Luxon and Hipkins clash over tax, cost of living and immigration in first debate
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins faced off in the first televised 1News leaders' debate ahead of the November seventh general election. Moderated by Jack Tame, the encounter highlighted sharp divisions on capital gains tax, healthcare funding, and migration, while new polling suggests a deadlocked parliament. Also in this briefing: a new NZIER report warns that youth unemployment for fifteen- to nineteen-year-olds has surged to twenty-five point three percent.
Listen in the Fylom app.
1News Leaders' Debate (October 6, 2026)
1News Verian Poll Results (October 6, 2026)
NZIER Insight 131: 'Locked out in a perfect storm? What's behind the youth employment crisis?'
General Election Date: November 7, 2026
- 01Intro1 min
- 02Luxon and Hipkins clash over tax, cost of living and immigration in first debate: The Encounter2 min
- 03Luxon and Hipkins clash over tax, cost of living and immigration in first debate: The Stakes2 min
- 04One in four teenagers is now unemployed, NZIER warns2 min
- 05Outro1 min
- Luxon v Hipkins debate reaches more than a million New Zealanders
- Luxon 'looking forward to' Leaders Debate, Hipkins vows he's PM-in-waiting
- Luxon vs Hipkins: TVNZ confirms live election Leaders Debate
- Leaders debate: Luxon, Hipkins fire up over cost of living, trust, racism
- Hipkins favoured over Luxon 49%-24% after first TVNZ leaders’ debate – The NZ Today
- facebook.com
- Chris v Chris: Hipkins takes the win while both struggle to win over voters | The Spinoff
- Locked out in a perfect storm? What’s behind the youth employment crisis? NZIER Insight 131
- New zealand youth unemployment nzier crisis
- Teen unemployment tops 25% as entry-level hiring shrinks, report finds
- Untapped youth labour increases as baby boomers experience strongest job growth
- Youth unemployment at crisis level and ai may mean recovery is tough nzier says
Fylom generates episodes like this on any topic you're curious about.
Fylom episodes are researched, written, and voiced by AI. Automated checks help catch inaccuracies, but episodes aren't reviewed by a human and AI can still get things wrong. Treat them as a starting point, not a source of record — more in our accuracy disclaimer.