Hipkins goes for the jugular in last-ditch debate attack
Some critics think his Sam Uffindell remark crossed a line. Others say it was the kind of aggression that this campaign has been sorely missing all along.
Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Friday, October 13 by Catherine McGregor. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: Humanitarian catastrophe looms as Gaza’s fuel supplies about to run out; Luxon and Hipkins enter final day of campaigning; Why Tākuta Ferris is a rising star of Te Pāti Māori. But first, Hipkins pulled no punches last night. Will it do him any good?
Hipkins refuses to ‘calm down’ in bad tempered final debate
That’s all folks. With last night’s Luxon/Hipkins head-to-head, debate season has drawn to a close as the parties ready themselves for a final, desperate day of election campaigning. Ironically enough, the standout moment of the TVNZ debate happened before the leaders were even at their lecterns, according to NZME editor at large Shayne Currie. Instead of a convivial handshake and light pleasantries, Currie reports, Hipkins whispered to Luxon as he shook his hand: “Are you going to answer any questions tonight?” The aggressiveness set the tone for Hipkins’ entire debate, variously described by commentators as “snippy”, “OTT” and “akin to a young Mike Tyson”. “Hipkins tore unsteadily along the line between surgical striking and losing his cool,” writes Ben Thomas in The Spinoff’s debate review, “giving every impression that he thought if he could just summon enough performative anger it could sink National’s campaign.” He may have taken it too far, but most Spinoffers still think Hipkins emerged victorious – but only just. He won “because Luxon was so ill-equipped to deal with the cross-talk that his answers were drowned out”, opines Stewart Sowman-Lund. Madeleine Chapman bucks the trend by calling it for audience member Agnes, who was responsible for “the only time it felt like both leaders were caught off guard: a real person with real experience of hardship asking them to explain themselves.”
Was the PM out of line with Uffindell attack?
Hipkins was on the attack throughout, but it was the “bed leg” moment that really blew viewers’ hair back. His reference to National MP Sam Uffindell’s alleged use of one to beat a fellow school student, caused a “burst of applause and an intake of breath,” writes Toby Manhire. “But it crossed some kind of line, to start rattling through backbenchers’ reputations.” Others were more enthusiastic. The line “wasn’t to everyone’s taste”, writes Thomas Coughlan in the Herald, “and in fact, by ‘going there’ Hipkins may have put some off – but for those with similar tastes to mine, it was devastating.” To Coughlan’s Herald colleague Steve Braunias (paywalled), just as remarkable were Luxon’s repeated appeals for Hipkins to “calm down”. A “pathetic rejoinder”, says Braunias. “It’s a leaders’ debate. Stay calm somewhere else.” Of the four Herald commentators who gave a verdict, three picked Hipkins as the winner. For what it’s worth, 70% of respondents to their online poll gave it to Luxon.
The day ahead, and some campaign report cards
So what’s on the schedule for the final day of campaigning? Hipkins will be in Labour’s heartland in South Auckland in a last bid to mobilise voters and volunteers, before flying back to Wellington for election night. Luxon is in Rotorua this morning, before weaving through the upper North Island, fronting a rally in Morrinsville, and ending the day in his electorate of Botany, The Press’s Luke Malpass reports (paywalled). As it’s the end of term, time for a report card. On Stuff, Tova O’Brien hands out scores for each party’s campaign. Among a sea of fives, sixes and sevens out of ten, one party reigns supreme: NZ First: “National gave Winston life but it was Winston who Winstoned his way to polling power,” says O’Brien. “Like a thoroughbred timing his run down the final straight. You can love or loathe his policies and rhetoric but there’s no denying his campaign game is 10/10.” The Herald’s Media Insider, Shayne Currie (paywalled), also has a campaign review, rounding up the highlights and lowlights according to a panel of experts – plus their score predictions for NZ vs Ireland.
Debate performances propel Tākuta Ferris to rising stardom
He wasn’t on the stage last night, but in a just world we’d see much more of Te Pāti Māori candidate Tākuta Ferris, a last-minute sub at this week’s Press leaders’ debate who promptly went semi-viral on Twitter/X with a forceful speech in defence of te Tiriti and another on climate change from a Māori perspective. Ferris is standing in the southern Māori seat of Te Tai Tonga but is running a long way behind incumbent Rino Tirikatene. And at 5th on the party list, he’s highly unlikely to make it into parliament that way either. MP or not, he’s enough of a rising star to get a “Who is Tākuta Ferris?” piece by Glenn McConnell in Stuff. Even more auspiciously, he scored a ringing endorsement from Annabelle Lee-Mather on the latest episode of Gone By Lunchtime. His performance in debates has been “absolutely phenomenal”, she says, calling him and Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke “the future of Te Pāti Māori”.
