Election 2026: Opportunity Party reveals policies on land tax, universal basic income and KiwiSaver reform

Friday, 8 May 2026

The Opportunity Party has revealed the full details on how it would reform the way New Zealanders are taxed if it got into Government following this year’s election.

Opportunity is running its fourth election campaign, and had made it clear in recent months it would be advocating for changes such as a universal basic income and land taxes.

Today it released the full details of those policies which includes giving every adult $19,400 tax-free each year, a land value tax of 1.75% in urban areas and 0.5% in rural areas, and the introduction of a new KiwiSaver scheme which would take 12% of gross earnings each year (6% employer, 6% employee).

Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong told The Post the suite of policies were being pitched in reaction to the country’s economic system “reaching its limits”.

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Citizen Income

The “Citizen Income” would be a universal payment provided to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents aged 18 or over, totalling $19,400 a year paid fortnightly into peoples’ bank accounts.

It would replace the Government’s current jobseeker benefit and the student allowance, however the party would still offer childhood, housing, disability and superannuation support.

Each type of payment (excluding the universal income) would gradually reduce by 10 cents for every extra dollar earned, starting from household income between $50,000 and $75,000.

The party would also change the tax brackets with those on $50,000 per annum getting taxed 28%, a 34% tax take for those earning between $50,001 and $200,000 and 39% for income of $200,001 and over.

Wong said it would simplify the welfare system, and provide a large tax cut for working people.

“This will be, we think the biggest tax cut to working New Zealanders ever or at least in a few decades.”

Land value tax

Opportunity would introduce a land value tax of 1.75% in urban areas and 0.5% in rural areas.

It would offer tax exemptions for communally owned Māori land, conservation land, social housing, treaty settlement land, central and local government land and land owned by clubs, societies, and non-commercial religious organisations.

Superannuitants and farmers would be able to defer having their land taxed until the property was sold.

The party estimated the tax would generate $24 billion for the Government coffers annually.

Wong said it would make houses more affordable, which would be challenging for some, she noted.

“I am one of those people, I bought my house in 2020 in one of those Covid peaks and I don’t particularly want to see equity drop in my home but at the same time I don’t really want my kids to be having to pay 10 to 15 times their income for a house by the time they are in the workforce.”

KiwiSaver reform

The third major policy was “KiwiSaver 2.0”, a completely separate system to New Zealand’s current KiwiSaver scheme which would stay in place for those that wanted to use it.

Opportunity’s KiwiSaver would be phased in over eight years and have annual contributions from wages of 12% (6% employer, 6% employee) and would be tax-free.

Unlike the current scheme, people would not be able to withdraw for hardship or first-home deposits but people would be able to borrow against its balance.

People could move money from their KiwiSaver to the new scheme.

Wong said it would be similar to the system Australia has and could open up the ability to means test superannuation, but she said that would likely happen in 20 years time.

“If we don’t start doing this now and create this compulsory savings scheme we don’t have any other way to manage that increase in cost of super in the future.”

Could any of these policies happen?

Given Opportunity had campaigned on policies such as a universal basic income and a land value tax in the past, The Post asked Wong why people would vote for it this time.

Wong believed the time was right for these policies.

“We have not really had any major changes to things like benefits and to super for decades now and the world is changing.

“We have new technologies like AI, we have new challenges like climate change and it does not feel like our economic system is well equipped to prepare us for that.”

She said the land tax and KiwiSaver policies could be implemented on their own, but believed all three policies would work better together.

The party leader said the changes would likely be brought in over a decade if implemented.

In the latest 1News Verian Poll, Opportunity was polling at 3% ‒ two points shy of what it would need to get into Parliament.