General view as Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson speaks during The Press Leaders Debate at Christchurch Town Hall. Photo: KAI SCHWOERER / Stuff
Analysis - The Press leaders' debate was a more subdued affair than earlier clashes between the minor parties.
It may have been weariness with the campaign coming soon to a close, but there were also signs the rivalry and rancour between NZ First's Winston Peters and ACT's David Seymour was diminished - with less time spent on their ability to potentially work together.
They may be vying for a similar voting demographic, but it's in the best interests of both to show they can work together - and although Seymour stood by his statement that Peters was the "most untrustworthy" New Zealand politician, he also said they would respect the election result and make it work.
Peters himself was the same as ever - making regular use of the term "bulldust" when responding to the statements of the others and, when questioned about poverty and crime, harking back to the days of his youth and bringing in reference to the Māori battalion.
This was really more a clash between the left and right, with Greens' Marama Davidson constantly interjecting in support of the kōrero of Te Pāti Māori's Tākuta Ferris, who was standing in for the party leaders who could not attend.
Te Pāti Māori candidate for Te Tai Tonga Tākuta Ferris speaks during The Press Leaders Debate at Christchurch Town Hall, alongside David Seymour. Photo: Stuff / KAI SCHWOERER
At number five on the party's list and contesting the Tai Tonga electorate, Ferris would be unfamiliar to many - but was a strong performer who held his own against the three seasoned politicians.
Davidson spent much of her time emphasising her party's wealth tax policy as a means of redressing inequality while paying for services - but just as much, it seemed, on verbally stepping on the toes of her competitors.
This worked for her in the more fiery earlier debates, and she certainly got some audience applause for her answers - but it may have started to make her look petty in what was largely a more polite contest.
All four won applause from the audience at times, but much of the policy positions had already been covered, and the battle lines and allegiances have long been drawn.
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson searches for patience, next to NZ First's Winston Peters at The Press debate. Photo: The Press / Iain McGregor
The Middle East conflict was a new talking point but it hardly progressed beyond the rhetoric of the past week.
Perhaps the most novel point - and certainly this debate's point of difference - was a question about what could be done for Christchurch specifically: Davidson was quick to the punch (and cheers) with "light rail", Seymour gave a long answer about the city facing the same problems as many others and eventually settled on infrastructure, Peters said the 2026 Commonwealth Games which he promised would pay for itself, and Ferris chose GST off kai.
The GST and infrastructure policies, of course, not specific to Christchurch.
Some slight disruption, too: one heckler shouting abuse was thrown out - though without noticable interruption to proceedings visible on the live stream - and four protesters were removed without much complaint after causing a bit more fuss during the climate change section.
Neither interruption was ultimately that disruptive, and overall the roughly two hours flew by without really shifting the dial. It's not that there weren't moments of entertainment, but there just wasn't all that much new.
Possibly having three moderators - The Press editor Kamala Hayman, The Post political editor Luke Malpass, and Stuff chief political correspondent Tova O'Brien - meant it was somewhat unfocused, though they kept the pace up and the candidates weren't shy about responding to each other.
The Press Leaders Debate at Christchurch Town Hall. Photo: The Press / Iain McGregor
Perhaps a clash between National's Christopher Luxon and Labour's Chris Hipkins as the campaign gets down to brass tacks would have been more fiery. Perhaps we would have learnt more, or perhaps it would have become the same kind of circular retread of the same ground we've already seen.
But then, this debate was not really for the political tragics.
This was the only debate held in the South Island. It was for the people of Christchurch, many of whom - as shown in interviews ahead of the event itself - will be undecided, disenchanted with the major parties, or hoping for some insight on relationships between the personalities going to Parliament.
