Qiulae Wong has been a politician for less than a year, but the 38-year-old could hold the balance of power in New Zealand’s parliament after Saturday’s general election ended without a clear victor.
Preliminary results from the Electoral Commission give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s centre-right coalition a majority of just two seats. That slim margin could disappear once special votes, which typically favour the left, are released at the official count on 27 November. If it does, either a centre-right or a centre-left bloc would need the support of Wong’s centrist Opportunity Party, which looks likely to enter parliament for the first time. Its current vote share of 5.96% would give it seven seats in the 131-member parliament, and either Luxon’s National party or Labour, led by Chris Hipkins, is expected to try to form a coalition government in the coming days or weeks.
Wong, a former sustainable-business consultant, answered a job advertisement to head the decade-old party, taking over in November 2025. She quickly oversaw a rebrand and a dramatic rise in its popularity. “It might seem like we’ve just arrived, that this is an overnight success, but to many in this room, this result has been a long time coming,” she told cheering supporters in Auckland on Saturday night.
Opportunity’s flagship policies centre on tax: an annual universal basic income of NZ$19,400 (about $10,800) for most New Zealand residents, funded by a 1.75% annual land tax, alongside a simpler income tax system. A basic income for residents would be a first for a developed economy. Dozens of countries have land taxes, but they usually exclude primary residences — unlike Opportunity’s proposal.
Both National and Labour have ruled out adopting Opportunity’s tax policies, and Luxon has said dozens of times during campaigning that he would not enter into coalition with Opportunity. Wong has said she would look to negotiate with the party that secures the largest number of seats, and that it would be possible to find common ground with National or Labour. “There are different forms of us working with other parties, whether that’s coalition, confidence and supply, being on the crossbenches, and all of those options are on the table for us right now,” she told public broadcaster TVNZ on Saturday.
Her role as kingmaker is not yet certain: it depends on the special votes counted on 27 November. If Luxon’s two-seat margin survives, he may govern without her. If it does not, the woman who answered a job advertisement a year ago will decide who governs New Zealand.
Sources: Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/who-is-qiulae-wong-outsider-who-could-decide-new-zealands-next-government-2026-11-08/
