National continued to face pressure to release the modelling behind its tax plan in a set piece finance debate, but Labour was hit with persistent questions at the growth of spending this term.

Labour’s Grant Robertson, National’s Nicola Willis, the Greens’ James Shaw and Act’s David Seymour scrapped at the ASB Great Debate in Queenstown moderated by Jack Tame tonight, one of the bigger finance debates of the election.

In a day when National was accused of having a $2.1 billion hole in the costings of its tax policy, Willis came under pressure to release the modelling behind the plan, which National had not yet done.

Robertson, armed with a copy of the plan, waved it to Willis and the crowd, telling Willis there were no calculations on the foreign buyers’ ban page of her tax policy.

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“I just wanted to put a little bit of happiness in the community.”

That is how the artist who Barbie-fied an Act Party campaign hoarding has described his latest brushwork.

The artist hoped turning Act Party leader David Seymour into a buff Ken lookalike with a headband and sleeveless denim jacket would make people smile.

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The economic credentials of the four biggest parties will be on show tonight at the ASB Great Debate in Queenstown.

Labour’s Grant Robertson, National’s Nicola Willis, Act’s David Seymour and the Greens’ James Shaw will argue the relative merits of their respective plans for the economy while trying to dent the credibility of their opponents.

It is usually a loud and lively affair with a very engaged audience who have submitted questions for the speakers.

Tonight’s debate, starting at 7pm, will include Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers and ASB chief executive Vittoria Shortt, and will be moderated by TVNZ’s Jack Tame.

As the criticism grows for National's tax plan - will it have an impact on their performance in the polls, or are voters going to pick tax cuts even if we don't know how they'll be paid for? Listen to the latest election analysis on the new episode of On the Campaign.

Health spokesman Dr Shane Reti said today he was unsure what the nutrition rating system could be replaced by, but there were better models being developed overseas that New Zealand could adopt.

“It’s not clear to me anymore that it’s fit for purpose,” Reti said at a political debate in Auckland this afternoon.

“I think the star rating system needs to be looked at. Australia’s starting to move in other directions, and I think we just need to rethink how we make it easy for [consumers] to make the best choice and the right choice.”

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Act leader David Seymour said he hopes to be able to release an updated fiscal plan on Tuesday.

Seymour has been releasing alternative budgets to detail what Act would do were it to sit on the Treasury benches.

These take into account the most recent government forecasts. In light of this week’s Prefu, which showed Treasury continuing to forecast economic deterioration, Seymour said he would revisit the plan and see what Act could afford to do.

Its last alternative budget promised large tax cuts funded by large spending cuts. The spending cuts were larger than the tax cuts, allowing Seymour to get the books back into surplus faster.

“In light of everything that has changed, I think it would be worth revisiting and that's what we intend to do and we hope to be able to release numbers on Tuesday,” Seymour said.

When asked about criticism of the credibility of National’s plan, Seymour said the main problem was that it did not cut enough spending.

“If I have a difference with the Nats’ plan, there's not enough reduction in spending and there's far too much wasteful spending,” Seymour said.

“Before you cut taxes, you’ve got to cut spending,” Seymour said.

“I just think we may have to look at what sort of expenditure reductions are possible given the cost pressures, given the reduced operating allowances,” Seymour said.

Todd Stephenson is fourth on Act’s list and is standing in Southland. 

He moved to Queenstown four weeks ago but has had a home there for much longer than that. 

On his preferred portfolio as a Cabinet Minister under a National-Act government, he deferred to whatever Seymour saw fit.

Photo / Derek Cheng

One of Labour's longest-living supporters has given the party leader a shot in the arm urging him to take down the "Tories" who have done nothing “for the working man."

Chris Hipkins stopped off at the Rūnanga home of Nan Dixon, 91, as part of his West Coast tour - a bit of a pilgrimage for Labour leaders of old.

Dixon has voted Labour all of her life and has photos of herself with Jacinda Ardern, David Cunliffe and David Shearer lining her walls.

Asked who was her favourite, Dixon was diplomatic. “Anybody who is Labour.”

Dixon put on a spread of baking for Hipkins and the travelling party.

Dixon said she was a "bit worried" about the "other guy" - Christopher Luxon - getting in.

"I’ve never known what the Tories did for the working man."

Dixon is the mother of Allan Dixon, one of the 29 men who died in the Pike River mining disaster in 2010.

Hipkins’ last visit on the Coast was to the Punakaiki café before a walk around the pancake rocks and blowholes.

It was a wild sea but the low tide meant the blowholes were not performing at their best.

Hipkins took the opportunity to take a dig at the Opposition, pointing at the holes in the rocks and saying to media, “those are just like the holes in the National Party’s tax cut plan!”

He finished the day with fulfilling a childhood dream: sitting in a digger.

Construction workers finishing a path outside the café offered Hipkins the opportunity to sit in the digger, which he merrily accepted.

He posed for photos but said he was “too scared” to have a go at the controls and mess up the semi-fresh concrete.

On a plot of picturesque farmland in the Canterbury town of Kirwee, around 50 farmers stood in eager anticipation as National Leader Chris Luxon unveiled his blueprint for the future of the primary sector.

The plan says it involves “encouraging investment in water storage and food production to increase productivity and reduce food price pressures.”

During the media stand up, reporters were disrupted by the farmers, who yelled "give it a break" when Luxon faced questions from journalists about his tax scheme.

Photo / Pierre Nixon