Opportunity lays down five coalition bottom lines

The Opportunity Party is already laying down the law for the next government, unveiling five “non-negotiable” conditions for any coalition deal with 38 days still to go before the election.

The minor party outlined stronger Commerce Commission powers, tighter rules for lobbying and political donations, a 10-year health plan, a phase-out of bottom trawling and a recommitment to New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. However, its two biggest policies, land tax and Universal Basic Income (UBI), were absent from the list.

Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong said the five policies were the “minimum commitments” she would require from the next government in return for the party’s support. Opportunity still needs to reach 5% of the party vote or win an electorate seat to get into Parliament. It is presently hovering near that threshold, with the latest 1News Verian poll putting it at 6%.

On supermarkets, Wong said New Zealand has a competition problem and that the Commerce Commission should be given greater powers to tackle excessive market dominance. The party also wanted a 10-year health plan, saying the system cannot keep “lurching from one three-year political cycle to the next”. Finally, Opportunity wanted to cap donations at $30,000 and regulate lobbying.

Wong was grilled on the donation issue on Q+A last month, after it was revealed Opportunity had accepted more than $400,000 in donations above the proposed $30,000 limit. Wong said the party had to “play the game with everyone else”.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins responded to the announcement by saying, “Everyone’s getting a bit ahead of themselves here,” noting there were still “a lot of votes to be won and lost” before the election. Hipkins has not ruled out working with Opportunity and suggested there were “some things we could work with them on”.

National leader Christopher Luxon has already ruled the party out.

Wong has previously said Opportunity could find “common ground” with NZ First on issues including supermarkets and energy, while conversely saying the party would not support a government with Winston Peters as Foreign Minister.

A quirk of MMP may also become important after the election: the overhang.

An overhang can occur when a party wins more electorate seats than its share of the party vote would normally entitle it to. Those extra MPs keep their seats, increasing the total size of Parliament. With several minor parties competing around the threshold or for electorate seats this election, both the party vote and electorate results could therefore have a significant effect on the final makeup of Parliament.

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