Gareth Morgan kicks off Auckland roadshow

The Opportunities Party leader Gareth Morgan address people during a election campaign meeting held in Albany. Photo: NZH/Dean Purcell.

The leader of The Opportunities Party has kicked off the Auckland segment of his roadshow and unveiled some of his "radical" policies in Albany this evening.

Gareth Morgan spoke to the roughly 80 attendees on everything from cannabis law reform and immigration to a tax system that would shift the burden towards those who could most afford it.

Yesterday, he was in Rotorua where he was greeted by a larger crowd of more than 300 people at the Novotel Rotorua Lakeside - the biggest political event locals said they had seen in the town in recent years.

At the first of his five Auckland talks, Morgan kicked off highlighting issues of concern; including the high rates of homelessness, suicide, bullying, child poverty and inequality.

He told those gathered while there was a lot of good on the surface of New Zealand society, everything was not as it seemed beneath the surface.

"Beneath this veneer of things travelling positively there are some pretty disturbing statistics which suggests to me that not everyone shares in this affluence."

He labelled New Zealand a tax haven, with a "low-wage treadmill economy" driven by low quality immigrants, with streams "full of s***" from the dairy industry.

Some of his party's solutions included halving superannuation of the "richest" among the elderly, giving an unconditional allowance of $200 to young people and parents under three, legalising and regulating cannabis and applying tax to all productive assets including housing and land.

Morgan ended the evening by telling the attendees to "wake-up" and questioning: "Do you actually care?"

"Then for god's sake use your vote responsibly...vote for what you believe in."

Following his talk, attendees, many of whom appeared to be of retirement age, raised some concerns about how the reduced superannuation would affect them.

However, of those the Herald spoke to at the event most indicated they were leaning towards, or had already decided that they would vote TOP.

They said they had come to hear Morgan talk and ask him a few questions on the finer details of his policies.

Mt Eden resident, Romain Travers, 48, who worked in pharmaceuticals "thinks" he voted Greens last election, but said "on a good day" he was relatively decided he would vote TOP.

He liked "shifting the burden of tax to those who could most afford it".

Morgan announced his entry into politics late last year when he launched The Opportunities Party.

Last week he was said to be considering standing in Epsom against Act Leader David Seymour in the September 23 election.

His final decision was expected to be announced next week.

Seymour, a first-term MP, currently holds the seat with a 4250 majority.

Winning an electorate seat meant a party did not have to reach the 5 per cent threshold before getting MPs.

Morgan's roadshow continues in Auckland with talks scheduled throughout this week and early next week in Mt Albert, Papatoetoe, Auckland Central and Epsom.

It is the second nationwide tour he has taken since the party was launched late last year.