Labour leader Chris Hipkins has mounted a full-on assault on National leader Christopher Luxon in the final leaders' debate of the election campaign with a barrage of zingers targeted at his opponent's leadership and willingness to be accountable.
In one blow, Hipkins hit back at claims of mismanagement within his Cabinet by pointing out a previous scandal within Luxon's own caucus.
"None of my MPs beat people up with a bed leg," Hipkins said.
Following the debate, Luxon called that comment from Hipkins a "low blow" that didn't dignify a response.
The National leader slammed the negative approach from the incumbent Prime Minister, repeatedly telling him during their clash to stop being "disrespectful" by speaking over him, and once tried to quote Taylor Swift in saying Hipkins should "calm down".
Luxon also attacked the Government's six years in office while saying he had more ambition for New Zealand, despite criticisms of him previously talking down the country. The Opposition leader even committed to securing a free trade agreement (FTA) with India, something successive governments have failed to achieve.
It was a messy end to the series of three leaders' debates held with Hipkins and Luxon and comes just 48 hours before voting finishes and the election results begin to be revealed.
Hipkins goes into election day as the underdog, with the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll results putting Labour on 27.5 percent, far below National's 34.5 percent. However, National would still need ACT and New Zealand First to form a Government after October 14.
The Labour leader said after the debate he felt he needed to challenge Luxon.
"I said I was going to be more assertive and challenging of Christopher Luxon," Hipkins said. "I do think, for someone who wants to be Prime Minister, he is very evasive when it comes to answering questions."
Those attacks on Luxon came early in the hour-long TVNZ debate, with Hipkins saying political leaders don't earn people's trust with slogans, something he has accused National of relying too heavily upon during the election campaign.
He also on several occasions said New Zealand wanted a leader that didn't walk away from questions. Luxon was criticised earlier in the campaign for walking off from press conferences amid tough questions over National's tax plan.
The National leader said Hipkins had "brought a very negative, very personal, very attacking campaign".
As Hipkins began to interject, Luxon said: "Here we go again. Hang on Chris, just calm down, calm down."
"Chris doesn't have a record to run on after six years. He doesn't have got ideas to take the country forward. We have a positive plan."
Hipkins shot back at that by referencing independent analysis that found National's recent campaigning had been more negative than Labour's.
At another point in the debate, when Luxon refused to admit National's proposal to tie benefit increases to inflation rather than wage growth was an effective cut, there was more argy-bargy.
Hipkins was adamant National would be cutting benefits, while Luxon said his party would increase them (though under National's plan this will be at a slower rate than Labour's).
Fending off Hipkins' attacks, Luxon said: "Mate, you need to listen to Taylor Swift when she says, 'I need you to calm down.'"
A fired-up Hipkins replied: "No, I am not going to calm down about you cutting benefits to give landlords, who have plenty, tax break.
"Three hundred landlords do not need $1 million in tax breaks. People who are living on benefits, you are going to put thousands more children in poverty.
"Your moral compass is entirely wrong."
But the debate will likely be remembered for Hipkins' retort to Luxon bringing up issues within the Labour Government's Cabinet.
It began when Hipkins said there would be "chaos" with Luxon trying to deal with likely Government partners Winston Peters and David Seymour.
Luxon jabbed back, saying Hipkins couldn't handle his own Cabinet.
"You lost five Cabinet ministers this year alone," the National leader said, referencing the departures of Dame Jacinda Ardern, Stuart Nash, Meka Whaitiri, Michael Wood, and Kiri Allan (the latter four leaving in difficult circumstances for the Government).
But Hipkins said, "people in glasshouses shouldn't be throwing stones".
"None of my MPs beat people up with a bed leg," Hipkins said, with no response from Luxon.
The comment refers to allegations about National MP Sam Uffindell's behaviour at high school.
Uffindell admitted last year he attacked a 13-year-old student when he was 16 years old. He couldn't recall if it involved using bed legs, as was alleged.
The National leader, after the debate, said that comment from Hipkins was a "low blow and emblematic of the negativity and the personal attacks we have seen over the course of the campaign".
"As you could see, I didn't dignify it with a response," Luxon said. "I didn't think it deserved a response. As my grandmother used to say, 'You take the high ground when they take the low ground.'
"It was a sad thing for the New Zealand people. There were a lot of undecided voters watching tonight and what you wanted to see was each of us present a positive plan of how we take the country forward. I was trying to do that."
Luxon didn't think the public would like Hipkins' behaviour.
"I think they find it disrespectful. I was trying to help him by saying, 'Look mate, you do need to calm down a little bit.' I don't think it looks prime ministerial; I don't think it's what New Zealanders want to see from a Prime Minister."
But Hipkins stood by his comments and had no regrets.
"He was challenging me specifically on ministerial conduct. I think if you are going to live in a glasshouse you shouldn't throw stones," he said.
In one major policy moment of the debate, Luxon committed to securing an FTA with India over the next term.
Luxon has previously said getting such a deal would be a "major strategic priority" for National in Government, but this was the first commitment to actually getting it. Successive governments have wanted an FTA, but India hasn't been as willing.
Hipkins responded to Luxon's commitcment: "How can you commit to a free trade agreement with India when India are saying they won't commit to one with New Zealand?"
"Are you going to go and tell them they have to have a free trade agreement with us? Are you to succeed where John Key and Murray McCully and all the others before failed?"
He said it was a promise Luxon couldn't keep.
But Luxon said he was confident and ambitious that New Zealand could build a stronger trade relationship.
Hipkins has promised to lead a delegation to India within 100 days of forming a new Government.
