Labour leader Chris Hipkins is delivering his state of the nation address at an event in Auckland.
The speech is his first major scene setter at the start of election year.
National leader Christopher Luxon gave his state of the nation address back in January.
Luxon said there was "no room for extravagant election promises" and defended his economic management while setting the scene for National's pitch to voters in his address.
It’s not expected Hipkins will make any major policy announcements in his speech today, with the tone likely to focus on the current state of the economy.
It comes with the parties, and the leaders, closely tied in recent polls.
Hipkins drew level with Luxon in the preferred Prime Minister stakes in last week’s 1News Verian poll for the first time since just prior to the 2023 election.
Both leaders sat on 20%, with Luxon taking a 3% drop and Hipkins a 1% drop.
National was down 2% to 34%, losing the ground it made in our last poll in December.
Labour was also on the decline, falling by 3% down to 32% and losing the same ground it made up last time.
The right bloc of National, ACT and New Zealand First was still in a position to form a government based on the poll results.
The election will be held on November 7.
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