Christopher Luxon says he is "absolutely" being accountable to New Zealanders, but Labour's Chris Hipkins says the National leader's recent actions show he couldn't handle being Prime Minister.
Over the past week, Luxon has been asked a list of questions about National's tax plan, often not directly answering.
They include whether the party received advice about the impact of the foreign buyer tax on the housing market.
National wants to impose a 15 percent tax on foreigners purchasing property in New Zealand worth more than $2 million.
Last week, he walked away from a press conference when being asked about cuts to services, and did so again on Saturday amid further questions about the tax plan.
Just before that on Saturday, Newshub asked Luxon if he believed he had been accountable to the public.
"Absolutely. I try and engage with you as often as I can, as frequently as I can," he said.
When it was put to him that he hadn't answered questions about the tax plan, Luxon said he had provided answers to questions, though journalists "may not like" them.
"I don't know how much more I can give you on the tax plan."
Newshub put to him that he could release modelling for the foreign buyer tax which, despite scrutiny, the party has refused to release.
He was also asked another question he hadn't provided a clear answer on earlier in the week - whether National's tech residency visa had been considered in its modelling for the foreign buyers tax.
National proposes a residency visa for 250 tech specialists each year to help attract top talent to New Zealand. But as they would become residents, that could be 250 fewer wealthy people captured by National's foreign buyers tax, which only applies to non-residents.
The party is already facing questions about whether enough houses will sell to make up the revenue it needs to fund tax cuts. National's numbers show it believes foreigners will buy 1700 houses worth more than $2 million, but independent economists have found far fewer sales transactions will occur.
Luxon began by saying that the visa was for a very small number of people, before again being pushed on whether the party considered it.
"Yes... it's not material in the scheme of what we are talking about here. We have done that consideration."
He then went on to again explain the foreign buyers tax and attack the Government's economic record.
Hipkins, who has criticised National's tax plan, said Prime Ministers need to be accountable for their actions and the public.
"If Christopher Luxon is walking away from tough questions as Leader of the Opposition, I don't think he would cope with the kind of scrutiny you get as Prime Minister."
Asked by Newshub what he thought accountability meant, Hipkins said it meant not just fronting up to answer questions, but "actually trying really hard to answer questions and to be transparent and honest".
"That is what I have tried to do the entire time I have been in politics. I don't walk away from the media, I don't walk away from scrutiny. I believe it is an important part of democracy.
"I think when you get to the point where you are just walking away from scrutiny, you clearly have something to hide."
When Luxon walked off from the press conference on Saturday, Newshub asked him why he was leaving when questions remained.
He said he had answered questions for 20 minutes and there would be other opportunities.
Despite the questions surrounding National's plan, New Zealanders appear to be pleased with it.
A Newshub-Reid Research poll this week found 51 percent of respondents believed it was the right time for income tax cuts, while 36.1 percent said it wasn't. Another result showed Kiwis supported National's foreign buyers tax.
While National says the tax will bring in about $740 million per year on average, analysis from three economists show it's likely about $530 million less than that as the number of sales captured by the tax would be fewer than National is predicting.
National has disputed the findings, but has refused to release its own specific modelling. Instead, it's pointed to a short summary of its methodology in its policy document and other independent analysis supporting its plan.
