A candidates' meeting in Wanganui on Friday night also served to mark Te Tai Hauauru MP Tariana Turia's leaving of Parliament.
Nearly all candidates paid tribute to Mrs Turia, current Maori Party co-leader, who is retiring at the upcoming election.
Mrs Turia was in the audience on Friday evening, one of a large contingent of supporters for the Maori Party candidates.
She was described by the man who hopes to fill her shoes, the Maori Party's Chris McKenzie, as "the pre-eminent MP of our time".
Around 300 people crammed into the War Memorial Hall on Friday for the Wanganui Chronicle's Meet The Candidates forum.
Nine candidates standing locally in Saturday's general election fronted up to the forum.
The candidates for Te Tai Hauauru were Jack McDonald (Green Party), Chris McKenzie (Maori Party), Adrian Rurawhe (Labour) and Jordan Winiata (Mana Movement).
The candidates for Whanganui were Chester Borrows (National), Alan Davidson (Act), Hamish McDouall (Labour), Heather Marion Smith (Democrats for Social Credit), and Nancy Tuaine [Maori Party].
The Whanganui candidate for the Conservative Party, Kim MacIntyre, was the only candidate missing from the candidate's forum.
Here is a snapshot of what each candidate said in general:
CHESTER BORROWS
This Government's policy has been working well for people in Wanganui. There have been tax cuts across the board, which leaves people with more disposable income. We have kept inflation low and brought interest rates down. And we have insulated 260,000 homes.
ALAN DAVIDSON
We need to do whatever is necessary to get all children reading and writing before they leave school. Too many children are leaving without these basic skills. We believe in charter schools, because they are a genuine attempt to raise standards for children at the bottom in the worst areas.
HAMISH McDOUALL
In the last few years, Wanganui has lost 50 government jobs - that's money sucked out of the local economy. The Labour Party is committed to regional development. We have a $200 million fund for regional development, to enhance what the regions do well.
JACK MCDONALD
Our environment is the foundation of our economy. Without a healthy environment, we don't have an economy. What we need is a strong regional green economic strategy - there are many jobs in a smart green economy.
CHRIS MCKENZIE
I'm frustrated by the divisiveness in Parliament. What our country requires is a real reflection of society, where people work alongside each other regardless of whether they get along or not.
ADRIAN RURAWHE
When I go door-knocking, the most talked-about issue is work and jobs. A lot of people are out of work or on low-paid jobs and struggling to make ends meet. There are only two regions in New Zealand that are growing economically - Auckland and Christchurch - and that's got to change. We plan to raise the minimum wage to $16.25 by April next year.
HEATHER MARION SMITH
New Zealand's Reserve Bank has the ability to help the regions. For example, the cost of Wanganui's wastewater treatment plant could have been made cheaper by a loan from the Reserve Bank.
NANCY TUAINE
I decided to put my name forward after being involved in the Whanganui River settlement claim. Why am I standing in a general seat and not a Maori seat? Because I believe the foundations of the Maori Party are good for everyone.
JORDAN WINIATA
The reason I am standing is because we need to look at the key issues of how we are setting up for our future generations. Internet Mana is committed to ensuring free public education and free tertiary education.