The Opportunity Party has hit 6% support in the latest Roy Morgan poll. If replicated on election day, this result would secure seven seats in Parliament and introduce a new player to coalition negotiations.
The polling milestone comes as the extra-parliamentary party campaigns heavily on a proposed financial policy it calls a Tax Reset.
The platform includes a $19,400 tax-free Citizen's Income for every adult. The universal payment would be funded by a new land value tax set at 1.75% for urban properties and 0.5% for rural land.
Sarah Lucas is contesting the New Plymouth electorate for the Opportunity Party. The Inglewood small business owner, who runs Be Natural Soap, said the Opportunity team has worked hard over the past nine years and is ready to make history as a new party to enter Parliament above the 5% threshold.
"We have been ping-ponging between the two main parties for decades, and people are tired of the same old playbook," Lucas said. "It's time for something different, and Opportunity can and will deliver that."
She believes voters are frustrated with the established political options.
"New Zealand is languishing economically, and the current government is managing the decline with reactive, uncosted policy," she said. "No other party has put forward costed, workable solutions."
Drawing on her background in local governance, Lucas said the region needs long-term planning and a representative who won't be told what to say by major party whips.
Environmental policies also form a core part of her pitch to the electorate. Lucas noted their Healthy Oceans policy takes a firm stance against seabed mining, while their Abundant Energy approach promises cleaner power and a fair transition for Taranaki workers.
With the general election approaching, minor parties often face the historical challenge of convincing supporters their ballot will not be wasted.
Lucas rejected this idea, pitching Opportunity as a necessary force to secure leverage at the decision-making table.
"National is hamstrung by coalition partners. Labour announces things without saying how they'll pay for them," Lucas said. "We're not trying to win the next three years. We're trying to build the next thirty."
Recent polling data shows the governing coalition of National, ACT and New Zealand First maintaining a strong lead at 51.5%, while the Labour-led opposition currently trails at 41.5%.
