Opportunity leader: Voters starting to see us as a stable and safe coalition partner
The Opportunity Party is polling at 5.3 percent, potentially positioning it as a kingmaker in the upcoming New Zealand election. Party leader Qiulae Wong is avoiding pre-election deals, focusing instead on presenting a distinct vision for the country.
Why it matters
The party's emergence as a potential coalition partner could shift the balance of power between the traditional left and right political blocs in New Zealand.
The leader of the Opportunity Party says people are starting to see the nascent movement as a stable and safe coalition partner, as the new RNZ-Reid Research poll puts the party in the driver's seat.
Meanwhile Labour has been unable to capitalise on National's recent woes , and has actually been the one to suffer.
But Chris Hipkins believes National's attack line on tax will only weaken as the campaign ramps up.
Opportunity is on 5.3 percent in the latest poll, the party cracking the threshold needed to enter Parliament for the first time in this poll.
If the results were replicated on polling day, the right bloc would have 59 seats and the left 55 - neither having the numbers to govern without Opportunity's 6.
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