The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), cleaning up New Zealand's rivers, the value of our "clean green" image and the Rena oil spill were among the issues up for discussion when the candidates were asked about the environment.
The candidates were asked: "How important are environmental concerns such as climate change, dairying, deforestation and New Zealand's clean green image in your opinion and in your party's policy-making?".
Most agreed protecting the environment should play a major role for the government, but there was disagreement when it came to National's record during the past three years.
National Party candidates Michael Woodhouse and Joanne Hayes stood by their party's record on the environment, saying under the National-led Government rivers had been cleaned up, forests had been planted and work had been done to clean up toxic sites, including putting $15.2 million towards cleaning up the Tui mine in the Waikato.
Ms Hayes said National had encouraged green technology and introduced a moderate ETS.
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei disputed National's environmental record, saying "Michael is just not telling the truth".
"Our rivers are continuing to be degraded as a result of a failure by National and previous governments," Ms Turei said.
Both she and fellow Green Party candidate Shane Gallagher said New Zealand's "clean green image" was worth billions of dollars to the country's economy and needed to be protected.
Labour's Clare Curran and Alliance candidate Victor Billot criticised National over the Rena oil spill.
"You want to see the big white elephant in the corner of a room, well it's sitting up on a reef up in Tauranga," Mr Billot said.
Mr Billot said the oil spill was the result of deregulation, while Ms Curran was critical of how long it took the Government to respond to the situation.
Ms Curran questioned how much National cared about the environment saying: "The National Party as environmental crusaders - yeah right".
Labour candidate David Clark said Labour took environmental issues "very seriously" and was proud of its record when it was in government.
Act New Zealand candidates Kimberly Hannah and Guy McCallum said their party did not support taking "drastic measures" such as the ETS.
"We don't want to be a martyr at the sacrificial altar of climate change," Mr McCallum said.
Alliance candidate Kay Murray said her party also opposed the ETS, instead supporting a carbon tax, the proceeds of which could be used to mitigate some of the effects of climate change.
Restore All Things in Christ candidate Robert Wansink received a few jeers from the audience when he said "one soul is worth more than the whole environment".
Democrats for Social Credit candidates Warren Voight and Jeremy Noble said the environment must take precedence over profit.
Mr Noble said the protection of the environment started with teaching New Zealand's younger citizens about its importance.
United Future candidate Pete George said voters who cared about the environment should vote for his party, which would help give what would "most likely" be a National government more of an environmental focus.
Randall Ratana, of New Zealand First, said his party supported "sensible environmentalism" and the role of the state was to strike a balance between economic progress and environmental goals.
Julian Crawford, of the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party, said instead of encouraging people to plant pine trees the ETS should encourage people to plant hemp, which was much more economically viable and had many uses, including the production of biofuel.
- Vaughan Elder