There's two weeks left in the race to the Beehive and the subject of race is quickly becoming a central issue.
Seventeen Māori leaders have signed a letter calling for an end to racism and race-baiting in the campaign. But it's sparked a whole lot of finger-pointing.
NZ First leader Winston Peters went out fishing for a reaction in a Hawke's Bay hall.
"Co-governance is a virus, it's a disease and we want it gone," he said.
Race-debating, line after line.
"Co-governance is apartheid," he added, to applause from the crowd.
That response was a far cry from an earlier carfuffle up the road in Gisborne where one woman exclaimed "you are the racists".
Then on Friday Peters flipped the script, going after what he calls the radical Māori.
"Sorry, you're the racists and you've been found out," he said.
He's directing that message to a group of 17 Māori leaders who today published an open letter to politicians saying dog whistling has increased to unacceptable levels and they want it to end.
Community advocate Dave Letele is one of the leaders who signed the letter.
"ACT has dragged NZ First, and National into blatant race-related politics," he said. "Stop using Māori as your political football. We're sick of it."
But ACT leader David Seymour's pointing the finger elsewhere.
"They're making false accusations of racism while ignoring actual racism while praising Te Pāti Māori, who are guilty of it," Seymour said.
"David Seymour has suffered from absolute white saviourism and we see that in his deflection in taking no responsibility for his ignorance," countered Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
The letter issues a challenge to National Party leader Christopher Luxon - "condemn the racist comments made by NZ First, condemn the race-baiting policies of the ACT Party and commit himself to representing all of us, including Māori".
Luxon has responded, blaming Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
"This is Chris Hipkins throwing a whole bunch of stuff at a wall and seeing what sticks... the conversation about race that Chris Hipkins has started is because he wants to create a campaign built on fear and negativity," Luxon said.
"I appreciate he's a desperate, desperate guy at this point in time, but race is not a conversation in this election."
"Well, he has been doing it since the day he became leader of the National Party," Hipkins countered.
Whoever started it is irrelevant. The group of Māori leaders say they want everyone to draw a line in the sand and are calling for an end to divisive politics because "Aotearoa, we are better than that".
