RICHARD PREBBLE: Opportunity to opportunistic
All parties disappoint. National used to stand for property rights. Labour has abandoned taxing landlords. The Greens have gone from environmentalists to socialists. Sir Roger Douglas campaigned for zero income tax. ACT now says the country cannot afford a tax cut.
But no party has ever abandoned its founding principles faster or more completely than Opportunity.
Garth Morgan spent $3 million of his own money promoting a guaranteed income and land tax. He believes that AI will cause huge unemployment and that land tax will lower house prices.
Before the campaign, before a single vote, let alone negotiations, TOP has abandoned both policies.
On 29 September 2026, TOP leader Qiulae Wong announced five non-negotiable policies.
Neither land tax nor a citizens’ income was among them.
How many TOP members joined because they believed in one or both policies?
On 9 October, Wong said TOP could set aside tax reform for the next parliamentary term.
They have stolen Garth Morgan’s party.
TOP’s only principle is doing any deal with anyone for power.
Politicians have a saying that the most dangerous place to drive is down the middle of the road. But TOP, a party of learner drivers, is willing to drive down any road, with any driver, on any side of the road.
What mystifies me is not that Luxon rules out a deal with TOP.
A four-way coalition with a party of learner MPs is no way to run a country.
It is Luxon’s insistence that he is ruling out a coalition because of TOP’s tax policy. The whole country knows Qiulae Wong would ditch TOP’s tax policy for a seat around the cabinet table.
There is an even more fundamental issue. If a party is willing to abandon its principles and betray its own supporters, why would it hesitate to betray its coalition partners?
An agreement with an opportunist lasts only until a better opportunity comes along.
Richard Prebble is a former minister and ACT Party leader
perhaps there's only space for one duplicitous party round the cabinet table & NZF has that sewn up...
"The Greens have gone from environmentalists to socialists."
Not so. They were always socialist. All of their programs required massive government intervention. This has certainly been the case for all of the Green parties in North America and Europe. Marxist Communism did not simply disappear when the USSR collapsed in 1989. All over Europe and North America, the Reds simply became Greens. There was never any real difference between the two.
Which ning nong polictal party will wing the Wong number to hold onto power as a result on 7th November.??
If the "four way" becomes Government, we will be going only ONE WAY, and that is down!
Very well summarised.with regard to TOP . Political opportunists at best , led by a ‘hired gun’ who ‘applied’ for TOP’s ‘advertised’ “leaders” role —- and will do / sacrifice anything / any Party principles for a seat around the Cabinet Table .
The Greens appear to have abandoned their raison d’être and become an ‘alternative’ Maori Party cum Socialist Party ..
Hugh Perrett