The Opportunities Party
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The Opportunities Party
The Opportunities Party (usually referred to as TOP) is a centrist political party based in New Zealand. It was founded in 2016 by economist and philanthropist Gareth Morgan and is today led by Raf Manji. The party is based upon an idea of "evidence-based policy", with policy priorities of "Universal Basic Income (UBI)", "Affordable Housing and Rent", "Smart Small Business", and "Climate Friendly Recovery". The party received 2.4% of the party vote in the 2017 general election, after which Morgan left the party. It received 1.5% of the party vote in the 2020 general election. The party won elected office for the first time in the 2022 New Zealand local elections, with one member elected to the Featherston Community Board in the South Wairarapa District. Policies and principles TOP lists its policies on its website. For the upcoming 2023 New Zealand general election, these include: $6.35 billion in tax cuts, paired with a restructuring of the current tax bracket system which ...
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Geoff Simmons
Geoffrey Leonard Simmons (born 27 December 1974) is an economist and former leader of The Opportunities Party (TOP), a political party in New Zealand. He stood for TOP in the February 2017 Mount Albert by-election, in the Wellington Central electorate in the 2017 general election, and in the Rongotai electorate in the 2020 general election. Early life Simmons grew up in Ōkaihau (Far North) and West Auckland, the son of two teachers. He graduated in economics from the University of Auckland. He worked as an economic analyst for the New Zealand Treasury from 1999 to 2003. He worked as an economic advisor for the UK Home Office in 2003–05 and then for the East Midlands Development Agency in 2005–08. He was the general manager and an economist for the Morgan Foundation (founded by Gareth Morgan) in Wellington from 2009 to 2016. He has co-authored four books with Morgan, on health (''Health Cheque: The Truth We Should All Know about New Zealand's Public Health System''), ...
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Raf Manji
Raf Alfred Manji (born ) is a New Zealand politician, with a background in governance, finance and social enterprise. He is currently leader of The Opportunities Party (TOP). Early life Manji was born in London to an Indian Muslim father and Irish Catholic mother and educated at the University of Manchester, graduating with a degree in economics and social studies. He worked as an investment banker, before migrating to New Zealand in 2002. He worked for non-profits and volunteering before becoming involved in the Volunteer Army Foundation. Political career Manji was elected to the Christchurch City Council in the Fendalton-Waimairi ward in 2013 after being encouraged to run by mayor Lianne Dalziel. He quickly became Dalziel's right-hand man on finance issues, acting as serving as deputy chair on financial committees and helping to manage the post-earthquake rebuild. He was re-elected in the Waimairi Ward in 2016. Manji contested the seat of Ilam, which had been a safe seat fo ...
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Written Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these principles are written down into a single document or set of legal documents, those documents may be said to embody a ''written constitution''; if they are encompassed in a single comprehensive document, it is said to embody a ''codified constitution''. The Constitution of the United Kingdom is a notable example of an ''uncodified constitution''; it is instead written in numerous fundamental Acts of a legislature, court cases or treaties. Constitutions concern different levels of organizations, from sovereign countries to companies and unincorporated associations. A treaty which establishes an international organization is also its constitution, in that it would define how that organization is constituted. Within states, a constitution defines ...
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Stuff
Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to: *Physical matter *General, unspecific things, or entities Arts, media, and entertainment Books *''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly *''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jeremy Strong Fictional character *A flying creature in the video game '' Kya: Dark Lineage'' Film *'' The Stuff'', a 1985 horror/comedy film by Larry Cohen * ''Stuff'' (film), a 1993 documentary about John Frusciante's life Illustration * Henry Wright (1849–1937), worked for ''Vanity Fair'' under the pseudonym "Stuff" Music * ''Stuff'' (Holly McNarland album), 1997 * Stuff (band), a 1970s-1980s fusion/rhythm and blues music group ** ''Stuff'' (Stuff album) *''Stuff'', a 1992 album by Bill Wyman * "Stuff" (song), a 2000 single by Diamond Rio from the album ''One More Day'' * ''Stuff'' (Eleanor McEvoy album), 2014 * ''Stuffed'' (album), by Mother Goose Television * "Stuff" (''How I Met Your Mother''), a 2007 episode from the sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' *'' ...
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Lipstick On A Pig
The phrase to put "lipstick on a pig" means making superficial or cosmetic changes to a product in a futile effort to disguise its fundamental failings. There are many phrases using pigs, or swine, dating back to biblical times. This phrase seems to have been coined in the 20th century but did not become a common phrase until the 21st century and is often used in politics.   Etymology Pigs have long been featured in proverbial expressions: a "pig's ear", a "pig in a poke", as well as the Biblical expressions "pearls before swine" and "ring of gold in a swine's snout". Indeed, whereas the phrase "lipstick on a pig" seems to have been coined in the 20th century, the concept of the phrase may not be particularly recent. The similar expression, "You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear" seems to have been in use by the middle of the 16th century or earlier. Thomas Fuller, the British physician, noted the use of the phrase "A hog in armour is still but a hog" in 1732, here, as th ...
