Things get personal

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: Lame attack ads, how the infiltration the Labour campaign launch backfired, who's got all the money and how are they spending it - and why did Christopher Luxon discard his ceremonial Pasifika necklace?

One week down in the election campaign proper, and the Raw Politics panel looks at who's got off to the best start.

The two main parties got diverted almost from the outset by so-called 'attack' ads and whether things are turning too personal already, but the content of most of the messages on display this week was both tame and lame.

National and Act continue to pull in the big bucks, with the blue side raking in almost four times as much as Labour in the $20,000-plus donations category, and the two parties of the centre-right are saturating the social media channels as Labour and the Greens deploy digital funds more tactically.

A reader question focused on one fleeting moment at National's launch, wondering why National leader Christopher Luxon removed a Pasifika necklace presented to him as a show of respect immediately before he strode on the stage to launch the party's campaign.

Every week, Newsroom editors and political journalists talk through the big issues and scrutinise politicians’ performances in a lively 25-minute show aiming to take viewers and listeners inside the actions and motivations of our elected leaders.

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