The Opportunities Party launches new leader, Qiulae Wong, and policies for 2026 election

Qiulae Wong will lead Top to the next election and is hoping to boost the party above 5% for the first time.

The Opportunity Party, a rebrand of The Opportunities Party, has revealed Auckland businesswoman Qiulae Wong will lead it into the 2026 election.

The 37-year-old will be the party’s fifth leader since it was founded by economist and philanthropist Gareth Morgan in 2016.

Earlier this year, the party took to the job site Seek to search for a leader.

Wong didn’t apply this way, rather, she put her hat in the ring after seeing the position available in a party newsletter.

She was most recently an associate director at KPMG New Zealand, where she helped major corporations transition to climate-friendly practices.

Wong previously worked in the UK, founding and supporting start-ups in the fashion sector, before moving back to New Zealand in 2020.

She lives with her husband and two daughters in Auckland and said now felt like a good time to have a go at The Opportunity Party (Top) leadership.

“It feels like politics at the moment just feels so divisive and people feel really frustrated at the state of things, the fact that we keep going back and forth on major issues instead of actually making progress,” she told Newstalk ZB.

The party has also relaunched under a slightly different name, becoming The Opportunity Party after being The Opportunities Party since 2016.

Wong called that subtle change in name important.

“Now is the time for New Zealand to take this opportunity to do something different, to build the next economy, which is going to look different from the way that, you know, our businesses and our economy works today, and to make those bold tax changes that we so desperately need.”

The party has never made it to Parliament, failing to reach the 5% party vote threshold since its inception.

Former Leader Raf Manji finished second behind National’s Hamish Campbell in the race for the Ilam seat in 2023.

Wong hopes that string of results will soon be over for her party.

“Our number one goal is party vote, getting over 5%, that is the number one strategy.”

Since it was founded in 2016, the party has participated in three elections, peaking at 2.6% of the vote in 2017. It dropped to 1.5% in 2020 and rose to 2.2% in 2023.

Top is launching what it describes as a “central” policy for the next election, proposing a tax reset, with Top’s Universal Basic Income again making an appearance – this time called a “Citizens Income”.

It’s attempting to provide an alternative to Labour’s Capital Gains Tax by proposing a Land Value Tax, which Wong said would be simpler to administer.

The party is also eyeing up a flat income tax, which it claims would again simplify the system and would see most low- and middle-income working Kiwis get a tax cut.

Wong wants the party to focus on connecting with New Zealanders. She admits there’s been a “fair criticism in the past that the party’s been too focused on policies”.

The party will reveal further policy details and candidates next year.

Troy Matich is a political reporter with Newstalk ZB, working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2025, previously working for RNZ as a producer for Morning Report.