Wong courts centre-right voters but signals Labour deal as Luxon holds firm
October 15, 2026
Summarised by Centrist
Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong is courting centre-right voters while acknowledging her party may end up negotiating with Labour, after Christopher Luxon again ruled out working with her.
The development adds a new dimension to TVNZ’s minor-party debate, which exposed coalition uncertainty and divisions over economic policy.
Political commentator Liam Hehir said Wong was “constantly pitching at centre-right voters”, including those dissatisfied with National and considering a tactical vote for a centrist party.
Opportunity's 8% support in the latest 1News Verian poll could make it decisive. The poll projected 58 seats for National, ACT and NZ First, three short of a majority, while Opportunity was projected to win 10.
But on Thursday morning, Wong acknowledged Luxon's refusal to negotiate could leave Labour as her only viable option.
“So that means it looks like we might be speaking to Labour, but ultimately we have got to see how the votes land,” Wong told Ryan Bridge Today.
She said she would call Luxon to give him one last chance to reconsider.
BNZ Business Breakfast presenter Mei Heron had earlier warned that Wong's flexibility could create uncertainty for businesses unsure which side Opportunity would support.
The debate also exposed divisions between existing coalition partners. ACT's David Seymour advocated freezing the minimum wage, while Winston Peters wanted increases aligned with inflation. The Greens proposed gradually lifting it to the living wage.
Luxon subsequently confirmed that ACT's proposed three-year wage freeze would not become government policy.
Infometrics chief economist Brad Olsen also questioned how quickly proposals to break up supermarkets and electricity companies could deliver results, warning that legislation might initially produce further studies rather than immediate reform.
Politicians were “very good at promising a lot”, Olsen said, but their ability to deliver quickly was “a whole lot more limited”.
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