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Jacinda Ardern
Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Mount Albert since 2017. Born in Hamilton, Ardern grew up in Morrinsville and Murupara. She joined the Labour Party at the age of 17. After graduating from the University of Waikato in 2001, Ardern worked as a researcher in the office of Prime Minister Helen Clark. She later worked in London as an adviser in the Cabinet Office. In 2008, Ardern was elected president of the International Union of Socialist Youth. Ardern was first elected as an MP in the 2008 general election, when Labour lost power after nine years. She was later elected to represent the Mount Albert electorate in a by-election on 25 February 2017. Ardern was unanimously elected as deputy leader of the Labour Party on 1 March 2017, after the resig ...
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TVNZ
, type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands , founded = , owner = Minister of Finance (50%) Minister of Broadcasting (50%) , key_people = Simon Power (CEO) , homepage = , divisions = , products = Television , subsid = Former TV stations , revenue = (2019) , net_income = (2019) , assets = 43.2% (2019) , predecessor = Television New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki o Aotearoa), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a television network that is broadcast throughout New Zealand and parts of the Pacific region. All of its currently-operating channels are free-to-air and commercially funded. TVNZ was established in February 1980 following the merger of the two government-owned television networks, Television One (now TVNZ 1) and South Pacific Television ...
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Party Lists In The 2017 New Zealand General Election
The 2017 New Zealand general election was held on Saturday, 23 September 2017, to determine the membership of the 52nd New Zealand Parliament. Parliament has 120 seats, and 71 were filled by electorate MPs, with the remaining 49 from ranked party lists. Writ day, i.e. the day when the Governor-General issues a formal direction to the Electoral Commission to hold the election, was set for Wednesday, 23 August 2017. As stipulated in section 127 of the Electoral Act 1993, the writ will set a date by which registered parties must submit a "list of candidates for election to the seats reserved for those members of Parliament elected from lists". Party lists must have been submitted by Monday, 28 August, at noon. On Wednesday, 30 August, the Electoral Commission released details of candidates for election, party lists, and the polling places. This page lists candidates by party, including their ranking on a list. Incumbent parliamentary parties ACT Party ACT New Zealand released i ...
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Green Party Of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand ( mi, Rōpū Kākāriki o Aotearoa, Niu Tireni), commonly known as the Greens, is a green and left-wing political party in New Zealand. Like many green parties around the world, it has four organisational pillars ( ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, and nonviolence). The party's ideology combines environmentalism with left-wing and social-democratic economic policies, including well-funded and locally controlled public services within the confines of a steady-state economy. Internationally, it is affiliated with the Global Greens. The Green Party traces its origins to the Values Party, founded in 1972 as the world's first national-level environmentalist party. The current Green Party was formed in 1990. From 1991 to 1997 the party participated in the Alliance, a grouping of five left-wing parties. It gained representation in parliament at the 1996 election. Historically, the Green Party had two co-leaders, one mal ...
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Electoral Commission (New Zealand)
The Electoral Commission ( mi, Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri) is an independent Crown entity set up by the New Zealand Parliament. It is responsible for the administration of parliamentary elections and referendums, promoting compliance with electoral laws, servicing the work of the Representation Commission, and the provision of advice, reports and public education on electoral matters. The commission also assists electoral agencies of other countries on a reciprocal basis with their electoral events. Objective of the Electoral Commission The Electoral Act 1993 defines the objective of the Electoral Commission as "to administer the electoral system impartially, efficiently, effectively, and in a way that – # Facilitates participation in parliamentary democracy; and # Promotes understanding of the electoral system; and # Maintains confidence in the administration of the electoral system". Functions of the Electoral Commission The functions of the Electoral Commission are de ...
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David Seymour (New Zealand Politician)
David Breen Seymour (born 24 June 1983) is a New Zealand politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Epsom and Leader of ACT New Zealand since 2014. A graduate of the University of Auckland, Seymour worked in public policy in Canada, before returning to New Zealand and contesting for election to Parliament. He entered the House of Representatives in as ACT's sole MP, after which he was elected as party leader, replacing Jamie Whyte. He was re-elected in . He led ACT to its best-ever result in the , winning ten seats. Seymour has embraced libertarian social policies since becoming party leader, such as supporting the legalisation of euthanasia, and introduced a bill on this issue. Seymour has appeared extensively on television (including a dance contest, ''Dancing With the Stars'') during his leadership. Early life Seymour went to the Auckland Grammar School, and the University of Auckland where he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical & Electroni ...
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2017 Mount Albert By-election
The 2017 Mount Albert by-election was a New Zealand by-election held in the electorate on 25 February 2017 during the 51st New Zealand Parliament. The seat was vacated following the resignation of David Shearer, a former Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. The by-election was avoided by all right and centre-right parties, and turnout was low. The electorate was won by Labour Party list MP Jacinda Ardern by a large margin. Another Labour member, Raymond Huo, filled Ardern's list seat. Background The Mount Albert electorate includes the communities of Point Chevalier, Owairaka, Mount Albert, part of Sandringham, Kingsland, and is home to Eden Park. As a result of boundary changes in 2014, the electorate gained the suburbs of Grey Lynn and Westmere, but lost Waterview and the areas alongside Rosebank Road to the Kelston electorate. Mount Albert (known as Owairaka from 1996 to 1999) was held between 1981 and 2009 by Helen Clark, ending with her retirement from parl ...
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