20 Sep 2023

Two Chrises back on campaign with renewed energy after debates

From Checkpoint, 5:28 pm on 20 September 2023

The two men vying to be Prime Minister have ventured back out on the campaign trail with renewed energy after last night's televised face-off.

The first leaders' debate was a sometimes scrappy, but ultimately unspectacular affair.

Chris Hipkins emerged today with some fierce rhetoric, while Christopher Luxon fended off questions about coalitions.

And late this afternoon Labour leader Chris Hipkins has corrected an answer he gave in last night's debate.

He said the government had banned fizzy drinks in primary schools.

However, they didn't. When he was education minister, the government consulted on it.

Mr Hipkins says he asked the Ministry of Education to do some further work on it, and that was late last year.

Labour's election policy is to ban fizzy drinks in primary and secondary schools.

Here's our deputy political editor Craig McCulloch.