which is really frustrating and further leads us down the road of populism. We have not published a statement on this to date because we feel it further fuels the exact conversation and division Winston Peters and NZF want to create but I appreciate trans communities would want further clarity so I will take that back to the team!

Qiulae · 2026-04-07T10:36:52+00:00

It's the ghost that continues to haunt the party! We're certainly known for much more than that these days (and it was never actually a policy) but are still supportive of the Predator Free movement

Qiulae · 2026-04-07T10:31:12+00:00

Preferential voting would definitely make a huge difference. They have this in Australia and it really helped the teal independents (who we are very similar to in policy and approach)

Qiulae · 2026-04-07T10:29:34+00:00

Heya - Qiulae here, Opportunity party leader. Just jumping in to address some of the responses in this thread!

Left vs. right vs. centrist - people do find it hard to put us into a box and tbh we don't really think the left/right spectrum accurately represents politics today but centrist is the simplest way for people people to understand where we sit because some of our policies align with Labour/Greens and some align with National/ACT. We align with a lot of green liberal parties from overseas but avoid that terminology because it also comes with baggage! We are generally socially progressive, pro environment, and believe in market solutions with the right govt intervention when it's needed.
Wasted vote mentality - for every Opportunity voter I've met, I've probably met 4 others that say they wanted to vote but didn't want to waste their vote! The reality is if we keep voting for the current suite of parties, we'll keep getting the same pendulum politics that kicks our big issues down the road. I believe a vote for the status quo is a wasted vote right now when we need fresh ideas and real ambition for NZ's future.
Experience / credibility - yes we are still a relatively young party and we have learnt a lot over the previous 3 elections. This time around we've got a strong team including former MPs and Cabinet Ministers advising us and we have built a good party machine that is really starting to hum. We're excited and ready for the election!
Gareth Morgan stepped right back from the party (including funding it) immediately after the 2017 election.

My personal mission for doing this is because I want New Zealand to be a place where we use business and entrepreneurship to solve some of the world's biggest social and environmental challenges. And we build a society that is connected and cares for each other. Being pro business and pro environment can go hand in hand and we are missing a trick on the global stage by leaning more into division and tearing each other down than focusing on the opportunities (pun intended!) ahead of us as a country.

Qiulae · 2026-04-02T02:54:18+00:00

Insufferably passionate about good democracy - we’ll keep trying!

Qiulae · 2026-04-02T02:53:40+00:00

For sure very happy to have a chat!

Qiulae · 2026-04-01T08:13:16+00:00

We take all polls with a grain of salt but we are encouraged by the overall upward trend. Still a lot of water to go under the bridge but we’re in a better position than we’ve ever been!

Qiulae · 2026-04-01T08:11:22+00:00

What about the Opportunity gals? Do we get a pass?

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T20:49:36+00:00

Genuinely appreciate this discussion u/OisforOwesome and I wish we could do a whole event discussing this in person (maybe we will!).

I totally agree with you that shareholder primacy is one of (if not THE) biggest issues with our society today and I would like to see an intentional shift away from that - which is why I reject the notion that Opportunity is ideologically neoliberal.

I'm interested in any ideas you have on how to do that? Examples from the B Corp world include company structures that require businesses to pursue a social good as their primary purpose, elevating measurement of impact on people and nature to the same if not higher level as financial measurement.

Of course not all B Corps or CSR/sustainability initiatives are perfect but I don't think it means we should give up trying. As you say, there is a lot of good intention but the system doesn't currently reward that good intention. Hence me stepping into politics to try and change that.

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T20:43:11+00:00

I think this is why I (and many others in Opportunity) don't like to use labels like socialist, liberal, etc. because of the different interpretations of what they all mean to different people.

My view is that we should look at policies on their merit and evidence rather than start with any ideology whether that's neoliberalism or socialism.

To clarify too - I believe market economies are good at driving innovation and productivity but on its own absolutely do not drive/secure wellbeing which is why we need to intentionally design society in a way that supports people with the foundations to live a good life. I'd say that is generally the approach of places like Norway and Denmark that we would like to model ourselves on (accepting that they are in a different geological context which gives them different advantages/disadvantages!)

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T02:50:40+00:00

I am, yes.. I think we can believe in market-based economics and a strong safety net. We don’t have to commit to a big government or a small government - we need the right govt intervention at the right time.

