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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 1d

Labor's Capital gains tax is weak and will not lower housing costs nor stem the tide of land speculation. They have opted for a policy that exempts primary residences and farms rather than make the case for what is actually needed: real tax reform to give hope to the younger generation.

Status quo

Banner ad authorised by H. Cargo, 2 Amera Place, Auckland.
Hashtags follow
#KiwisDeserveBetter #nzpol

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 3d

Thanks for posting this article. It's a great advertisement for Universal Basic Income and our plan to increase tax on capital by taxing the value of land.

We don't have the luxury of tinkering around the margins.

Structural change is need and we will bring it.

Because ##KiwisDeserveBetter

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Reposted by The Opportunities Party

belladam99.bsky.social @belladam99.bsky.social · 3d

@top.org.nz here are some policy issues for us to show leadership on— god knows the country needs it

David Cormack @davidcormack.bsky.social · 4d

This is Andrea at her pure best. Phenomenal column.

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

From decent society to dog-eat-dog

OPINION: While ordinary workers tighten their belts, the prime minister trims his rates bill. Luxon’s government has turned Bolger’s “decent society” into a dog-eat-dog one.

www.thepost.co.nz

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 6d

We are working hard to get ahead of the election year- voter engagement curve. Announcement on new Leader coming soon.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 6d

But the question is, what are *you* going to do about? Endlessly rotating between Labor and Nats is not going to move the country forward.

Progress requires change.

Vote different.

Because #KiwisDeserveBetter

Graph of results from Curia Market research poll showing roughly 60% of the country isn't convinced things are going well. These numbers were cited in the following RNZ article:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/575328/national-falls-below-30-percent-in-latest-curia-poll-left-bloc-could-form-government

Hashtags follow
#nzpol
#VoteTOP

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 8d

Climate change is going to expose NZ's weak economic fundamentals and worsen the social divide. A UBI can encourage people to keep working together rather than resorting to crime out of desperation.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 10d

Another "Basic Income" experiment that was deemed a success and will be made permanent.
TOP will bring a Universal Basic Income to Aotearoa, working in tandem with a land value tax switch to lower housing costs and welfare system reform.
Economic stability and social cohesion for all New Zealand

Photo of article from Business Insider highlighting a basic income scheme for artists in Ireland.

Hash tags follow
#KiwisDeserveBetter
#nzpol

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 11d

Why TOP instead of one of the legacy parties?

Because #KiwisDeserveBetter

youtube.com/shorts/A0M7S...

Why TOP instead of one of the older parties?

YouTube video by TOP - The Opportunities Party

youtube.com

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 12d

At least this issue is not unique to New Zealand.

Reposted by The Opportunities Party

AFL-CIO @aflcio.org · 13d

46,000 health care workers at Kaiser are on strike!

Safe staffing is critical for patients’ care and health care workers. It’s time for Kaiser to give workers the dignity, respect and fair contract they need and deserve.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 12d

How to uphold standards in Parliament:

Take money from Big Tabacco -tick
Nullify voters rights
-tick
Retrospective legislation for your mates in the Big Banks
- tick
Improve access for lobbyists
-tick
Fast track legislation to avoid scrutiny -tick

Ensure MPs wear a tie - nope

Get a grip Gerry

The Speaker of the House, Gerry Brownlee, wants to crack down on what MPs are wearing in Parliament. In 2025, with everything else that's going on, we're worried about whether politicians look tidy enough?

Really?

TOP doesn't give a damn what MPs wear. As long as they actually do their jobs. If someone's out there fixing the housing crisis, pushing through pay equity, or getting Pacifica kids better access to education, they can do it in jandals for all we care.

Authorized by H. Cargo 2D Amera Place Auckland

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 15d

Government needs to learn the world is watching. Pandering to their base has negative consequences for the NZ brand.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 15d

Yes, time again, knee jerk reactions to perceived liberal policy they despite on ideological grounds.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 15d

The Government is coming under fire from concerned global climate scientists, who say its new methane emissions target ignores scientific evidence to permit the continued release of high levels of the climate-heating gas. The coalition is willing to sacrifice Aotearoa’s brand for a few more votes

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/2ea6a69d-765e-48d5-b2f2-50dce8427862

Leading climate scientists have accused politicians in New Zealand and Ireland of using an “accounting trick” to back their sheep and cattle industries, warning their support for methane-emitting livestock could undermine global efforts to fight climate change.

