Moderator Paddy Gower took a back seat during the final debate. Labour leader Chris Hipkins and National leader Christopher Luxon interrupted more frequently as the exchange intensified. Gower rarely stepped in to curb either man. His restraint gave the party leaders room to press their points through repeated interjections. The analysis called that approach surprising for a moderator responsible for keeping the debate orderly. The choice shifted attention from prepared arguments to the clash between Hipkins and Luxon. Viewers were left with a disorderly contest in which the two politicians, rather than Gower, set much of the pace.