Collins goes vote plucking, while Peters makes 'last stand'

Caucus rates a fired-up leaders' debate as Collins looks to bring voters 'home', while Winston Peters rages as he's 'exonerated'.

By Tim Watkin

Watch the video version of the episode here

You could almost see the basket in Judith Collins' arm during last night's Newshub Leaders' Debate, as she went merrily about her business picking fruit from the voter tree.

Praise farmers and reassure them she won't "beggar" them for a photo op? One apple plucked from the National tree. Tough on law and order? One plucked from the New Zealand First tree. Mention her Christianity and belief in miracles? Pluck from the New Conservatives. Promise to get rid of the gun register? Pluck from ACT.

Pluck, pluck, pluck.

Amidst the hurly-burley of an energetic and fast-paced debate Collins was - to use a phrase popular under the previous National government - very targeted in her approach. The debate for her was a vote harvesting exercise and she managed it with aplomb. She also continued her efforts to introduce herself to voters, talking about her brother-in-law's cancer and her faith. Though there were some clunky moments - calling Ardern "dear" and praising Donald Trump - she looked more Prime Ministerial than ever before.

As Guyon Espiner says on today's Caucus podcast, debates seldom significantly move voters, but Collins' performance in the second televised leaders' debate is likely to have some, on the centre-right at least, pondering a return home to National.

"Judith Collins, with that kind of performance and building on the TV One debate, may have stopped the rot for National and may even have gained a little bit," he says.

It was a performance, Scott Campbell adds, that Simon Bridges or Todd Muller would have struggled to deliver.

Those minor parties - ACT, New Zealand First and the New Conservatives - are probably the biggest losers from last night's debate - apart from "communist" David Attenborough and poor old Feilding, named New Zealand's 'Most Beautiful Town' 16 times, but last night used as an example of the ravages of methamphetamine on small town New Zealand.

Not that Labour leader Jacinda Ardern had a bad night. It was a world apart from her flat, policy wonk performance in the first leaders' debate. Sometimes it seems she's so determined to play nice and be kind that she misses opportunities to point out the differences between her party and her opponent's. But she used her Covid experience effectively and looked more like a woman in charge…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details