Qiulae Wong says New Zealand should help set AI standards

Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong says New Zealand should help set global rules for artificial intelligence, rather than sit back and watch.

She spoke to Midday Report host Guyon Espiner in an interview broadcast on 1 October, as part of RNZ's pre-election series with technology spokespeople on hopes and fears about AI and the Government's role in regulating it ahead of November's election RNZ.

Wong called for a risk-based approach. That means tighter controls where the potential harm is greatest. She pointed to the recent hacking of medical records in Australia as evidence of the risk. New Zealand needs stronger cybersecurity, she said, and all government agencies need the right tools and skills.

She said history shows technology can cause harm and bring benefits. AI can be damaging, she said, but it can also benefit Aotearoa and lift productivity. With the right regulatory framework, she said, it could help New Zealanders while protecting the environment.

Wong said New Zealand needs a clear framework for acceptable AI, based on clear international standards. She said the Law Commission, the independent body that advises on law reform, should look at human rights and AI, copyright, and the right to have a person review automated decisions.

She said the Government should take a lead on what good use of AI looks like. She described AI as a tool for innovation and productivity, not only for cutting costs. As part of that, she proposed rules for government procurement, the buying of goods and services, that would favour New Zealand suppliers of AI technology.

The party has proposed a new tax credit to help businesses adopt technology like AI, with $600m allocated in its breakthrough policy. Wong did not set out further detail on how it would work in the interview.

She said she uses AI herself for research and drafting, but a person always checks the work.

Wong is standing in Mount Albert, a seat long held by Labour. She has set out her wider platform elsewhere, including an Interest.co.nz interview on the party's land tax and retirement savings overhaul, plus KiwiMart, crypto tax breaks and AI Interest.co.nz. The party's official website says its 2026 election goals are to fix politics, build the next economy and restore nature. The Spinoff reported on 7 August 2026 that polling pointed to an Opportunity Party wave The Spinoff.

The broader context here is how a small party uses a technology portfolio to show it could govern. Procurement is the most practical step Wong named. A new minister could act without passing a law, and it speaks directly to local firms. Talk of aligning with international standards is common in Wellington, but it leaves open which standards, how they would apply here, and who would enforce them. Asking the Law Commission to consider copyright and automated decision-making would shift difficult questions into a slower, independent process. The $600m credit will face standard questions about who qualifies, whether firms would have acted anyway, and the cost to the Budget.