In an open letter shared with the Financial Times, 26 climate scientists from around the world warned that New Zealand’s proposed new methane targets risk setting a dangerous precedent. Scientists have separately raised concerns about Ireland’s approach.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 15d

This Government's climate strategy is weak as...

We owe it to everyone, including farmers and businesses, to take a unified, long-term approach to methane emissions pricing and reduction

TOP will restore the cross-party consensus on the climate to meet our obligations under the Paris Agreement

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/575686/government-lowers-methane-target-rules-out-methane-taxes.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 16d

Just a reminder about the presentation discussing the Privatization of your healthcare in Aotearoa, tonight. Well informed speakers will discuss the challenges and risks of the proposals from current government.

#KiwisDeserveBetter
#nzpol

www.youtube.com/live/Y2RELxL...

The Privatisation of Public Health

YouTube video by NZ Fabian Society

www.youtube.com

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 18d

Squeezing profit out of an underfunded healthcare system is like shoving the ambulance over the cliff. This neoliberal economic model has resulted in higher costs and worse health outcomes everywhere it has been tried. Listen to the experts debate it here:
www.fabians.org.nz

#KiwisDeserveBetter

The Privatisation of Public Health

The Coalition Government recently introduced the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill - to enshrine targets for delivery of health services in legislation.

Government intends to achieve measurements of health system performance and productivity through this legislative mechanism, ignoring the complexity of the health system, the chronic problems of underfunding, demography and the social stresses which are impacting on hospitals.

New funding to deal with long waiting lists is likely to go to the private sector through extension of contracting out of services from three to ten years. The proposed ten year contracts have prompted a number of senior medical professionals, academics and economists to write an open letter to the Auditor General.

They expressed concerns about the transfer of money and the likely exodus of public health workers to the private sector as well as the detrimental impact on training for future healthcare workers. They also cited concerns about equitable access to care.

To discuss these issues we have invited:

Ian Powell, the former Exec Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists and now a commentator on health in the media and on his blog, Otaihanga Second Opinion.

and

Ganesh R Ahirao (aka Nana), a signatory to the letter to the Auditor General. He is an economist and was former Chair of the Productivity Commission. He is currently a board member for Action Station, Kaibosh Food Rescue and the Drug Foundation.

Date: Tuesday 14 October

Time: 5.30 – 7pm

Place: level 2, 57 Willis Street (via the lifts out the back of Unity Books).

Register [here](https://www.fabians.org.nz/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm/mailing/url&u=15078&qid=1202628).

Livestreaming link [here](https://www.fabians.org.nz/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm/mailing/url&u=15079&qid=1202628).

Ngā mihi nui

Pat Webster

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 19d

These are the very issues that TOP is best suited to address.
We will use our influence in Parliament to revise the Misuse of Drugs Act. Instead of punitive measures, we can save lives and reduce harm with a healthcare driven system that treats addiction as a medical issue not a crime.

#VoteTOP

Banner add which highlights the exacerbation of drug addiction harm by current legislation.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 20d

The Government's means testing for jobseeker benefits is is typical of their myopic, populist approach to governance. It will not build skills, create jobs or prepare youth for the impact of AI.

TOP believes Aotearoa needs a comprehensive overhaul of taxes and income support to give youth a chance.

Banner ad highlighting TOP's real support for young workers. You can read our policies here: https://www.top.org.nz/policy

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 24d

Yeah its a lousy metric. GDP fails to capture economic *well-being* by excluding income inequality, ignoring the environmental and social costs of growth (externalities), fails to account for non-market activities such as domestic work, does not reflect changes in the *quality* of goods and services

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 24d

Luxon can't do maths apparently, telling school leavers to “get off the couch, stop playing PlayStation and go find a job”. Yet his own government has eliminated 9502 public service jobs* and tanked the economy causing the rise in unemployment to 5.2% and fall in our GDP.

