Labour's Kieran McAnulty says his party would take New Zealand’s foreign policy focus away from the United States if elected, signalling a warmth to New Zealand’s largest trading partner, China.

Asked how a Labour-led government would approach its relations with the US, McAnulty said: “Well, we wouldn’t try [to] realign our foreign policy that goes disproportionately towards the US and away from our largest trading partner in China. We wouldn’t undermine our trade agreements in the EU and the UK by pulling back on our climate change commitments either.

“We saw yesterday with the results in the US that the American people wholeheartedly rejected the division and the toxicity that we’re seeing in their politics over there. We don’t want to be associated with that.”

National’s Nicola Willis says that if the coalition Government is re-elected and able to return the books to surplus, “then tax relief will follow”.

Hamilton-based receptionist Lisa asked politicians whether their party would commit to automatically adjusting income tax brackets annually in line with inflation.

Act’s David Seymour argued New Zealand had too many tax brackets, and his preference was to cut the top rates so that they didn’t need to be adjusted – although he warned the Government needed to balance the books first before introducing any tax cuts.
He then raised Act’s policy proposing to take tax off KiwiSaver, arguing the country needed more people opting in to voluntary saving.

But Willis, noting she was the first Finance Minister in 14 years to adjust tax brackets to account for inflation, hinted at further tax cuts if re-elected.

“Once I have these books in balance, which we will if we stick to our plan, then tax relief will follow.”

Act leader David Seymour and Labour MP Kieran McAnulty found a rare middle ground over their approach to fireworks sales.

In TVNZ's Q+A People’s Debate, Nelson-based fire alarm technician and dog owner Darren asked what parties would support a ban on the private sale of fireworks.

Politicians in support of a ban included Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong, Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick and NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones, who acknowledged his party had already introduced a private members’ bill on the matter.

National’s Nicola Willis was not in favour of a ban, but when Labour’s Kieran McAnulty - an ex-volunteer firefighter - was asked, he suggested a middle ground instead.

“I know how dangerous these are and I know how worried people are. But we restrict the time that we sell them.

“Why don’t we restrict the time that we can use them? Then they won’t go off at 1.30am on a random Tuesday and wake everybody up and annoy them. Choose certain times of the year that they can be used, so people can plan for it.”

Seymour agreed McAnulty had a point, jesting “at the risk to my political career”.

“Several years ago now, we had a petition supported by Auckland Council, by the firefighters, by the ambulance, by every independent expert and animal welfare rights experts as well, who all made the very clear points that we can still have these public displays,” Seymour said.

“But it is far too dangerous, as we see, for them to be used willy-nilly.”

New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones said Michael Laws’ remarks about Opportunity’s female candidates were “reckless and foolish”.

At the TVNZ People’s Debate, which puts questions from everyday Kiwis to senior politicians, Jones was asked by host Jack Tame what he made of Laws’ comments, in which he likened Opportunity’s female candidates to primary school teachers, called them “stern” and “entitled princess[es]“, and questioned what their faces would look like “post-sex”.

“Oh, it was a reckless and a foolish thing to have said,” Jones said.

“That remark has been very distractful. My leader Winston Peters has addressed it, and there’ll be more to be said about it no doubt after the election.

“But no, no one covered themselves in glory in that particular episode.”

Asked whether he’d still work with Laws in caucus, Jones said he’d “leave all that up to Winston”.

“He’s the leader, he allocates what responsibilities we may or may not have, subject to the dividend we enjoy after the counting is done on Saturday night.”

On his final stop of the day, National leader Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has rallied the troops in Rotorua.

Luxon was joined by local MP Todd McClay.

Luxon urged his supporters to turn out for the party and not to think about voting strategically.

The Prime Minister praised McClay for making farmers proud to farm again and for the India Free Trade Agreement.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has landed at Brothers Brewery in Mt Eden to greet a contingent of party supporters, including Labour president Jill Day and candidates Camilla Belich and Naisi Chen.

Labour supporters are gathering at a pub in Auckland’s Mount Eden.

Party faithful are sharing pints and glasses of wine at a large wooden table. Among those decked out in red Labour Party rainjackets and hats is Labour MP Camila Belich.

Outside the pub, a truck with a billboard on it shows a rainbow-spanned landscape, depicting a “perfect day” to vote and listing the party’s promises.

The old maxim that all publicity is good publicity is sometimes true when it comes to politics, but not for New Zealand First in the vital last week of the election campaign.

The women of New Zealand are talking about New Zealand First and candidate Michael Laws for all the wrong reasons, and that includes the women of New Zealand First who are “brassed off to beat the band”, leader Winston Peters says.

Laws’ transgression was in speculating about what an Opportunity Party candidate would look like after sex (he also noted in an apparent criticism that she wore hardly any makeup) and, as Ethan Manera reports, it wasn’t his first controversy.

Read the full story below:

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is getting in some sign-waving in South Auckland, being welcomed by a strong volley of toots at an intersection in Ōtāhuhu. 

He's joined by candidates Barbara Edmonds, Jenny Salesa, Lemauga Lydia Sosene and Willie Jackson.

The Platform’s founder Sean Plunket told Newstalk ZB’s Heather Du Plessis-Allan that New Zealand First candidate Michael Laws will not be hosting his daily show tomorrow because he injured himself over the weekend.

“He had a terrible fall on Sunday night,” Plunket said. 

“He smashed his right elbow and he hurt his left hand. He was in A&E on Monday. I tried to put the hard arm on him to come back this week, and obviously the events of the last day have had an impact, and I said to him to take the day.”

He continued by suggesting Laws had been cyber bullied since he made remarks about an Opportunity Party rival.

“I think when you’re cyber bullied the way he has been, probably that’s had an impact too. But I can’t speak for Michael on that. He just needed a day off – he’s done great work, so I gave him the day.”

Plunket said he would not fire Laws and expects him to be back on the air on Monday, but wouldn’t say whether he thought New Zealand First leader Winston Peters would remove him as an MP.

“I think Winston would look like he was bowing to the woke crowd if he did, but I don’t know all the information he’s had or what he’s dealing with.”