Giving the Commerce Commission stronger powers and re-establishing New Zealand’s commitment to the Paris Agreement are among five things the Opportunity Party is setting out for inclusion in any coalition or confidence and supply agreement it could enter after the November 7 election.
Monday's 1News Verian poll had Opportunity, who have been above the 5% threshold in most recent polls, at 6%.
In Auckland on Tuesday, Opportunity Party Leader Qiulae Wong laid out the five non-negotiable policy conditions the party plans to stand by if Opportunity makes it into Parliament. Wong said they were designed to deliver change that could last beyond a single term of government.
The party's high profile tax reset policy is not among the five.
The five bottom lines are:
- Bring prices down: Give the Commerce Commission stronger powers and greater independence to tackle excessive market power in supermarkets and other uncompetitive sectors
- Clean up politics: Regulate lobbying and cap political donations
- Fix the health system: Develop a 10-year health plan alongside health professionals, with clear commitments on funding, workforce and infrastructure
- Revive ocean health: Immediately begin phasing out bottom trawling
- Restore climate credibility: Recommit to NZ's Paris Agreement obligations and protect the independence of the Climate Change Commission
Wong said all of Opportunity’s policies were important to the party, but these five bottom line policies were the “minimum commitments” Opportunity will require from the next government in return for the party’s support.
“The stronger the position voters give us, the more we can negotiate for,” she said.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon has ruled out working with the Opportunity Party. Labour leader Chris Hipkins has not.
A competition problem
Tackling weak competition in New Zealand is top of Opportunity’s bottom line list. Wong said there is broad agreement the country has a competition problem and New Zealanders are “paying the price” for it through their everyday bills.
“Opportunity’s bottom line is that the next government actually does something about it by giving the Commerce Commission the independence and tools it needs to take on excessive market power and bring prices down,” she said.
Climate-focused policies make up two of Opportunity’s bottom lines. The party believes NZ needs a durable climate policy that survives changes of government, gives businesses certainty and helps build a cleaner, more resilient and more prosperous economy, according to Wong.
“We will not support a government that walks away from our international obligations or undermines the independent Climate Change Commission,” she said. This means recommitting to NZ's Paris Agreement obligations.
Under the Paris Agreement, every country sets out its own Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) - this is to show the contributions countries will make towards delivering on the 2015 Paris Agreement climate goals. The obligations are to limit global warming to “well below 2 °C” and attempt to keep it to 1.5 °C.
Luxon has made it clear staying in the Paris Agreement would be a bottom line for National in any post-election coalition negotiations, National's coalition partner NZ First wants to pull NZ out of the agreement while ACT leader David Seymour has previously said: “Paris needs to change, or New Zealand needs to leave.”
Wong described NZ's prosperity and identity as “inseparable” from the health of its oceans and Opportunity will require the next government to phase out bottom trawling as well if the party gets into government.
Ten year health plan
The party has also said the next government will need to develop a 10-year health plan in order to receive Opportunity’s support.
“Our health system is in crisis yet again and we can’t keep lurching from one three-year political cycle to the next,” Wong said, adding that a 10-year plan would give the health system a stable direction for its workforce, infrastructure and funding.
Opportunity will also require “real reform” on lobbying and political donations.
“New Zealanders deserve to know who is trying to influence their government, and no one should be able to buy disproportionate political influence,” Wong said.
On TVNZ’s Q&A in August, Wong defended Opportunity accepting more than $400,000 in political donations this year when the party has been campaigning for reform on lobbying and political donations. She told Q&A host Jack Tames that the party has to “play the game with everyone else” to get into Parliament.
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