Alexia Russell

Hi, Alexia Russell here from The Detail.

Last week I spoke to RNZ's Guyon Espiner about how the election was tracking, including Labour's coalition plans, and he had an interesting take on a party that we don't talk about much.

What is their strategy with the Opportunities Party, or TOP, as they were known?

Because I think they're the little sort of dark horse blipping out on the radar there.

Polls are showing them close to 3%.

Kule Wong is the candidate in Mount Albert, which...

If they won that seat, it would mean they wouldn't have to breach the 5% threshold.

Whose interests is that in?

Maybe Labour's, if Winston Peters is absolutely definitive about not going with Labour.

How does Labour have a path to victory that doesn't scare people off?

So today I'm talking to the Opportunity Party's leader, Kiu-Le Wong, about what the party stands for, who it appeals to, and how it feels to be the non-scary blue-green alternative.

I'll also talk to the former leader of the United Future Party, Peter Dunn, who had a lock on what became the Ohariu seat for 33 years, the last 21 of them as his party's sole MP.

He's perhaps the definition of a successful minor party and has some understanding of the enormous challenges that lie ahead for the Opportunity Party.

The Opportunities Party, with an S, was launched by economist and philanthropist Gareth Morgan in 2016.

But it was sort of sunk by his notorious stance on cats.

Cats do not feature in this iteration of the Opportunity Party, now without the S, relaunched in November last year.

The uphill battle for votes is something Kiwilei Wong is well aware of.

But the party's been encouraged by polling at 3.3% support in the latest One News variant poll.

Do you feel you have to disassociate yourself from Gareth Morgan and the cats debacle?

But I have to ask you about the cat problem.