Election Aotearoa continues its exclusive coverage of the Māori electorates and this week features candidates from the country's southern-most Māori electorate of Te Tai Tonga.
In part one of tonight's debate, candidates Rino Tirikatene from Labour, Metiria Turei from the Green Party and Mei Reedy-Taare from the Māori Party discuss the latest #ElectionAotearoa poll results.
The electorate includes Wellington and parts of the Hutt Valley in the North Island and spans the entire South Island, also drawing in Rakiura/Stewart Island and Rēkohu/Chatham Islands.
The exclusive Māori Television poll reveals Tirikatene as a clear front-runner at 57.1% of voters, the Māori Party's Mei Reedy-Taare on 22.1%, closely followed by Metiria Turei from the Green Party on 20.7%.
Presenters Heta Gardiner and Oriini Kaipara quiz the candidates on the poll, including asking Turei how serious she is about becoming the electorate's next MP after she delivers a "new message" during the debate calling for voters to also give her their electorate vote.
The presenters also ask Reedy-Taare whether she can back up talk of ending Labour's dominance when she trails significantly in the poll.