Sam Plummer didn’t feel like he was being represented in Parliament so now he’s doing something about it.

Taupō small business owner Sam Plummer is the candiodate for the Opportunity party in the upcoming general election. Photo: Supplied

Sam is the Taupō Electorate candidate for the Opportunity Party and while he has always had an interest in politics, this is his first foray into the big time.

Born in Hawke's Bay and raised on a farm, he studied psychology and political science before moving into HR and organisational development in the public and private sectors.

A VSA volunteer stint in Cambodia turned into 15 years, during which he worked on international development projects for organisations including the United Nations and the World Bank.

He returned to Taupō seven years ago with his family and now owns and operates Green Cleaning Services in Taupō.

He says frustration with how Parliament operates motivated him to call the party about four years ago.

"The reason I got into politics was because of that divisive politics type thing.

“I just didn't feel that I was being represented. I didn't hear my voice in Parliament."

It was during his time overseas that Sam first came across the Opportunity Party — then known as TOP — and its focus on evidence-based policy.

"Evidence-based policy made my ears prick up. Overseas, the projects I worked on, it was all about evidence. You had to have a good theory of change beforehand. You had to monitor the whole way through. You had to be able to prove that you had made a difference."

The party, which has rebranded from TOP to Opportunity, is fielding 43 candidates nationwide and is focused primarily on winning the party vote and clearing the 5% threshold required for parliamentary representation under New Zealand's MMP system.

The Opportunity Party hit an all-time high of 4.6% in the latest 1News/Verian poll last week, putting it within striking distance of the 5 percent needed to make it into the House.

Sam says there was a few excited texts from supporters on his phone when that news landed.

The party avoids aligning itself with either the left or right bloc.

"We're not left or right... we are looking at different policies and we're happy to work with whoever will work with us on any particular policy area."

The centrepiece of the party's platform is what it calls a ‘tax reset’ — a three-part policy that includes Citizens Income, a land value tax, and increased KiwiSaver contributions.

Every adult aged 18 and over would receive $NZD19,400 per year as a guaranteed Citizens Income, replacing existing benefits such as student allowances and superannuation over a long-term transition period, with top-ups to ensure no one is worse off.

The Citizens Income is funded through a land value tax of 1.75% on urban land and 0.5% on rural land.

"We haven't reformed our tax system since about the '80s," Plummer says.

Plummer acknowledges the land value tax is a tough sell at events like the National Fieldays, which he attended recently as part of his campaign outreach.

"If all they hear is land value tax, then you've lost them."

His campaign has included launch events in Taupō and Cambridge, door knocking, phone calls, and community group meetings.

Plummer is relatively new to politics but appreciates the challenges.

"Very quickly I've learned you end up in an echo chamber," he says, pointing to how social media algorithms tailor content toward what a user already engages with.

"As far as I'm concerned, everyone I talk to supports Opportunity."

While he would love to enter Parliament as an MP, his goal is to boost party votes for the party.