ACT Party leader David Seymour and Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson disagreed on a number of fronts during a mini-debate on Breakfast this morning – with NZ First leader Winston Peters, the cost of living and crime front and centre.
It comes as early voting opens with election day less than two weeks away.
On tax and the cost of living
Seymour defended his party's proposed tax cuts: "Someone on a very low income ends up a few hundred dollars a year better off, [and] someone on a very high income ends up a few hundred dollars a year better off.
"ACT's tax cuts are not generous, they're not big, but every single earner ends up better off."
Davidson said her party had considered whether its proposed wealth tax would see some wealthier people leave the country.
"It's really important to have a tax system that is fair," she said. "At the moment, you have the wealthy few paying effectively half the tax rate of everyone else who are earning, and that is simply not acceptable.
"Also, the flight that you're talking about – the possibility of it – has been built in already, we've actually been really conservative in our estimates for how much revenue we would generate."
At one point, when Seymour tried to interject, Davidson said: "I let you talk David, I let you talk."
He replied: "I just want to ask a question so you can talk some more."
After Seymour expressed concern with the Green Party's trust tax proposals, Davidson said: "David, stop hogging the oxygen."
On Winston Peters
The comments came during a feisty interview on Q+A this morning. (Source: 1News)
The pair were asked about Peters' combative appearance on Q+A with Jack Tame yesterday. In the interview, Peters appeared unable to explain the costings of two of his party's policies and called Tame's questioning a "vindictive attack".
"It sounds like it was a bit chaotic," Davidson said. "For people at home, I know that this is intentional, to make him look like he's anti-establishment and anti-media, because that's supposed to appeal to people.
"But I say it's more important to have a decent conversation."
Seymour said: "The economy's in big trouble, people are really struggling with the cost of living, and you can't be out there saying 'we've got these policies but we have no idea how much they'll cost'.
"If you can't answer basic questions like that and it all descends into chaos, then I think that's a real problem."
Later in the debate, the pair were asked to sum up Peters in one word. Seymour said "yesterday" while Davidson said "awkward".
On Te Pāti Māori candidate home invasion
Davidson and Seymour agreed the invasion of Te Pāti Māori candidate Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke's home on Friday was unacceptable.
Racial slurs were reportedly shouted during the incident.
"Horrified, not acceptable," Davidson said.
"It has been clear for some time that there are politicians who are whipping up the fear and the racism, appealing to the worst of our humanity instead of the best of it, and I want to wish Te Pāti Māori and Hana-Rawhiti all of our love and support."
Seymour said he was saddened by the incident: "There's no place whatsoever for any kind of physical violence.
"When people start resorting to this kind of violence, that's actually an attack on all of us and we should all be together."
However, Seymour criticised Davidson's view of politicians' role in the incident.
"Some people might think it's OK now to attack the other guy, that doesn't help."
On crime and justice
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson and ACT Party leader David Seymour joined Breakfast for a mini-debate. (Source: Breakfast)
Davidson and Seymour butted heads on the solution to current crime rates, with the Green Party leader pushing for social solutions while the ACT leader advocated for harsher punishments.
"I get it, people are feeling scared," Davidson said. "Every single day, I'm seeing what works.
"I'm seeing the experts on the ground who know that when we give people something to hope for, something to lose, a home, income, family that is strong, this is how we bring crime down."
She said these weren't only long-term solutions: "We're already seeing the results."
Seymour disagreed, putting his hand up to respond to Davidson's view.
"The premise of what Marama's saying is that until the state fixes everyone's problems, they can't help but commit crime," he said.
"Unfortunately, the experiment of the last five years of letting criminals out of prison – hoping if we're kind to them, they'll be kind back – has failed, with tragic circumstances for so many people and we now have criminals who know they can't be touched.
"Especially youth criminals, who know they face no ultimate consequence and they are just taking the mickey.
"You don't need to go and bash up a shop in order to make a TikTok video because you've had a tough life."
The pair spoke over each other again as Davidson said Seymour's argument is "dangerous" and intended to whip up "lazy ignorance".
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