The Press leaders debate will be streamed live on Stuff from 7pm on Tuesday, October 10.
The Press debate is back and will go ahead with double the leaders.
The original debate was scheduled to take place this week, with Labour’s Chris Hipkins and National’s Christopher Luxon. But Hipkins fell ill with Covid-19 on Sunday, and Luxon said his schedule for the following week was too full to reschedule.
After postponing, The Press invited the leaders of every party tracking to return to Parliament to a debate next week.
Leaders of NZ First, the Greens, ACT and Te Pāti Māori have accepted.
They will face The Press and a crowd of more than 2000 people at the Christchurch Town Hall, on Tuesday, October 10. This will be the final power brokers debate before polling day.
Hipkins, who said he wanted to debate Luxon at The Press debate next week, declined to face the other parties.
“There hasn’t been a multi-leaders debate since about 2002, because I think in the leaders’ debates people do want to see the people who could credibly be prime minister after the election,” Hipkins said, during a call with reporters while in self-isolation.
Stuff
The Press Leaders Debate will go ahead, with double the leaders.
“I think what New Zealanders want to see are the two people who would be prime minister debating down in Christchurch, as it was intended.”
In Christchurch on Tuesday, Luxon stood by his decision not to return for a rescheduled debate with Hipkins. Labour has published photos of Luxon dressed as a chicken, saying he’s trying to wriggle out of debates.
“I’m not turning up to the debate tonight because the prime minister has Covid and he’s not there,” Luxon said.
Asked why he couldn’t reschedule, Luxon said he had another debate with Hipkins in Auckland at TVNZ.
“Lots of people will be watching,” he said.
Iain McGregor/Stuff
National leader Christopher Luxon was in Christchurch on Tuesday.
“We’ve got a week to go in this campaign. We are flat out. We are full on, we have a lot of places to go and a lot of places to visit.”
Former Labour deputy, now finance spokesperson, Grant Robertson said he was willing to debate with Luxon on the original date of the debate, but National declined.
Instead, National said deputy Nicola Willis was willing to debate a Labour deputy leader.
Press editor Kamala Hayman confirmed National was asked if Luxon would debate Robertson, to avoid the need to reschedule the event.
STUFF
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins makes a statement to media via Zoom as he continues to recover from Covid-19.
“The Press had multiple conversations with the National Party to discuss alternative dates and people for the Leaders Debate, including Grant Robertson standing in for Chris Hipkins in a debate with Christopher Luxon,” she said.
Hayman said she was “thrilled” to be hosting the coalition parties in Christchurch next week, ahead of an election which was expected to give these minor parties far more power in Parliament.
Hayman, as well as Stuff political editor Luke Malpass and Stuff chief political correspondent Tova O’Brien will host the debate.
It will be streamed live on Stuff from 7pm on Tuesday, October 10.
