Christchurch mayoral debate: NZ Herald live with Mauger and Meates at 5.30pm

The two candidates for Christchurch's top job face off at 5:30pm tonight. Photo / Supplied

Christchurch mayoral hopefuls David Meates and Phil Mauger will face off in a live debate on tonight, Tuesday September 27, as local body election voting is under way.

The debate will be hosted by the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the NZ Herald.

Meates and Mauger, the two top polling candidates in Christchurch, will each have the chance to make their case for why they should get the city's top job.

The debate will be hosted by Ryan Boswell and is free to attend. Those who can't make it to the Charles Luney Auditorium in St Margaret's College can watch it live on nzherald.co.nz, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

The debate will be business-focused and explore the objectives of the candidates in relation to the business community and the expectations outlined in The Chamber's Business Expectations of Local Government publication, in addition to an opportunity for public participation.

The forum, sponsored by Mint Design, is one of several initiatives undertaken by the local Chamber of Commerce ahead of this year's local body elections.

"Public participation in democracy is important and many of the issues that impact businesses are intertwined with those that impact the entire community. That is why The Chamber is doing its part to help our members and the public be well-informed in advance of the upcoming elections," says Leeann Watson, chief executive of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce.

"Every three years we have the opportunity to re-elect and refresh our local representatives, and it is important that voters are presented with sufficient information to make well-informed decisions."

Use the NZ Herald interactive below to find out more about the candidates: