Decision 17: What will be served up at the Newshub Leaders Debate?

Here's what to expect from the Newshub Leaders' Debate on Monday night at 8:30pm.

Atmosphere

The Newshub Leaders' Debate will be conducted in front of a crowd of hundreds of undecided voters, with Patrick Gower pushing the leaders on what they'll be doing to sway that audience their way.

A zinger

Nobody landed a solid blow in the debate we've seen so far. But after round one they'll be locked up in training camps perfecting their swings so someone can land a body blow in the rematch. Expect a gotcha moment.

'I've been very transparent'

This is Jacinda Ardern's "at the end of the day" - a stalling line with substance. She'll say it multiple times, especially when it comes to tax.

A classic Kiwi anecdote

...Or seven from Bill English telling us about all the Kiwis he's meeting on the campaign trail. In the last debate we heard him speak about the meatworkers at Horotiu and how they'd be better off with National's tax cuts than Labour's social spending.

It kind of backfired though - we went back to the meatworkers, and they actually like Labour's policy. Better anecdote next time. 

Debating

Actual debating. The debate last week had little interaction between the two leaders - they didn't really engage. That's partly because the pair needed to get a feel for each other. Now they know what they're up against and they'll be bringing their A-game.

Newshub.