OPINION: And that, people, is what an election debate should look like. Plenty of spark, and relatively cordial but robust bickering. And the loser of the debate is quite possibly National leader Christopher Luxon - since it went some way to illustrating why Labour leader Chris Hipkins decided to start saying that Seymour and Peters would run rings around him, writes Herald political editor Claire Trevett.

"I'm beginning to pity Christopher Luxon," Wright said as she wrapped up the debate.

"It's like an arsonist dressed up as a fireman showing up at a fire saying he's going to fix it all, it's just not credible," Seymour said of Peters.

"Of course he will!" Peters said when Seymour was asked if he could work with Peters.

Davidson said there was no way Luxon would be able to control Seymour and Peters in government.

"Do people actually trust that Luxon is going to be able to manage these two, like for real," Davidson said while pointing at Seymour and Peters.

Seymour said ultimately he could make it work with Peters.

After a rambling response Seymour was unable to give a single bottom line before he was cut off again for running too long.

"You keep going round in circles," Ngarewa-Packer said to Seymour.

Peters called out a "lack of inexperience" in Seymour's comments, saying doing so would "paralyse the government".

"You've got to get adults in the room and leave the trousers on," Peters said of the need to work together while in government as he also took a shot at Act and the Greens for not having ministers in Cabinet.

Seymour said he was open to only entering a confidence arrangement with National, not necessarily including supply, if Act didn't get what it sought.

"I'm getting lost David, I'm getting lost," Wright said as Seymour attempted to explain how National and Act would work out their differences.

He deferred when asked if he could work with NZ First, with Wright calling time when he would not answer.

"I don't think it's fair to say that Act is on one issue," Seymour said when asked about his absolute bottom line.

"This lot has to go, they've done too much damage already," Seymour said of Davidson and Ngarewa-Packer's impact in government.

Ngarewa-Packer said a bottom line in any coalition negotiations would be a wealth tax. She said they would also seek to keep their intergenerational focus.

Halfway into the debate and it’s clear none of the panel are holding back and tensions are high between some of the opposing politicians.

There has been plenty of eye-rolling from Davidson and jaw-dropping responses to comments from Seymour, standing next to her, while she and Ngarewa-Packer appear to have found plenty of common ground with two high-fives throughout.

Seymour and Peters meanwhile, staged the farthest apart and potentially for good reason, have also found plenty to butt heads about, despite canvassing similar territory.

Peters has consistently sought to one-up Seymour, including in his comments about prisons saying rather than simply increase the population gangs should be outlawed and all of them locked up.

The audience is clearly being kept very entertained, with plenty of laughs and even the odd jeer.

Peters was being interrogated on his view that white collar criminals shouldn't be in jail because it costs too much and should be working six days a week. Davidson and Ngarewa-Packer both criticised that view while Wright challenged Peters on why victims of white collar crime shouldn't see the perpetrators in prison.