Election 2026 Campaign Diary: Who is the next Leader of the Opposition? Hint: Not Luxon or Hipkins

Opinion bySenior Political Correspondent·NZ Herald·19 Oct, 2026 04:00 AM4 mins to readAudrey Young, Senior Political Correspondent at the New Zealand Herald based at Parliament, specialises in writing about politics and power.‌Barbara Edmonds, Kieran McAnulty, Erica Stanford, Chris Bishop. Photos/ Mark MitchellWelcome to the Campaign Diary in the week of the final leaders’ debates. One of the most memorable moments of last week’s leaders’ debate was when Ryan Bridge encouraged Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins to shake hands on the pledge to work together. It was memorable but a little meaningless