NZ Election 2020: Politicians spend Sunday at markets, malls on the campaign trail

Jacinda Arden released the party's waste policy in central Auckland.
Jacinda Arden released the party's waste policy in central Auckland. Photo credit: RNZ / Jane Patterson

It might have been a Sunday, but with less than three weeks until the election, the campaign trail was still in full swing with politicians out and about across the country.

So what have they been up to? There was a fair bit of attention on Auckland, with Labour, National and New Zealand First and the Greens in or around the city.

Labour's been the only party to announce policy, with its promise to phase out hard-to-recycle plastics by 2025 and standardise kerbside recycling if re-elected.

Party leader Jacinda Ardern and environment spokesperson David Parker released the party's waste policy in central Auckland on Sunday morning.

Ardern took some time to speak to volunteers involved in beach clean-ups, and asked about what impact the Government' single-use plastic bag ban - introduced last winter - had made.

She talked about engaging with ex-pat New Zealanders during the campaign, saying that with a lot of information being shared and engaged online, that community of Kiwis had as much access to that as those at home.

NZ First spend the day in Auckland's north - first heading to the Kumeu Market before heading east to the Westfield mall in Albany.

NZ First spend the day in Auckland's north - at the Kumeu Market and Westfield mall in Albany.
NZ First spend the day in Auckland's north - at the Kumeu Market and Westfield mall in Albany. Photo credit: RNZ / Anneke Smith

Peters scanned into the Westfield Albany mall, wearing his trademark campaign black turtleneck, before cruising the shop aisles.

He bumped into a man he formally played rugby against and was occasionally stopped by people asking for a photo with him.

One young man approached Peters with his camera filming to ask him about his policy on slashing tobacco tax.

National Party leader Judith Collins was in Clevedon, to Auckland's south-east.

She was on on the market round with Hunua MP Andrew Bayly and National's Takanini candidate Rima Nakhle.

Collins arrived at the Clevedon Farmers Market dressed head to toe in National Party merchandise, tote bag included.

She took a stroll through the market; speaking to stallholders and filling her tote with olive oil, tomatoes, bread and meat.

One man asked Collins to sign her book Pull No Punches while she shared small talk with another about farmers having it tough.

Judith Collins at the Clevedon Farmers Market.
Judith Collins at the Clevedon Farmers Market. Photo credit: RNZ / Anneke Smith

Collins took the time to have a jab at Labour's recycling policy announcement, too.

She claims small businesses will have to foot the bill of any new waste policy, and thinks what's been announced on Sunday is a rehash of what was promised last election.

The Greens leaders split with James Shaw in Dunedin and Marama Davidson, Auckland.

In Auckland, rain put an end to Davidson's plans for a picnic on Owairaka Mount Albert while Chlöe Swarbrick had a pub politics event with other local candidates lined up for the evening.

ACT has spent the day in Christchurch, with a mid-afternoon campaign rally.

Party leader David Seymour used his speech to promote his party candidate, Brooke van Velden, as the "future face" of ACT.

He took more than a few shots at Labour and a couple at National, saying it has "never reversed Labour policy" since 1949.

He also profiled his other party candidates - ones that might make it in to Parliament if ACT gets the sort of support on election day as polling would suggest it has - 7 percent, going by last week's TVNZ Colmar Brunton poll.

RNZ