Opportunity releases five 'bottom lines' – with two key policies missing

Two of the Opportunity Party’s key policy planks are missing from its just-released “bottom lines” – the ideas it says must be included in any coalition or confidence-and-supply agreement it signs after the November 7 election.

There’s no land tax and no Universal Basic Income in the top five deal-breakers.

The party, led by Quilae Wong, is polling consistently above 5% in most major polls.

And it could end up with the balance of power on election night, having repeatedly promised it would talk to the party that has the most votes first.

“All of our policies are important to us,” Wong says.

“The stronger the position voters give us, the more we can negotiate for.

“These are the minimum commitments we will require from the next government in return for our support.”

Number one on its list is to “bring prices down”.

It wants the Commerce Commission to be given stronger powers and greater independence to “tackle excessive market power in supermarkets and other uncompetitive sectors”.

“New Zealanders are paying the price for weak competition in too many of their everyday bills,” Wong said.

She also wants to regulate lobbying and cap political donations and develop a 10-year health plan alongside health professionals.

“We can’t keep lurching from one three-year political cycle to the next.

“Doctors, nurses and patients need certainty. A 10-year plan would give the health system a stable direction for its workforce, infrastructure and funding.

“To get our support, the next government will have to build a plan that can survive changes of government. Any future government that needs our support will have to stick to that plan.”

The top five is rounded out by a promise to “revive ocean health” by beginning to phase out bottom trawling and restore climate credibility by recommitting to Paris Agreement obligations and protecting the independence of the Climate Change Commission.

Wong says the five bottom lines are designed to deliver change that can endure beyond a single term of government.

“We are here for unity, innovation and nature, not for the next three years but for generations to come,” Wong says.

Katie Bradford is a Senior Correspondent at the Herald. She has been a broadcast journalist for over 20 years and was based in the press gallery for 10 years. She specialises in politics, business and Auckland issues.