Mathew Phillips

Mathew is an electrical engineer, finance specialist, and young father working in Dunedin’s insurance sector.

Born into a Taranaki dairy farming family and experiencing hardship early in life, Mathew knows first-hand how vulnerable our families can be when the chips are down. 

Like many in his generation, he has watched cornerstones of the Kiwi dream – home ownership, starting a family, and financial security – slip further out of reach. He is committed to delivering practical reforms that address automation-driven job losses, reverse declining birth rates, and rebuild an economy where prosperity can once again be earned through sweat, not speculation.

Outside politics, Mathew trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has earned a purple belt in the martial art. This has helped develop discipline, resilience, and focus under pressure – virtues he strives to live by. 

He believes that true character is tested not in words, but through the challenges we face, the choices we make, and the people we surround ourselves with – iron sharpens iron.

Mathew joined Opportunity to champion courageous, evidence-based decisions that challenge the status quo. 

He stands for a government that restores genuine opportunity and gives Kiwis the freedom to shape their own future.