Special election edition of The Bulletin for Sunday
A reminder that Anna will be back on Sunday morning with a special election edition of The Bulletin, rounding up all the news and reaction from the night before. Remember also to send in your dogs at polling booth photos (info@thespinoff.co.nz) for our all-day, all-dog, no-politics live blog tomorrow, which will transform, Wonder Woman-style, into rolling election night live updates once polls close at 7pm.
Humanitarian catastrophe looms as Gaza’s fuel supplies about to run out
Gaza only has a few more hours of fuel left, says the Red Cross, warning that the current humanitarian crisis will become “unmanageable” if hospitals lose all power and medical supplies aren’t allowed in. Water and electricity are already in short supply after Gaza’s only energy plant ran out of power on Wednesday. It only had capacity to generate 16% of Gaza’s electricity demand and the enclave was reliant on Israel to fill the deficit, according to a CNN infographic. Israel will continue to cut off all electricity, water and fuel until Israeli hostages being held by Hamas are returned home, Israeli energy minister Israel Katz warned. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken says the US is doing “all we can” to secure the release of the hostages, but as David Smith in the Guardian writes, dysfunction on Capitol Hill risks hampering diplomatic efforts. There is currently no US ambassador in place in Israel, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon or Oman, and USAid, which leads the government effort to help countries recovering from disaster, has been lacking a key administrator responsible for dispatching aid in the Middle East for nearly three years.
More:
Efforts to normalise Israeli-Arab relations have been highlighted as a potential reason for the Hamas attacks. But what is “normalisation” and why do Hamas care? Another great video explainer by the BBC’s Ros Atkins.
Also useful: the New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner talks to Tareq Baconi, an expert on Hamas, about what comes next for the Palestinian political project.
Powering down to keep your savings up
Are we using our energy networks as efficiently as possible? In this week’s When the Facts Change, Bernard Hickey talks to Marcia Poletti, Octopus Energy’s UK-based head of systems change, about how power companies can adapt their current systems to better support the energy grid.
Click and Collect
South Wairarapa Mayor Martin Connelly is not resigning despite a unanimous vote of no confidence in him by district councillors. (paywalled)
The US Congress is still without a House Speaker as Republican holdouts refuse to back party favourite Steve Scalise.
Click and Elect
Who is the NZ Soap Party, and why can’t you actually vote for them?
The election day forecast is… not great.
He may have already walked back the claim, but TVNZ has investigated what exactly could Chris Luxon get at the supermarket for $60 a week.
Toby Manhire ranks the vehicles of election 2023, from the Act bus to Chris Hipkins’ go-kart. Liam Rātana explains what to keep an eye on when it comes to the Māori seats tomorrow night. Duncan Greive remembers when Telecom asked New Zealand to 'Abstain for the Game'. Hera Lindsay Bird advises a reader who keeps having dreaming about her (now married) high school ex. Sam Brooks reviews Down for Love, the local series that shows other dating franchises how it's done.
Sporting snippets
Here’s the All Blacks squad for Sunday morning. Missing is Mark Telea, who has been stood down for disciplinary reasons.
Jamie Wall on the top 10 moments in All Blacks v Ireland history.
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
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I have decided my circumstances are robust enough to weather any party's policies, even if personally abhorrent to me, so I have decided to vote for the vulnerable NOW, and younger people's futures. Clarifies the choices somewhat!
As someone who is something of a politics tragic, I follow closely and read and listen widely and had been deeply concerned at the way national had roamed through the country smearing and fear mongering about the government, frequently using innuendo, gossip and downright untruths, often with more than a tinge of racism, and they were often unchallengedwhen refusing to answer questions about the how they would implement p. When they announced their tax policy their own rhetoric was often repeated by main media outlets with little or no interrogation. They targeted Hipkins and Robertson relentlessly. It was only once the formal campaign started that they toned it down, and as labour's campaign gathered pace have whined like spoilt children about the 'negativity ' of labour. Hipkins needed to come out in the past couple of weeks firing on all cylinders and raise awareness of the effects that the policies of a right bloc will have on so many of our most vulnerable, fully support and hugely relieved that at least more voters will perhaps pause and consider more than the repetitive marketing patter that seemed to have been accepted by many, including media. Labour has been slow,and lacking in courage, in making progress in some areas, but have made some significant progress in a number of areas, could have told their story more forcefully and consistently. A labour/greens coalition would provide a sustainable and positive pathway for all, not just those who already enjoy a more comfortable and priviledged life. Continue to maintain some positive hopes for a more equitable and less divided communities.