2020 Election Leaders Debate: Jacinda Ardern v Judith Collins – An Optimistic Fighter

Jacinda Ardern didn’t want to pick a winner, but Judith Collins claimed she was the clear winner after they met last night in the first leaders debate.

Labor’s Ardern said “politics is not a blood sport” and the debate felt more like a “controversial conversation.”

But national leader Collins was more forthcoming: “I certainly didn’t feel like I was losing.”

They both put their nerves on edge over child poverty, housing and Covid-19 in a debate that came on the heels of a 1News / Colmar Brunton poll last night that showed Labor was 48 percent, enough to rule alone.

National was at 31 percent, which was a one percentage point drop in the previous poll.

National’s level of support was the first topic Collins was asked about last night.

She said she was “a fighter” and that previous Opposition leaders would have “crawled over broken glass” to have that level of support.

Later that night, she said the poll showed National had a “challenge” on her hands, but that she “loves fights.”

Looking ahead, Collins will focus on New Zealand’s undecided voters – last night’s poll showed they made up 14 percent of the voter base.

“There will be some people who have been watching tonight who will come back to National,” Collins said.

On Labor numbers, Ardern said his party would not become complacent in the election campaign.

As for the big issues of the night, the government’s record of child poverty was one of the most heated parts of the debate.

At one point, Collins clearly hit a nerve when he questioned what he suggested was the government’s lackluster performance in reducing child poverty.

The national leader repeatedly said that child poverty had actually increased under Ardern’s supervision, analyzing the measure of material difficulties.

Ardern said it was “difficult to sit still” and hear Collins make such comments, as this was just one of many measures used to define child poverty in New Zealand.

But she made a promise to the country: “I have not finished [with] child poverty.”

Speaking to the media after the debate, Collins said the reason these comments seemed to upset Ardern was because she “must be ashamed of it.”

But Ardern said Collins’s comments on this matter did not affect her.

“I am quite passionate about that area and of course I wanted to give a slightly longer answer,” he told reporters.

“I don’t think you can be in politics and allow other politicians to get under your skin.”

Throughout the debate, Ardern clearly focused on optimism.

It relied heavily on the government’s Covid-19 registry and how New Zealand was one of the safest countries in the world at the moment.

This sparked ridicule from Collins, who pointed to people who had escaped from managed isolation, something she said would never happen under her supervision.

For most of the debate, Ardern limited herself to talking about her government’s record and what she planned to do if she was reelected.

But he did target his opposition at one point, when he spoke of National’s temporary tax cut plans. Those plans would mean everyone in New Zealand would get a tax cut for 16 months, but the people with the highest salaries would benefit the most.

At one point, Ardern said bluntly, “You shouldn’t get a tax cut,” to which Collins replied, “Well, give me back then.”