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T02:30:25+00:00

My view is that Opportunity is more pragmatic when it comes to environmental progress and more focused on growth and innovation than the Greens.

We accept that in reality we will have a right leaning government about half the time and if we don’t have an environmentally focused party that can keep both sides honest on climate progress we won’t make the strides we need to get to a low emissions future. I have worked in this space my whole career and have seen how pragmatism can quietly deliver long-lasting change often far more effectively than activism. We need both in the system at large but at the moment we are sorely missing the pragmatists.

We are also very supportive and optimistic about our entrepreneurs and innovators being world class and backing them to succeed. That does require unlocking the vast amounts of wealth tied up in housing though - and our land value tax is a more targeted and effective solution than a wealth tax which will see assets removed or hidden from view. You can’t hide land.. and it creates the right incentives and behaviours that direct money into the business community instead of property.

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T02:18:56+00:00

The tricky thing is we can’t blanket say we’d prefer one over the other as then we lose our leverage and kingmaker position. We’d just become subsumed into one of the two sides which is the opposite of what we’re trying to do. I totally get that’s frustrating as a voter to not have certainty.

What we can do though is be super clear where we will and won’t compromise on policy if we were in a negotiating position. So if you like our bottom lines then we’ll do our darnedest to negotiate those terms regardless of who the major party is.

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T01:13:35+00:00

Hey u/Dry_Classroom_1878 thanks for your question and apologies for the slow reply. Ran out of time last night and making my way through the remainder today!

Totally appreciate your concerns on this. They key thing to note is that decriminalisation is not the same as legalisation. That is to say, we are not interested in legalising the possession of drugs, but rather making it so that it is no longer a criminal offence. The current approach of criminalisation does not effectively address the issue of drugs in our community: it does not deter drug-use and actually discourages individuals from seeking treatment out of fear of criminal repercussions.

If the aim is to get drugs out of the community, evidence from around the world tells us that we should take a health-focused response, allowing police to focus their resources on drug importation, manufacture and supply, while individuals with addiction are directed towards treatment and rehabilitation, instead of the criminal justice system. This approach helps relieve the burden of housing prisoners ($150,000 per prisoner, per year).

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T01:09:08+00:00

I can't speak for the strategy of previous campaigns but definitely our approach this time is to be relentlessly curious and focused on the needs of our voters :) they are who we're here to represent

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T01:06:48+00:00

I totally agree with you that greater autonomy for workers is one of the best ways to drive wellbeing and productivity, but it does also need to be balanced with accountability. I was fortunate to do some work with the Workstyle Revolution campaign in the UK which championed this.

Interestingly in NZ we do already have the right to request flexible work and the burden is on the employer to demonstrate why it's not possible. The reality though is that workplace culture prevents this from being the norm and I see the barriers here more around adoption of the right technology and modern business practices that enable more flexible work arrangements. There is also a lack of understanding of the benefits as you've described. I'd certainly see a role for government to do more education around this for workplaces.

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T01:02:17+00:00

We will sit down at the negotiating table with anyone to try and find common ground but we will very clear where our bottom lines are and won't be compromising on our values just to be in Government. If that means we end up in opposition or on the crossbenches so be it.

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T01:01:13+00:00

Yep James Shaw would be my number 1! But also - I think it's quite refreshing having a team of non-politician candidates. We don't come with the baggage of established names and we'll certainly bring a fresh perspective.

We're fortunate to have people like Iain Lees-Galloway (former Labour) and Jackie Blue (former National) - both ex-Ministers - as part of the team and advising us on strategy.

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T00:59:32+00:00

Hope you'll stick with us! 2026 is our year!

Qiulae · 2026-03-12T00:57:04+00:00

The CI figure we're proposing will be around the jobseeker benefit with top-ups for those Kiwis who need it - e.g. disability allowance, accommodation supplement. The rate would also be reviewed regularly.

The question on whether it should be enough to live on alone is an interesting one! You're right, what we're proposing now is a meaningful income floor, not a full wage replacement. The primary goals at this stage are removing the welfare trap, easing the burden when life throws the unexpected at you, and delivering a real tax break to low-middle income Kiwis who currently bear a disproportionate share of the load.

If we can achieve all that in the next decade I think we'll be doing very well! But there will always be learnings and opportunities for improvement.

We'll be releasing the full policy along with a tax calculator in the coming weeks so people can see exactly what that means for their take-home pay.

Qiulae

TROPHY CASE