TOP leader Gareth Morgan draws large crowd in Rotorua

"Do you really care?" was the question posed to a large crowd in Rotorua when TOP - The Opportunities Party - leader Gareth Morgan came to town to pitch his some of "radical" policies in the lead-up to September's election.

Last night, more than 300 people, one of the largest crowds seen by the Rotorua Daily Post at a political event in recent years, listened to Mr Morgan speak on everything from cannabis law reform and immigration to a fairer tax system and the Treaty of Waitangi at the Novotel Rotorua Lakeside.

Mr Morgan asked the crowd "do you really care?" about all New Zealanders at the start of his presentation before speaking about some of his party's 13 policies and taking questions from the floor.

He told the diverse crowd New Zealand had some of the worst suicide rates in the developed world, a broken mental health system, a tax regime that suited the wealthy and unfairly taxed low to middle income earners and that house prices had grown so much they were now out of reach for most young New Zealanders.

"Our policies are all tax neutral...and we can cut tax rates on income by about a third for everyone...it's about wealth redistribution."

He said the country's immigration policies were "corrupt" and were bringing into the country cheap, predominantly unskilled, labour that kept wages low and were "crushing" wages for New Zealanders.

Mr Morgan said his party wanted to put together a New Zealand constitution with the Treaty of Waitangi at its core.

"There are two societies that signed a treaty and it allowed both those societies to fulfil their aspirations and have a duty of care to each other and share this land ... but that's been forgotten for 150 years or so," he said.

A Rotorua senior citizen, who did not want to be named, said she had been a long time National Party supporter but had become disillusioned and disappointed by the party in recent years.

She said she had looked at voting for other parties, in particular Labour and NZ First, but did not like many of their policies.

"I wanted to hear what Mr Morgan had to say, just out of interest. I had seen him on television and liked some of the things he was talking about.

"I agree with him that politics in New Zealand is heading in the wrong direction and there seems to be more and more greed creeping into our society."

Rotorua businessman Hemi Bennett said TOP's policies around a New Zealand constitution based on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, cannabis law reform and employment resonated with him.

"He's got my vote.

"His thoughts about the Treaty as our founding document and should be part of our new constitution were right.

"The reason I went is that I wanted to hear from him in person.

"My party vote was going to go to Winston [Peters], but he's lost that now. I'd rather have a radical guy who actually cares about New Zealand.

"He's a change and unemployment is not a future for me and my son.

"He has resonated with Maori already and I think he's a pioneer who thinks outside the square and is a top bloke," Mr Bennett said.