Election 2020: 11 candidates, three electorates in tonight's Battle for the North

Candidates from all three Northland electorates will go head-to-head in the Battle for the North this evening. Image / supplied

Candidates from all three Northland electorates will go head-to-head in a livestreamed debate this evening dubbed Battle for the North.

The event, organised by Kaitaia-based Te Hiku Media, will be held at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri and streamed at tehiku.nz.

The debate will also be broadcast live on Te Hiku Radio on 91.7FM in the Far North and available later for on-demand viewing at the same web address.

From 5.45pm you'll be able to watch the livestream here:

It is believed to be the first time anyone has tried to bring together, and broadcast, debates for all three electorates in the Far North, though Te Hiku Media held a similar event in Whangārei ahead of the 2017 election.

The event will start with a panel discussion at 5.45pm followed by the Whangārei electorate debate from 6pm.

That will be contested by Moea Armstrong (Greens), Emily Henderson (Labour), Shane Reti (National) and David Wilson (NZ First).

Next up, from 7pm, Kelvin Davis (Labour) will take on Mariameno Kapa-Kingi (Maori Party) in the Te Tai Tokerau electorate debate.

Finally, from 7.45pm, the Northland electorate debate will feature Mark Cameron (Act), Shane Jones (NZ First), Matt King (National), Willow-Jean Prime (Labour) and Darleen Tana Hoff-Nielsen (Greens).

Each debate will be followed by a panel discussion.

The panel host will be Kaye-Maree Dunn while the debates will be hosted by Heeni Brown and Moko Tepania, a Kaikohe school teacher and Far North District councillor.

Tickets are free but the auditorium is expected to be full. The Turner Centre box office, at the venue on Cobham Rd, will open at 5pm for anyone who wants to be sure of getting a seat.