Opportunity Party’s election – a victory for mainstream media!
Media Release 14 November 2026
Right to Life believes that the mainstream media should be congratulating itself on being instrumental in manipulating the election news coverage to provide a stunning unprecedented election victory to the Opportunity Party, with the election of their 7 list MPs at the 2026 parliamentary general election.
Right to Life agrees with the Opportunity Party, which states in its second bottom line that New Zealanders are losing trust in politics. Without that trust, we cannot achieve the lasting change Kiwis expect. To ensure the integrity of our democracy, this bottom line requires a mandatory register and code of conduct for lobbyists, and a cap on donations per donor, from registered voters only.
Right to Life asks the Opportunity Party if they will now request a parliamentary enquiry to investigate the bias and alleged lobbying of the mainstream media during the 2026 Parliamentary election campaign, with its zealous publication of news items from the Opportunity Party, and its deliberate suppression of news from other minor parties such as the Conservative Party.
Right to Life agrees with the views of Chris Lynch, a highly respected political commentator. In a video published on 25 October 2026 titled "Opportunity is a Media Fabrication", Chris Lynch argued that Radio New Zealand (RNZ) gave "incessant" promotion to the Opportunity Party. He characterized this coverage as "artificial propaganda" and "synthetic fabrication" aimed at boosting the party into Parliament.
It is reported that the mainstream media published 271 news items promoting the Opportunity Party, and the media mentioned the Party on 724 occasions.
It is also reported that the Conservative Party issued 20 media releases during the election campaign which were completely ignored by the mainstream media.
The Opportunity Party increased its public support to be in Parliament, with the considerable assistance of the mainstream media, measured by five polls ranging from 0.7% to 2.5% in January 2026, to 4.8% to 8% in October 2026.The Conservative Party, ignored by the media, received only 0.07% of the party vote.
Key Stances and Policy Positions
The media have a duty to scrutinise party policies and to assist the public to understand party manifestos. The controversial policies of the Opportunity Party remain unknown to the majority of the community.
The Party is opposed to the 'Definitions of Woman and Man' Bill. In an official submission on New Zealand First’s Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill, The Opportunity Party argued the bill is "pointless, unscientific and unworkable". The party stated that the proposed biological definitions would conflict with existing protections under the Human Rights Act and undermine the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021, which allows Kiwis to update their registered sex.
God created men and women. The Party will not accept the scientific truth that a woman is a biological female human being. The Opportunity Party believes that men have a right to change their sex and identify as women, to invade women’s privacy in toilets, changing rooms and to participate in women’s sport. The Party supports the war against women and refuses to accept that the unborn child is a human being endowed with a right to life. It supports the right of women to kill their children in the womb, effectively for any reason, up to birth.
Right to Life believes that we must ensure that the mainstream media is not permitted in the future to exert its considerable power in influencing who shall be elected to our Parliament.
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life New Zealand Inc.
