What to expect in the leaders’ debates

A muted election campaign means the upcoming leader debates take on more significance than ever, says a veteran political insider.

‘‘I think they’re always important, but this time they could be more important,’’ pollster and previous Labour campaigner Stephen Mills told Tick. Tick, Stuff’s election podcast.

With the pandemic response limiting politicians’ options and restricting crowd sizes, there are fewer opportunities for leaders to create memorable ‘‘moments’’. ‘‘All those moments have been filtered out of the campaign to date. I think Covid has also suppressed the political rhetoric a bit as well, so people are being more careful and polite,’’ Mills said.

That puts more pressure on the leader debates, which begin tomorrow, with round one hosted by John Campbell on TVNZ featuring Labour’s Jacinda Ardern against National’s Judith Collins.

Round two, on Three, hosted by Patrick Gower, is on September 30, followed by The Press-Stuff debate hosted by Luke Malpass and Kamala Hayman on October 6. The final square-off is back on TVNZ on October 15, hosted by Jessica Mutch McKay. Behind in the polls, National will be looking to make use of the debates to create momentum, says Mills, executive director of UMR Research.

‘‘They almost need a king hit, which is really hard, but they certainly need a win much more than Labour does.’’

Tick. Tick: Stuff’s 2020 election podcast is hosted by Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham