The Chrises also had their first head-to-head debate, a TVNZ debate, a battle which was more or less a draw even by their own scorecards.
Chris Hipkins announced Food in Schools was here to stay – a policy National has also committed to so all Hipkins had left was to question whether National’s school lunches would be as nutritious as Labour’s.
Luxon had a good colourful week on the campaign trail again; his natural environment seems to be chatting with random strangers.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins in a 1940 Packard owned by Tony Morris in the Hawke's Bay. Photo / Paul Taylor
But Chris of the Week goes to Chris Hipkins, who has picked it up a gear after a flat start to his campaign and is now campaigning with some energy and some good lines, not like someone who is 10 points behind in the polls. The added bonus was the release of GDP figures showing NZ had not been in recession after all (yes, a very marginal win on that one).
Christopher Luxon’s score card
Christopher Luxon is yet to present us with the spreadsheet for his tax policy costings, but he has been giving us a scorecard for his efforts in Doing Things on the campaign trail.
On Tuesday night, he gave himself an 8/10 for his performance in the first election debate (the same score Labour leader Chris Hipkins gave himself).
On Wednesday, he delivered a more questionable performance when he turned his hand to milking goats in Patumahoe. He only gave himself a 3/10 for that.
On Thursday he popped into Invercargill to make a cheese roll and scored himself a whopping 10/10 for that. (The professional cheese roll makers were less convinced).
The best of his visits was to that goat farm south of Auckland. It was never quite clear why we were there, given there were precious few voters and no obvious policy to push. Maybe his team had misheard and thought it was a vote farm. But it was so gloriously ludicrous that it didn’t matter.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon visiting Oete Goat farm south of Auckland. Photo / Michael Neilson
Hipkins’ close encounter with vegetables
Hipkins upped his game when it came to the photo ops and banter with the voters this week, but not his diet.
He continued with his meat and pastry regime for the second week running as he travelled down the East Coast, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa.
His aides were clearly starting to worry scurvy would set in, so slotted in a visit to the Wattie’s factory in Hastings. Alas, there he was served … sausage rolls, to go with his Wattie’s sauce.
His only apparent contact with vegetables was packing bags of frozen stir fry mix at the Wattie’s factory, an attempt to promote his GST-free fruit and veg policy. At least nobody can accuse him of being conflicted since he clearly won’t be saving much money from that policy himself.
Speaking of rolls:
The campaign might be dragging for some, but National’s Mahesh Muralidhar, National’s candidate for Auckland Central, told the Herald on Friday he wished the campaign was longer. “Two of three more weeks would be great,” he said. “I’m really getting a roll on.” A Curia Taxpayers’ Union poll on the Auckland Central electorate released on Tuesday will give some indication whether he is getting a roll on, or if the incumbent, Green MP Chloe Swarbrick, is holding her ground.
National will release its fiscal plan, setting out all of its costings and how it will pay for them all, kicking off another hunt for a fiscal hole.
On Tuesday morning, there will be must-watch finance showdown between Labour’s Grant Robertson and National’s Nicola Willis in the MYOB election debate, livestreamed on nzherald.co.nz from 8.30am.
National Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis and Finance Minister Grant Robertson. Photo / Greg Bowker
Luxon and Hipkins will meet again for the Newshub debate at 7pm on Wednesday, moderated by Patrick Gower.
The Taxpayers’ Union Auckland Central debate will be held at 7pm on Tuesday.
TVNZ’s Maiki Sherman will host an online-only debate on Maori issues on Tuesday at 7.30pm.
