Venu Menon
Wellington, September 28,2023
A curious reversal of roles was at play as Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon went head-to-head for the second time in a debate telecast on Wednesday.
Hipkins displayed the belligerence of an opposition leader, while Luxon took on the demeanour of an elder statesman mindful of maintaining decorum.
The agenda too had a surprise, with retail crime, glossed over in the last debate, taking the top spot.
Asked if crime was out of control, Luxon readily agreed while Hipkins chose to rephrase it as “crime is always a challenge.”
But the embattled ethnic Indian shopkeeper had got prime time attention at last.
PM-incumbent Hipkins and PM-aspirant Luxon were hypothetically pushed behind the dairy counter by host Patrick Gower and asked what they would do if a shoplifter walked in. Both leaders pivoted around the question before real-life shopkeeper Preeti Patel entered the debate with her own experience of “lawlessness.”
The two leaders were left cradling their respective ineffectual crime policies, with Hipkins standing by Labour’s rehabilitation-versus-retribution argument and Luxon reposing his faith in National’s revamped boot camps for young offenders.
Both leaders emerged a bit crinkled after Patel ruled the offender was being seen as the victim.
The focus shifted to gang crime. Luxon wanted a ban on gang patches and more powers for police to remove them. Again, the leaders were tested with hypothetical scenarios, with Hipkins taking a cautious approach and Luxon urging bold intervention.
There was some word play around whether recreational drug use was a crime or a health issue. Again, the leaders chose ambiguity over clarity.
The debate at that point was combative, but inconclusive on key issues.
There was no breakthrough on cost of living, with Hipkins unable to guarantee a drop in food prices and Luxon unsure of raising enough money by taxing foreign buyers of high-end properties in New Zealand to fund his tax plan.
Both leaders were flat-footed on fuel tax relief, but were united on lowering the age of bowel and breast cancer screening.
Hipkins left criticism of a “broken health system” largely uncontested and took cover behind the “global pandemic.”
But the segment on education was a wake-up call for New Zealanders. While the two leaders passed the simple arithmetic test run by the host, many 12-year-olds were struggling with Math. Both leaders were open to working together on evolving a “single, age-appropriate curriculum which consults parents” in areas such as gender and sexuality, and vaping.
On providing climate leadership, the party leaders were called out by a rural couple whose property was swamped by woody debris in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. Both leaders dithered on tough action against forestry companies found defaulting on their obligations to neighbouring properties.
Luxon was evasive on abortion and his personal view that it amounted to murder, saying he “won’t change the laws.”
The debate was stalked by the unseen presence of Winston Peters.
Hipkins accused Luxon of teaming up with people who were “playing the race card,” and quoted an inflammatory remark by an NZ First candidate to support his claim. Luxon was hesitant in his approval of Peters, but came across as disingenuous by claiming he “doesn’t know him.”
Hipkins noted Labour, Greens and Te Pati Maori had already shown they could “work well together.”
The onus fell on Luxon to prove his post-poll alliance was not going to be a ‘coalition of chaos.’
Venu Menon is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Wellington
