Opportunity Party Candidate Rachel Ward 

The 2026 election is shaping up to be one for the history books. With a growing cohort of disillusioned, frustrated and restless voters looking for options – and major parties and their classic blocs doing little to inspire confidence – I have witnessed many turn with new appreciation to the Opportunity Party.

Here in Hawke’s Bay, I have the honour of representing the Tukituki electorate as the Opportunity Party candidate, with Matt Shephard absorbing much of Central Hawke’s Bay into the newly drawn Wairarapa electorate. There is no candidate for Napier at this stage – but Napier locals still play a very important part in helping to get the party over the line.

I was originally drawn to Opportunity as a pragmatic ‘pro-business, pro-environment’ party. We can have a strong, healthy economy and a strong, healthy environment at the same time – these goals do not have to be exclusive. 

As well as being a local mum of two, I am a passionate environmental advocate and come from a zoology, ecology and conservation background. I currently manage Cape Sanctuary – our local Hawke’s Bay wildlife restoration project on the Cape Kidnapper’s peninsula where I get to work alongside our amazing taonga species, community, mana whenua, landowners, business and local government agencies to drive real environmental progress. 

I am leaving that position in August to focus solely on the campaign, despite candidacy being a volunteer role. It may be a bold move, but this election is too important. I am so frustrated with the current environmental trajectory of our decision makers, and figured if I wanted to see improvement for my kids’ future, I needed to be willing to step forward and that I had to be all in. 

Crossing the threshold

That, and I am 100% convinced that Opportunity is going to pass the 5% threshold this year!

I have watched Opportunity (previously known as TOP, or The Opportunities Party) spend 10 years trying to crack the 5% threshold, and while it has been through a few iterations in that time, there is something different about this year’s election team. We are more organised, more represented (with around 40 candidates around the country) more visible and more driven than ever before. 

I see new leader Qiulae Wong as the refreshing antithesis to everything the other parties lack – whip smart, compassionate, pragmatic, honest and open to working with either ‘side’ to tackle New Zealand’s long-term issues – something every other party in government has so far ruled out.

We have a clear goal – to enter parliament and bring positive change for New Zealanders. While I would love to represent the people of Tukituki as an MP, I am realistic about those chances. Opportunity are running to get across the 5% party vote threshold, so we can be the circuit breaker to the stagnant and divisive status quo of today’s politics. So I am asking all of Hawke’s Bay, regardless of electorate, to trust us with your party vote.

What do we stand for?

Opportunity are running on three main pillars – to build the next economy; to clean up politics; and to restore nature. 

I see the signature Tax Reset policy as heralding a generational tax structure change for New Zealanders to address our current creaking system and alleviate the cost-of-living crisis. It includes a Citizen’s Income ($19,400 per year for every New Zealander over 18), a Land Value Tax and compulsory KiwiSaver 2.0, similar to Australia’s successful super model. 

The policy is cleverly designed to break our unhealthy obsession with the housing market by moving the dial on property investments vs income taxes, and in the process would enhance productivity and create a better life for our future generations. If implemented fully, would lift 50,000 kiwi families out of poverty overnight. Working renters would see the largest tax break in New Zealand history. Around 70% of kiwis would be better off financially, 20% would stay the neutral, and 10% would pay more (largely those with larger property portfolios). 

And yes, it is fully costed, with a $4billion surplus to put towards other policies or to pay down national debt. We are the only party putting up real, planned and systematic solutions to these big issues.

Once we get into parliament, as a centrist party we can work with either side to effect change – playing the role of the consistent long-term coalition partner in future governments, even as the major parties shift over time. We would change the face of politics in this country.

We may be a small party, but this year, we are mighty. We have all seen recently the outsized influence that small parties can have – and if voters join us and take a chance on us this election, we will use that influence for good. Opportunity will be the accelerator to future governments, not the handbrake… Winston has a run for his money this year for the kingmaker position.

If you would like to hear more, Qiulae and I will be at my Meet the Candidate event on Sunday May 24^th. Event details here: www.opportunity.org.nz/tukituki_meet_your_candidate
You can get in touch with me directly via [email protected]