#KiwisDeserveBetter

* Data from Stats NZ. Rotorua Daily Post article 3 October 2025.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · 27d

TOP backs a Land Value Tax
because-

1. it lowers incentives for speculation and encourages landowners to put property into productive use
2. taxing it's value is cheaper and easier as it can't be hidden or easily avoided
3. it discourages urban sprawl which supports the environment

#VoteTOP

The list of benefits is quite long. Here is a treasury report on Land Value Tax circa 2014

https://www.treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2017-10/uc-zbigniewdumienski.pdf

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · Sep 28

Luxon’s worried about how fast votes are counted. Kiwis are worried about how fast the economy is crashing.
TOP’s focus is on fixing our two-speed economy with bold tax reform, income security, and housing you can actually afford.
Let’s speed up fairness. Join TOP today: www.top.org.nz/join

TOP banner skeet which highlights the anti-democratic features of the Electoral Amendment bill, currently before the Select Committee
Even Labour's justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said it was a dark day for democracy, arguing the changes would make it harder for people to vote.

"Politicians should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. That's how we make sure that everybody's voice is heard, that everyone gets a say, and that this democracy - this Parliament - is truly representative.

Webb pointed to the Attorney-General's report that found the proposals were inconsistent with people's rights as further reason the legislation should be scrapped.

"The Attorney-General, frankly, slated this bill. I have never seen an Attorney-General's report which is so bluntly vicious and damning, saying things like 'freezing registration earlier in the voting period has the potential to harm confidence and trust'."

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said it was already clear the bill would not achieve what its proponents were promising.

"This bill proposes the exact opposite of a modern and robust, effective democracy, because it intentionally seeks to deny entire groups of people and communities from having easier access to be able to enrol and to be able to vote, while at the same time it is shifting the threshold for donations to be declared."

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the changes were cynical.

"It's not a coincidence that the very communities who would be silenced are the same communities that wouldn't vote for this government, and probably the same communities that made up the netballers on the weekend.

"They say they're fixing democracy, but let's remember: this is the same government that has abolished Māori wards, introduced the Treaty Principles Bill, dismantled co-governance, Te Aka Whai Ora. And we know, again, why they do not want to see 16 year olds voting." From RNZ 29 July 2025

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · Sep 28

Without major reform, our public services will falter under the pressure of an aging population. We need more than spin and can-kicking from our leaders. TOP has solutions for the next 40 years, not just the next election. Tax reform, funded health-care, infrastructure investment, climate action

Cited article from Radio NZ website.

Secretary to the Treasury Iain Rennie says New Zealand has been running a structural operating deficit since 2019/20 financial year.

"In 1965, there were seven working-age New Zealanders for every person over 65. Today, that ratio is four to one, and by 2065 it is projected to be just two to one," Rennie said.

"As the age structure of our population shifts, the cost of maintaining NZS (New Zealand Superannuation) in its current form will rise significantly.

"Similarly, health expenditure could increase from 7.1 percent of GDP today to around 10 percent by 2065 if policies remain unchanged."

He says an adjustment to fiscal policy is required to bring expenditure and revenue into balance, even if more favourable conditions prevail in future years.

The report warns unchanged policy would lead to debt rising to around 200 percent of GDP by 2065.

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The Opportunities Party @top.org.nz · Sep 25

"GDP fell 1.1% since last June and is 2.8% smaller than June 2023.
The economy - effectively our standard of living - is flat lining.

The National-led Government’s reaction to this news tells us everything we need to know about its lack of an economic plan and how it’s failing to sell it."-The Post

Banner advert which highlights the failure of current Government's economic policies. "A recent 'Mood of the CFO' survey criticised the Government for its lack of a clear economic strategy and said it was too focused on cost-cutting. Almost 80% believed government policies needed to change to help business. " from - The Post September 25th

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