![\"National's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/nationals-tim-costley-left-and-labours-sophie-handford-right-WPRRFA42RNHI3MEOGUV2IZL7VU.png\")
<\/p>\nNational is urging its Kapiti Coast supporters to turn out for an upcoming debate, saying Labour backers have been stacking public election meetings.<\/p>\n
By Justin Wong for Local Democracy Reporting<\/p>\n
In an email sent on Monday night, National MP Tim Costley asked supporters to attend the Grey Power\u2011hosted Kapiti electorate debate at Waikanae Baptist Church on Tuesday evening, and be ready to put questions to candidates when the floor opens.<\/p>\n
Costley also circulated a pre\u2011written list of suggested questions for attendees to use.<\/p>\n
The suggested questions ranged from asking Costley how he would \u201cget us faster access to local health care\u201d, to directing Labour candidate Sophie Handford to explain her positions on housing and rates capping.<\/p>\n
Attendees were also encouraged to ask both candidates whether they supported \u201ccracking down on gangs\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cLabour has been turning up with 30 members each meeting and getting all the questions,\u201d the email read.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we want you to support (loudly!) and ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
National’s Tim Costley, left, and Labour’s Sophie Handford, right, before a debate held by the Chamber of Commerce at the K\u0101piti Coast. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)<\/p>\n
Costley told Local Democracy Reporting the message wasn\u2019t a reaction to a single incident, but to behaviour he says has occurred across multiple debates, where Labour supporters in party\u2011branded clothing interrupted Government speakers and \u201ctry to get all the questions\u201d.<\/p>\n
He felt a recent chamber of commerce debate barely touched on business issues and he felt \u201creally bad\u201d for the organisers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just a consistent theme we\u2019ve had, where people try to railroad the debate,\u201d Costley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey’re not particularly subtle in the way they conduct themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Handford said Labour didn\u2019t organise or script questions from the audience, but Costley appeared to be doing it himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealthy, robust debate is an important part of our democracy, and candidates should expect to face tough questions from the communities they\u2019re seeking to represent,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Local Democracy Reporting has seen a complaint about audience behaviour at a Grey Power meeting in Paraparaumu last week, saying heckling during some candidates\u2019 responses was \u201cvery disrespectful\u201d and \u201clowered the tone of the meeting\u201d.<\/p>\n
Born out of recent boundary changes, the Kapiti electorate was formed from the dismantled \u014ctaki electorate \u2013 losing Horowhenua but gaining the northern suburbs of Porirua.<\/p>\n
Other candidates include NZ First\u2019s Penny Gaylor, the Greens\u2019 Melody Willis, Chee-Khiang Sng of Opportunity, Richard Goode of NAP (Not a Party) and the Progressive Party\u2019s Michael Walker.<\/p>\n
Recent polling showed Costley and Handford neck-and-neck.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"National is urging its Kapiti Coast supporters to turn out for an upcoming debate, saying Labour backers have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8028,11507,111,43,139,69,135,270122,52],"class_list":["post-636133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-labour-party","tag-national-party","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-politics","tag-vote-2026","tag-wellington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}