The Opportunity Party has unveiled its party list for the election, with 40 candidates all contesting electorate seats. Leader Qiulae Wong announced the lineup at the WQ Hotel in Wellington on 30 July, RNZ reported (RNZ).

Wong, an Auckland businesswoman standing in Mt Albert, said the team were standing because they expected "better than the current political parties are delivering." The party's website frames its election pitch around three pillars: to "fix politics, build the next economy and restore nature."

The party sits in a familiar position for minor parties under MMP. The latest RNZ-Reid Research poll put The Opportunity Party at 4.7 percent, just under the 5 percent threshold required to enter Parliament without winning an electorate seat. Clearing 5 percent would net the party six MPs.

Wong leads the list. Deputy leader Daniel Eb, ranked second, is standing in Kaipara ki Mahurangi. Eb founded an "open farm day" initiative and handles the party's communications.

Jessica Hammond, ranked third, is standing for Wellington North. She has been a candidate for The Opportunity Party in every election it has contested and works in policy.

Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb is ranked fourth and standing for Wellington Bays. She is the former chief executive of WWF New Zealand and a former Department of Conservation policy director with expertise in Treaty law and resource management. RNZ published a photograph of Dr Kingdon-Bebb credited to Cole Eastham-Farrelly.

Eden Skipper, ranked fifth, is standing in Christchurch Central. Skipper is a Ngāi Tahu leader who has researched "alternative economic futures."

Jodie Kuntzsch, ranked sixth, is standing in Nelson. She led the establishment of Moananui and has 20 years' experience in the seafood industry.

Further down the list, Sarah Lucas is contesting New Plymouth. Lucas is an Inglewood small business owner who runs Be Natural Soap.

The 40-electorate figure represents a narrowing from the party's own earlier communications. Its official Facebook account stated on 30 June that 43 candidates were standing, describing that number as a record for the party. The revised figure of 40 was reported by RNZ on 30 July. Whether the reduction reflects candidate withdrawals or a recounting of the total is not specified in the available reporting.

The Opportunity Party is a rebrand of The Opportunities Party, as noted by the New Zealand Herald on 29 July. The party has previously contested elections under its original name.

Looking at what this means for the parliamentary arithmetic: a party polling at 4.7 percent with no electorate seat is the classic MMP near-miss scenario. The 0.3-point gap between TOP's current polling and the threshold is within the margin of error for most public polls, meaning the party's parliamentary fate could turn on a small shift in either direction. Six MPs would give TOP meaningful negotiating weight in a coalition or confidence-and-supply arrangement, particularly if the next Parliament produces a tight result where every vote matters.

The list itself signals where the party sees its political identity. The top six candidates span environmental policy, Treaty law, resource management, Māori economic futures, and the seafood sector. That mix positions TOP as a party focused on environmental and economic transition, consistent with the "build the next economy and restore nature" framing on its website. Kingdon-Bebb's DOC and WWF credentials and Skipper's Ngāi Tahu leadership and economic futures research give the party's front bench depth in areas that intersect with current resource management reform debates.

The decision to stand candidates in 40 electorates is a deliberate signal of national ambition. Minor parties often concentrate resources in a handful of winnable or strategically significant seats. Contesting 40 electorates spreads the party's visibility across the country but also stretches organisational capacity, particularly for a party that has not previously held parliamentary representation.

For those tracking the minor-party field, the coming weeks will test whether TOP can convert its polling proximity to the threshold into a sustained lift above 5 percent. The party's list is now public, its candidates are named, and the gap between where it stands and where it needs to be is narrow enough to be contested.