Election 2026 Campaign Diary: Focus turns to your hip pocket

No ridiculous questions in leaders’ debate

I’m not going to get into unseemly comparisons between the performances of hosts of political leaders’ debates, other than to say they have all been more than competent.

We’ve seen Ryan Bridge twice, Jack Tame, Tova O’Brien, Paddy Gower and Luke Malpass, Andrea Vance and Jenna Lynch.

Ryan Bridge (from left), Jack Tame, Paddy Gower and Tova O’Brien all hosted leaders’ debates.

We’ve also had some great after-match panels featuring people such as the Herald’s own Thomas Coughlan and Katie Bradford, Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan, Toby Manhire, Matthew Hooton, Trish Sherson and Josie Pagani.

There may have been the rare frivolous question. Who cares if Winston Peters likes David Seymour or not? But none has been ridiculous, despite Christopher Luxon’s response to Gower asking if he would resign rather than call the Opportunity Party on November 8.

All parliamentary parties and Opportunity have had the chance to appear three times in national televised debates. That is probably about enough. It is a pity they didn’t start a little later, however, because to have no national debates in the last two weeks of the campaign is decidedly odd.

Just one suggestion to press secretaries, however. Please make your leaders rewatch the debates they took part in so they can better appreciate why talking over each other is such a turn-off.

They said it

“It is just Chris Flipkins at it again.” Education Minister Erica Stanford on what she sees as Labour’s shifting position on the school building programme.

“I’ve had one lady come out and ask me to shut up but most people come out and join in.” Tāmaki Act candidate James Christmas on his 90 street meetings so far, on Herald NOW.

Looking ahead

Thursday: The NZ Herald’s Mood of the Boardroom is released, Chris Hipkins will be in Hawke’s Bay, Qiulae Wong will be in Christchurch, Epsom candidates meeting at 7pm, including Paul Goldsmith versus David Seymour.

Friday: David Seymour will be on Kerre Woodham’s ZB show at 10am.

Christopher Luxon (centre) in Pongakawa, with Todd McClay (from left), Louise Upston, Dana Kirkpatrick and Erica Stanford. Photo / TVNZ screen grab

Noteworthy

5 MINUTES OF FAME: When you’re a kid with an autograph book and the Prime Minister is busy holding a public meeting in the community hall, there’s only one thing for it; bail up the next best thing, the Prime Minister’s VIP chauffeur, for an autograph, as happened during his stop at the Pongakawa Hall on Wednesday.WOP-WOPS: Wondering where Pongakawa is? It’s about 17km from Te Puke towards East Cape on State Highway 2. Its MPs are National’s Dana Kirkpatrick (niece of All Blacks great Ian Kirkpatrick) and Te Pāti Māori’s Rawiri Waititi. The East Coast electorate has been renamed East Cape and Labour’s candidate is list MP and agriculture spokeswoman Jo Luxton.

Don’t miss these stories

Mongrel Mob member Harry Tam told the Big Hairy Network podcast that the backlash against the Mob’s selection hui “reeks of fascism”. Labour leader Chris Hipkins was criticised for calling the funding of drug rehabilitation programme by the gang a mistake. Hipkins, Tam said, “threw Jacinda under the bus”.

Jamie Ensor reports on the party shifts in the 1News-Verian poll and the Post Freshwater Strategy poll.