'Evoking Ardern’: Opportunity's Qiulae Wong attracts global media attention

Qiulae Wong has attracted global media coverage with comparisons to the rapid rise of Jacinda Ardern, as polling suggests the Opportunity Party could decide the next government.

Business outlets Bloomberg, the Financial Times and the Economist have all recently profiled Opportunity’s rise for an international audience in their coverage of New Zealand’s general election.

The coverage draws parallels between Wong’s growing popularity and that of former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern.

“Political outsider evoking Ardern may decide who runs New Zealand”, Bloomberg reported last week, writing that Wong’s “rapid ascent could make her the power broker for the next Government”.

“Wong has generated excitement not seen since the meteoric rise of Jacinda Ardern,” Bloomberg wrote

The Financial Times has profiled Wong as the “ex-KPMG consultant who could be New Zealand’s kingmaker”, with coverage focusing on the party’s land value tax and universal basic income policies.

That story is currently listed on the Financial Times’ top five most-read articles on its homepage.

The Economist has also featured Wong, with the publication’s Asia section posing the question “a new kingmaker?”

“Meet the millennial centrist shaking up New Zealand’s election,” the headline reads.

It describes Wong as the party’s “polished 38-year-old leader”, heading up a small party with “big ideas”.

The comparison with Ardern is notable given the international attention the former Prime Minister attracted during her rise to power and sustained throughout her premiership.

In the lead-up to the 2017 general election, then-Prime Minister Bill English famously used the term “stardust” to try and dismiss Ardern’s rapid rise in popularity.

During Ardern’s tenure, the former Prime Minister’s international media coverage also attracted criticism, with some arguing her performance on the global stage was at odds with effectiveness at home.

Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong has seen a surge in support in the lead-up to the election, which has come with increased attention and scrutiny in the media. Photo / Dean Purcell

Wong has grown the Opportunity Party’s support from under 2% when she took over the leadership in November last year, to now over the 5% threshold in a majority of recent polls.

That polling also often has Opportunity as the kingmaker, meaning it could be in a position to decide the next Government if the results were replicated on election day.

The surge in support has come with increased attention and scrutiny in domestic media.

The Herald has delved into the party’s policies and people, as well as developing a calculator to show voters what its proposed tax changes could mean.

Further attention has been given to the party’s governing board.

In August, concern arose over the board’s power to veto a potential parliamentary caucus, following questioning of Wong by Jack Tame on TVNZ’s Q+A.

That provision was subsequently removed by the party’s members.

The Herald has also investigated the internal tensions and power battles within the party between its 2023 election loss and reinvention this year, revealing claims of a toxic and tribal internal culture.

The party conceded the past couple of years had been a “difficult time”, requiring some “robust discussions” and referenced an incident where a board member allegedly breached its code of conduct.

Wong has since said the party now has “a really positive culture”, and has floated potentially reviewing what went on post-election.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters recently criticised Wong as “the new media darling”, mocking the idea she had been anointed “kingmaker” in this election.

Wong responded by calling Peters’ comments “sad”.

Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.