'Shit, we did it!': Inside Opportunity's history-making night

Qiulae Wong could be seen wandering the room, clutching a glass of champagne.

In the final minutes before vote counting began, Opportunity deputy leader Daniel Eb was leaning against a balcony railing and staring out over the 50,000 empty seats in Eden Park. 

The World Cup Lounge in the national stadium was a symbolic choice of venue for an election night party. “History’s been made at this hallowed ground many times. We’re hoping it’s going to be made at this hallowed ground again,” he told The Spinoff.

In the 30-year history of MMP, no new party has been elected to parliament except in instances where sitting MPs left existing parties. In a few minutes, Eb would know whether his party would break that streak. “There are a lot of butterflies in the puku, I’m feeling all the emotions,” he said. 

The crowd inside slammed the cash bar and demolished the charcuterie board before the night had barely begun. They were dressed much like trendy corporate types at a networking event, wearing teal blazers with Allbirds and aqua jumpsuits with stilettos. The atmosphere was enthusiastic and optimistic, with just a wee hint of nerves. 

When Eb took to the stage to hype up the crowd and set out the schedule of the night ahead, he paused halfway through to note: “I’m Daniel Eb, by the way. Deputy leader.” It was a reminder of just how new this team was; a party that had reinvented itself after being left for dead. 

The Opportunity Party was founded in 2016 by economist Gareth Morgan, who poured more than $2 million of his own money into trying to get the evidence-based centrist party elected to parliament. They managed 2.4% in 2017, 1.5% in 2020 and 2.2% in 2023 but never close to the 5% threshold. After 10 years and millions of dollars spent, the total electoral success of the party amounted to one seat on the Featherston Community Board. 

Then at 7pm on Saturday, that all changed. When TVNZ flashed the initial results on screen, it showed Opportunity at 5.4%. The crowd cheered with jubilation and relief. It wasn't as high as some polls had suggested, but it was enough. The number continued to tick higher throughout the night and now sits at 5.97%, entitling them to 7 MPs in parliament. 

As the reality of their success set in, excitement bubbled in the room. At one point the DJ played ‘Don't Dream It’s Over’ by Crowded House but quickly switched to a more upbeat house track. Outside on the turf a kapa haka group rehearsed a performance, unrelated to the party event. 

The crowd anxiously awaited the arrival of their electoral saviour, Qiulae Wong. A year ago, she was a little-known business consultant. Then she applied for the job of party leader, which was advertised on Seek. Now she’s heading to parliament and could hold the balance of power when all the votes are counted. 

Eb gave the audience regular updates about Wong’s movements, at one point telling them “she’s just getting tarted up”. He directed them to form a guard of honour to greet her. When Wong arrived at 8:45pm the attempted guard of honour quickly fell apart. Camera operators and supporters holding out phones rushed to fill the empty space, forcing Wong to divert through a maze of chairs and tables, stopping for a few long hugs before finally making her way on stage. 

“Shit, we did it!” Wong screamed, shaking her fists excitedly as she began her speech. “I’m just trying really hard not to swear, to be honest”. 

“It is looking very likely that after a decade, the Opportunity party is going to make history tonight. You have voted for unity over division, you have voted to change New Zealand politics for good,” she said. 

“To some of you watching, it might seem like we’ve just arrived, that it has been an overnight success. But to many in this room, this result has been a long time coming.”

She gave props to the leaders who had come before her: Gareth Morgan, Geoff Simmons and Raf Manji. Simmons was in the audience but ducked out early, avoiding media questions.

There was an especially loud cheer when she gave a tautoko to Jessica Hammond, the only Opportunity candidate who ran in all four elections. “What a privilege it is to have someone on our team with such dogged determination and a belief that New Zealand can do better,” she said. 

The party’s general manager Ian Lees-Galloway, a former Labour minister, helped to recruit Wong and was at her side for much of the campaign as she navigated her first election – though he told The Spinoff she didn’t need much coaching. 

“She is full of all the talents, expertise and attributes of a very successful politician. She’s a very effective communicator, she has the intellect to understand good policy development, and most importantly for us, she has empathy, so she can relate to people that she is speaking with in the moment. All of those attributes were already there, I suppose I just brought the experience of how you apply those attributes in a political context,” he said. 

After her speech, Wong wandered the room clutching a glass of champagne and chatting with supporters. Overwhelmingly, the thing they wanted to express was gratitude. They were grateful that after a decade wandering the desert of wasted votes they finally found someone who could lead them to the promised land of parliament.

The question of what role Opportunity will play in parliament remains unanswered. Will they be the kingmakers? If so, which side will they choose? During the campaign, Wong said she would speak first with the party that won the most seats, which is all but confirmed to be National. But speaking to someone first is a long way from signing a coalition agreement with them. 

Much has been made of the party’s unique structure, which could potentially give unelected board members the ability to veto a governing deal. Alan Wilderland, a board member and the party’s largest donor, told The Spinoff he wasn’t planning to play a large role.

“I strongly believe that the team, and Qiulae especially, are really well-equipped and empowered to stick to our values, stick to our bottom lines and do whatever we can to get the best result for our way of doing things," Wilderland said.

“Look, being in parliament is enough for me,” he said. “If we are the kingmakers, that’s just a bonus.” Most of the party faithful at Eden Park on Saturday would have felt the same way.