Winston Peters to participate in first major election debate
Thursday 24 September 2026 · 3 outlets · 3 reports · updated In this story Winston Peters, ACT Party, David Seymour, NZ First, Rawiri Waititi, Chlöe Swarbrick
Winston Peters will join four other party leaders in The Press Kingmakers’ Debate on 1 October. The livestreamed event will feature leaders from the Greens, ACT, Opportunity, and Te Pāti Māori as part of the 2026 election campaign.
Key facts
4 facts
- The Press Kingmakers' Debate will be held on 1 October in Auckland
- The debate will be livestreamed from 7.30pm on stuff.co.nz, thepost.co.nz, and thepress.co.nz
- Five leaders will participate: Winston Peters, David Seymour, Chlöe Swarbrick, Qiulae Wong, and Rawiri Waititi
- The general election is scheduled for 7 November
The full story
1 min read · 3 outlets
Winston Peters will participate in The Press Kingmakers’ Debate alongside four other party leaders. The event is scheduled for 1 October in Auckland and will be livestreamed from 7.30pm. Peters, the NZ First leader, will face David Seymour of ACT, Chlöe Swarbrick of the Greens, Qiulae Wong of Opportunity, and Rawiri Waititi of Te Pāti Māori.
The debate will be moderated by Jenna Lynch and Andrea Vance. An interactive tool called 'The Worm' will allow the online audience to rank the leaders' performances in real time. Following the one-hour broadcast, an expert panel including Samantha Hayes, Matthew Hooton, Kamala Hayman, and Māni Dunlop will provide analysis.
Originally, NZ First had planned to send deputy leader Shane Jones to the debate, but Peters has since confirmed his own attendance. This event precedes a later debate on 20 October between Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Where reports differ
- One report notes that NZ First originally intended to send deputy leader Shane Jones instead of Peters
Compiled from reports by Stuff, The Press and The Post.
