The Opportunity Party has released its list of 40 candidates for the election. Leader Qiulae Wong announced the lineup at the WQ Hotel in Wellington on 30 July, RNZ reported.

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 says it wants to "fix politics, build the next economy and restore nature."

Under New Zealand's voting system, called MMP, a party needs to win at least one electorate seat or get 5 percent of the total party vote across the country to get into Parliament. The latest RNZ-Reid Research poll put The Opportunity Party at 4.7 percent. That is just short of the 5 percent mark. If the party clears it, it would get 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 is lower than what the party had earlier said. Its official Facebook account stated on 30 June that 43 candidates were standing, calling that number a record for the party. The revised figure of 40 was reported by RNZ on 30 July. Whether the drop is because candidates withdrew or because the party simply recounted 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.

What this means in practice is that the party is in a tricky spot. It is close to getting into Parliament but not quite there. The 0.3-point gap between its polling and the 5 percent threshold is small enough that it could fall within the margin of error of most public polls. That means a small shift in either direction could decide whether the party makes it in or misses out. Six MPs would give the party real influence in coalition negotiations, especially if the next Parliament is tight and every vote counts.

The candidates the party has put forward also tell a story about what it stands for. The top six have backgrounds in environmental policy, Treaty law, Māori economic futures, and the seafood industry. That points to a party focused on the environment and on changing how the economy works. Kingdon-Bebb's experience at DOC and WWF, and Skipper's Ngāi Tahu leadership and economic research, give the party depth in areas connected to current debates about resource management reform.

Standing candidates in 40 electorates signals national ambition. Minor parties often focus their resources on a few seats they have a chance of winning. Running in 40 spreads the party's profile across the country but also stretches its resources, particularly for a party that has never held seats in Parliament.

The coming weeks will test whether the party can lift its polling above 5 percent and keep it there. The list is public, the candidates are named, and the gap between where the party stands and where it needs to be is narrow enough to be contested.