Opportunities Party over
Gareth Morgan’s The Opportunities Party (Top) is no more.
The party said yesterday that it had asked the Electoral Commission to cancel Top’s registration as a political party.
Morgan formed Top in late 2016. It got 2.4 per cent of the party vote in September’s election, below the 5 per cent threshold needed for a seat in Parliament.
In a statement yesterday, Morgan said: ‘‘Since the election the board has considered whether it would invest time and money in preparing the party to contest 2020 and after due consideration has decided against it.’’
Morgan, who sank more than $2 million into his party, in December announced his resignation as leader, but said he would stay on until a replacement was found to lead the party at the 2020 election. The same day, deputy leader Geoff Simmons also stepped down, along with
ha¯riu candidate Jessica Hammond-Doube and Waitaki candidate Kevin Neill.
Controversy surrounded the party during and following the election, largely due to Morgan’s personality and his decisions as leader.
In his statement yesterday, Morgan took aim at the Labour Party’s rise in popularity when now Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern became leader: ‘‘What makes the New Zealand voter tick is clear.’’
Deputy leader Geoff Simmons previously identified Morgan’s ‘‘lipstick on a pig’’ comment – referring to Ardern taking the leadership – as a turning point in the campaign where Top lost momentum.
Top is one of New Zealand’s shorter-lived parties, having survived just under two years. Morgan founded the party on a platform of using evidence-based policy to reduce wealth disparity.
The party, largely funded by Morgan, spent about $2.3 million on the 2017 election – more than Labour’s $1.6m.
The party received just 63,000 votes, which amounts to about $37 per vote.
Morgan was defiant on election night, not admitting any mistake in style or substance in his campaign, saying ‘‘I am what I am’’.
By February this year, a 1News/Colmar Brunton poll had Top at 1 per cent.
Gareth and Joanne Morgan set up the Morgan Foundation with the purpose of researching ways to reduce wealth disparity, and then economist Gareth Morgan bankrolled Top promising the same outcome.
Gareth Morgan said yesterday: ‘‘I’m proud of the policy manifesto we developed and have no doubt it was by far the strongest on offer to improve New Zealanders’ incomes, business productivity, social fairness and environmental sustainability. The legacy of that manifesto remains and to be frank was all that personally ever interested me.