Christopher Luxon rules out working with Opportunity - but Opportunity says door is open
Monday, 27 July 2026
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has ruled out working with Opportunity after the election.
Opportunity has polled within a percentage point of the 5% threshold in three different public polls in recent weeks. If the party made it into Parliament on current polling its support would be needed for either the coalition or the Opposition parties to govern.
Part of the party’s platform is a stated desire to work with both sides of politics.
Luxon was asked at his post-Cabinet press conference about whether he could “coalesce” with Opportunity after the election by the party’s former comms chief Sean Plunket, who now runs online broadcaster The Platform.
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Luxon responded: “We wouldn’t want to be in business with people who want to increase taxes.”
Luxon was referring to Opportunity’s main policy - a land tax that would pay for a universal basic income.
Asked if that was a “rule out” he replied: “I mean, you know, we don't want to do business with parties that want to increase taxes.
A spokesperson for his office later clarified with The Post that that this was a full rule out - including any kind of confidence and supply agreement with the party.
Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong told The Post the door remained open to National.
“It represents the old politics - he’s just preaching that tribal left versus right. We’re here and we are ready to work with National or Labour, our door is open to them,” Wong said.
“The ruling out of people is emblematic of that old-school politics of the left and right spectrum, which I don’t think is helpful and doesn’t solve some of the big issues facing our country.”
Labour’s Kieran McAnulty accused the prime minister of accidentally ruling Opportunity out.
“I think he did it by accident, and then got flustered, and then he ran away. Who runs away from a press conference when they haven’t announced anything?,” McAnulty said.
He said Labour had not ruled the party out but would be clear soon on who it could and couldn’t work with.