Memorable moments from past Leaders' Debates

The highly anticipated Leaders' Debates are popular throughout New Zealand every election season. They're key moments in Kiwis' decisions on who to give their vote to, which issues they're focusing on, and how they'll tackle them.

They're moments of great importance, and with that come many iconic moments as the leaders of the two main parties go head-to-head.

In 1984, Robert Muldoon concluded his debate against David Lange with potentially the most bizarre parting line in debate history: "I love you, Mr Lange." There were a lot of conspiracies around why the often aggressive Muldoon said this comment but the reason may never be known. It came only three weeks after Muldoon drunkenly called for a snap election on live television, causing the election to be nicknamed the "schnapps election".

This debate largely saw Lange with the edge, but, at moments, Bolger was able to drive his attack lines back, especially around preschool education.

In the 1993 Debate, Jim Bolger took to the stand to address the audience in his opening statement. Bolger openly admitted his party's failings over their three-year term which got a big reaction from the crowd. It was so loud, that Bolger had to pause his statement multiple times as the crowd jeered on.

To make matters worse, the debate was held in Bolger's hometown of Te Kuiti, and the booing was coming from a home audience.

John Key tells a comical story about his and Helen Clark's relationship when asked by a member of the public if the two of them are friends outside of the Beehive in their 2008 debate. "For example, would you be seen at the same Christmas party or even sneaking each other a Christmas card?" Key later answered that he doesn't think they will be exchanging Christmas cards.

2017's election looked set to return Labour to a fourth term in opposition. Just seven weeks out from the election, the party changed leader to Jacinda Ardern. She would of course beat Bill English shortly after their debates, ending National's nine-year reign. Ardern claimed National had been failing to improve child poverty and hit him with the burn: "You discovered poverty last week, that's what happened."

Judith Collins infamous "Talofa" from her 2020 debate received backlash on social media. Some people viewed her comment as "weaponising" her husband's ethnicity. Collins said this in response to a question asking how she planned to help keep children in schools when they are pressured to provide for their families financially.

Tune into this election's first Leaders' Debate between Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon on September 19 at 7pm on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+.