A political commentator has slammed National over the party's handling of the $5 prescription fee, saying leader Christopher Luxon's stance is "messy".
Labour hit out at National after Luxon said the party will reintroduce fees for contraception if they win the election.
The removal of the $5 prescription fee was a key part of Labour's Budget this year, something the Opposition said it will scrap if elected in October.
National has said it would reinstate the co-payment fees but would look at carve-outs for Gold Card holders and low-income earners with Community Services cards.
Luxon told Newshub on Wednesday he was not looking at a carve-out for those who need regular contraception prescriptions.
"We don't want to see any change," he said. "We are making sure we can help… people who desperately need help with their prescription charges. We want a targeted approach."
He did not consider people needing regular contraception prescriptions filled as having "high medical needs".
Political scientist and former United Future leader Peter Dunne, who served as a minister in Sir John Key's National Government, offered a scathing review of Luxon.
Dunne told AM Early Luxon's handling of the $5 prescription fee could turn women off voting for National.
"They have mishandled this whole prescription charges thing right from the outset. First of all, was the announcement they opposed it and then they tried to have some carve-outs and now it was yesterday's announcement that women taking the contraceptive pill will not be included," Dunne told host Michael O'Keefe.
"I think this just looks like a complete mess up from the beginning and I think with the women's vote being so potent these days, this has the potential to just turn large numbers of women off voting National at this election."
With National and Labour neck-and-neck in recent political polls, decisions like this could have big ramifications come October 14.
But Dunne believes National's handling of the $5 prescription fee raises questions if the party could actually deliver if elected into Government.
"[Luxon] looks at sea on all these matters, actually. Right from the start of the prescription charges issue, National doesn't seem to have clearly worked out what it intends to do," Dunne told AM Early.
"He makes a valid point when he says, 'Not all people who would benefit from having no prescription fees need to have that removal.' But the whole thing has been a mishmash and sort of confused, and changes from day to day or speech to speech and now with this bombshell on top of it.
"It just seems to me that it raises questions about, what does National actually believe and what are they going to deliver if they get into Government?"
Dunne believes National will clarify its position on Thursday but said the message the party's sending is "disastrous".
"Well, if history is correct, there will be some clarification today saying, 'Oh what I meant to say was'... it's just not good enough. It looks confusing, it looks disorganised.
"I think the message it sends is disastrous, really. That pregnancy or the potential pregnancy is not a health condition, is really what Luxon is saying yesterday, and I just don't think that's going to wash with a huge number of voters."
Watch the full interview with Peter Dunne in the video above.
