The Election 2026 campaign is entering a critical phase, with National leader Christopher Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins preparing to go head-to-head tonight in TVNZ’s major Leaders’ Debate.
The 90-minute debate begins at 7pm and will be moderated by Q+A presenter Jack Tame, with cost of living, health, education, climate and the environment among the issues expected to feature. It will screen live on TVNZ 1, TVNZ+ and the 1News app.
The encounter comes at a volatile moment in the campaign. A new RNZ-Reid Research poll has Labour on 30.8 percent, National on 25.9 percent, the Greens on 14.8 percent, New Zealand First on 10.6 percent, ACT on 9 percent and The Opportunity Party on 5.5 percent. The poll surveyed 1000 eligible voters between September 24 and October 1 and reported a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Another recent 1News Verian poll, however, had National and Labour level on 28 percent, underlining how different polls can produce different snapshots of voter sentiment and how competitive the campaign remains.
Tonight gives Luxon and Hipkins a high-profile opportunity to defend their economic and fiscal plans, challenge each other’s records and explain what their respective governments would mean for voters. The two parties have already been trading blows over Labour’s fiscal plan and the cost of its policy commitments.
For Māori voters, the debate will also be watched for how much attention is given to issues affecting whānau, including the cost of living, housing, hauora, employment and the relationship between Māori and the Crown.
Editor of The Daily Blog and Waatea political correspondent Martyn Bradbury joined Ata Tū to assess how the campaign has unfolded so far, what the leaders need to accomplish tonight and which moments could shape the political conversation after the cameras are switched off.
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