The Opportunities Party (TOP) founder and former leader Gareth Morgan has announced his complete resignation from the party.
Mr Morgan started the party in 2016 to contest the 2017 election. TOP polled took 2.4 per cent of the party vote at the election.
Party leader Geoff Simmons today accepted the resignation of Mr Morgan from all roles, including the Policy Committee.
"The Opportunities Party is now truly a movement and will contest the 2020 election as a broad-based, member-led party," Mr Simmons said.
The Wellington economist was announced as new leader in August last year.
"We will always be grateful to Dr. Morgan for the initial momentum he provided. Achieving his vision of a fairer, cleaner and more prosperous New Zealand for all Kiwis was always going to require more than the drive of one person.
"Some early policies have now moved into the mainstream, largely due to Dr. Morgan’s influence, but there are plenty of thorny issues that need fresh, future thinking," Mr Simmons said.
New Zealand needed TOP at the parliamentary table "to address the larger, longer-term problems that most career politicians will not address", he said.
"We want to thank Dr. Morgan for his foresight in creating the party and will honour his legacy by discarding irrelevant, outdated notions of political ideology and focusing on not left, not right - just doing what works."
His no-nonsense style and innovative, well-researched policy attracted followers from all ages, a statement from the party says.
The party lists about 4,200 core members and has more than 30,000 followers on social media.
"It seems that politics is too similar to herding cats for his liking, and he [Mr Morgan] can’t wait to sink his claws into his many other interests," the statement says.
Mr Morgan's ideas about ridding New Zealand of domestic cats caused controversy, including a targeted tweet at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's cat .
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