At the Manawatū Business Chamber's meet the candidates event on Thursday are (from left) Mike Harnett (Act), Ankit Bansal (National), Tangi Utikere (Labour) and Bernard Long (Greens). Photo / Judith Lacy
As the disco ball reflected peacock blue light around the bar, National candidate Ankit Bansal launched his zinger of a question.
What was Labour candidate Tangi Utikere going to do when he was no longer Palmerston North’s MP come October 15?
The purple fluorescent lights did their thing as Utikere replied he had enjoyed his previous career as a teacher.
It is unlikely Utikere will need to return to the classroom as the electorate has not elected a National MP since 1975.
Also at the Manawatū Business Chamber’s meet the candidates event on Thursday were Act’s Palmerston North candidate Mike Harnett and the Greens’ Rangitīkei candidate Bernard Long.
Long was standing in for the Greens’ Palmerston North candidate Teanau Tuiono.
The four men showed plenty of passion and public speaking chops in what is believed to be the last debate of the campaign in Palmerston North.
MC Stefan Speller changed up the usual debate format for the event hosted by the Masonic Hotel.
Each candidate was allowed to ask one question of another candidate of their choosing.
Long asked Utikere to name an issue he had not been able to deal with this term but would like to in the next term. Utikere replied focusing on playing to the region’s strengths and that investment flows through.
Utikere asked Bansal if he knew who Winston Peters was.
This was in reference to National leader Christopher Luxon saying “I don’t know him” when asked if he thought the New Zealand First leader was good or bad for the country. The question came during the Newshub Leaders’ Debate on Wednesday.
Bansal said he didn’t know Peters personally but had seen him on TV.
Harnett asked Bansal what was the first thing he would do if he became Palmerston North’s MP.
A member of the 30-strong audience suggested “faint”, but Bansal said he would thank the community and then start knocking on fellow MPs’ doors.
Each candidate was asked to name an inspirational Palmerston North resident who should be more well-known.
Their answers were Paul O’Brien (Long), Jill White (Utikere), Susan Baty (Bansal) and Deryck Rowse (Harnett).
Bansal, who started campaigning full-time in March, said he had met nearly 5500 people in Palmerston North since then.
National would remove red tape and have businesses’ backs as it knew the struggles they were going through.
Long said people are suffering, the planet is suffering and wealth is out of balance. An audience member later referred to the Greens as the “green with envy party”.
Utikere said he was proud since Labour came to power in 2017 it had increased the minimum wage every year and would continue to do so until it reached parity with the living wage.
He warned of massive unemployment in the city as National and Act wanted to slash the public sector.
Harnett said Act wanted to reduce bureaucracy in Wellington to 2017 levels.
Long and Utikere said the left was not soft on crime.
Long said a lot of anti-social behaviour was driven by people in need and despair with nothing to lose. Poverty is a political decision not a natural law like gravity.
Utikere said Labour had increased the number of police on the beat and local police had told him they had the tools they needed.
Bansal said victims should be at the heart of the justice system.
Harnett said police were sick of “catch and release” and under Act prisoners would need to rehabilitate before they could get out of jail.
He said Act would take a chainsaw to the Resource Management Act and the Ministry for Primary Industries. Farmers were telling him they were not making any money - that had to change.
Bansal said there was massive potential to commercialise the research happening at Massey University.
Utikere said he met frequently with Rangitīkei National MP Ian McKelvie as they knew what is good for the city is good for the region and vice versa.
Their meetings at Copperfield’s Cafe at Parliament drew a few raised eyebrows. Utikere said he is committed to working across the political aisle.
Candidates representing parties polling at 5 per cent or more were invited to speak.
Police said those involved were known to each other.