Analysis: Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins are separated by one main difference, 1News political reporter Felix Desmarais writes from the campaign trail.
The bartender set him up.
At the White Swan Hotel today in Greytown, National leader Christopher Luxon poured likely one of the most abysmal beers the establishment - in its 20th year - has ever seen. The froth made up almost half of the beverage.
A pour from a different tap was markedly improved. Once Luxon moved on, the bartender quietly revealed to a few lingering journalists she'd deliberately - albeit good-naturedly - put him on the tougher tap to give him a proper challenge.
Still, not bad then considering the teetotaller Luxon probably doesn't practice pouring beers all that much.
The terrible pour prompted one jovial supporter to tell him to not quit his day job.
And it seems Luxon hasn't since the campaign began - looking at his schedule, it appeared Luxon hasn't had a single day off since it started. This was confirmed by Team National, who said some days had been quieter, and some not public-facing, such as preparations for debates, but every day was campaign day.
Looking at Labour leader Chris Hipkins' schedule, while he had scheduled days off they haven't eventuated in reality, according to those similarly in the know.
The two men - one of whom will be the prime minister after October 14 - seemed evenly matched for energy on the campaign trail today.
In the morning Luxon bought vinegar, honey and jerky at the Brewtown Sunday market in Upper Hutt, acquainting himself with voters, children and canines alike.
In Greytown at the White Swan, he met with 100-odd supporters, who seemed buoyed and genuinely excited by his presence.
"He can't leave a room without speaking to every person in it," one observer pointed out.
And lo, in the space of about 45 minutes to an hour, Luxon spoke to every single supporter who would have him, much to the gentle exasperation of the throng whose jobs it is to follow him around (and indeed, wait for him).
He's clearly an extrovert, and its his very non-secret weapon on the campaign trail.
Both parties held rallies today to try and amp up supporters.
He was roused, still, in miserable weather on the corner of a State Highway 2 and Number 1 Line east of Featherston, waving at every toot and even the held honks, the latter of which were less likely to be supportive uses of a car horn.
On that corner Luxon, alongside National transport spokesman Simeon Brown and Wairarapa candidate Mike Butterick, announced National, if elected would spend $30 million to reverse "blanket" speed limit reductions.
That's, for example, where 100kp/h speed limits have dropped to 80kp/h on some State Highways, or 30kp/h down from 50kp/h on local roads.
The changes - progressed by Waka Kotahi under the Labour Government - have been endorsed by transport researchers and street safety advocates as effective measures to help reduce the number of Kiwis killed and injured on the roads.
Hipkins said National must have missed the "memo" he'd already reduced the plan to impact only the top 1% of the most at-risk roads in New Zealand. He also said speed limits are decisions of Waka Kotahi, not the government.
National, when asked today, could not provide clear figures on how many deaths or serious injuries would result from its policy, besides from saying the relative benefits would be weighed up and that National was still committed to road safety. Speed is considered by most road safety experts to be a significant factor in the degree of injury.
National's policy, though, speaks to the heart of New Zealanders' concept of their rights on the road. Basically - we're used to driving 100kph on an open road, or 50kph on an urban street. Anything less than that feels painfully slow as it goes against the habitual.
Some, such as those in Labour, might consider the policy a shallow sugar-hit promise. But it's likely an effective one.
It's on those fronts battles are being won and lost, on how sellable a policy is, and how well sold it is.
Back beltway-side in Wellington, reports on the ground spoke of a Hipkins in a little, overheating bubble of Labour supporters at a campaign rally.
It's the rest of the public that need convincing, but perhaps those 'rallied' today will go out to do just that.
Hipkins reportedly seemed like he was firing on all cylinders. But that has not been Hipkins every day. He is naturally more of an introvert, less gregarious than Luxon, and not willing to be anything he isn't.
Luxon very much is - it's not fake - it's more that it's simply not something that comes naturally to Hipkins. In the theatre of a campaign, that can have an impact. It can make it look like Luxon is going 100kph when Hipkins' dial is on 80.
In Wellington, Hipkins announced Labour's new policy to boost public housing by 6000 more public homes by 2027 - on top of the 21,000 public and transitional homes "on track" to be delivered by 2025. It's delivered 13,000 public homes in its six years in government.
In terms of a track record, that's just shy of 2200 per year, but of course the pandemic impacted some of that. But between what its promising and what it has delivered is a difference of about 4500 homes.
Labour has delivered a boost to public housing, but over-promising and under-delivering on Kiwibuild means putting the words "Labour" and "housing" together may make some voters sceptical, perhaps unfairly.
But if it were delivered its a policy that would likely address some issues of inequity which for some is the the real bread and butter of public office.
An economic snowball seems to be thundering through the political landscape, however - revealed when Luxon bought a blue woolly hat back at that Upper Hutt market.
Vendors Andrew and Michelle - who didn't want their surnames used - told 1News they were "more inclined" this election to vote National than before.
Michelle said that was because some Labour policies, particularly around a lack of support when people were sick with Covid, put her and Andrew, who are on a low income, “in a pinch”.
She said it was other “little things”, like the price of petrol going up after Labour stopped subsidising its cost.
“We’re really fighting.
“If we make money today [at the market] we buy vegetables.
"If not, we live off what’s in the freezer.”
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