ZB ZB
Live now
Start time
Playing for
End time
Listen live
Listen to NAME OF STATION
Up next
Listen live on
ZB

Gareth Morgan's Opportunities Party officially registered

Author
Nicholas Jones, NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Wed, 8 Mar 2017, 3:24PM
Gareth Morgan announcing the formation of The Opportunities Party. New Zealand Herald photograph by Mark Mitchell.
Gareth Morgan announcing the formation of The Opportunities Party. New Zealand Herald photograph by Mark Mitchell.

Gareth Morgan's Opportunities Party officially registered

Author
Nicholas Jones, NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Wed, 8 Mar 2017, 3:24PM

Gareth Morgan's new political party has been officially registered by the Electoral Commission.

Morgan launched The Opportunities Party (Top) last year and after signing up more than 2000 financial members applied for registration in January.

Top stood Geoff Simmons in the Mt Albert byelection last month, and he recorded 600 votes - 4.6 per cent of the total.

Simmons, an economist who worked for the Morgan Foundation and is now Top's chief of staff, declared the party happy with that result, given its target was 5 per cent.

The party has been holding events around the country to select candidates for its list.

Top will need to get at least 5 per cent of the party vote in the general election on September 23 to enter Parliament without winning an electorate.

At the 2014 election, Craig's Conservative Party received 95,598 votes and still fell short at just under 4 per cent of the party vote.

A trained economist, Morgan amassed a fortune after selling his economic forecasting firm Infometrics in the late 1990s, later set up Gareth Morgan Investments, and received a windfall after a $75,000 investment in Trade Me, set up by his son Sam, turned into $47 million.

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you