‘So hacked off’: as election nears, New Zealanders despair at the main parties – and Opportunity knocks

‘Clinging to the old ways ain’t gonna cut it’ – small parties are cutting into Labour’s and National’s share of the New Zealand vote. Photograph: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

For decades, Mattie Wall mainly voted for Labour, one of New Zealand’s two major political parties. A former diplomat and project manager, the South Island-based retiree felt that the party with working class origins aligned with what was important to her: a thriving country, and the environment.

This year she is among the New Zealanders who are peeling away from the Labour and National parties – which swing in and out of power every few terms – to vote for an untested party that has never held a parliamentary seat.