It was standing room only on Monday evening when about 160 people gathered in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery auditorium to hear all 16 Dunedin North and Dunedin South candidates answer questions on topics ranging from the economy and welfare to the environment and retirement.
Candidates were not given questions before the forum, giving voters the benefit of seeing those standing for election having to step out from behind their electioneering billboards to talk off the cuff.
Half the audience indicated at the start of the night they were undecided voters, but that reduced to a handful by the end of the evening.
It is significant result in an MMP party list environment, where comparatively small changes across several electorates can be the difference between the start or end of political careers.
The forum was organised by The Star and the Otago Chamber of Commerce and co-chaired by Star editor Helen Speirs and chamber chief executive John Christie.
Strong economic growth and the creation of more jobs emerged as the concerns for the majority of candidates when asked what the No 1 issue facing the people in their constituencies would be during the next three years.
Most candidates said creating more jobs and fostering economic growth during the next three years would be of the utmost importance, while the retention of services and securing education opportunities were also mentioned.
United Future Dunedin North candidate Peter George was roundly applauded for his comments.
"The biggest problem is apathy ... We need to work together to get a Dunedin voice, and it needs to be driven from Dunedin," he said.
Asked to outline their party's main policies to promote economic growth and increase business and employment opportunities, the candidates began by espousing common goals - more jobs, a stronger economy and a prosperous future for all.
But the paths to prosperity they promoted could not have been more different.
In the middle was National arguing the merits of asset sales and Labour those of a capital gains tax, while the diametrically opposed free-market and managed-economy viewpoints were forcefully put by Act New Zealand's Kimberly Hannah and Alliance's Victor Billot.
Lively debate was sparked by a question on the effectiveness and future of New Zealand's welfare system.
"The welfare system is a tough place to be right now, especially as the cost of living has gone up astronomically," Dunedin North Labour candidate David Clark said.
Most candidates agreed there were issues with the current welfare system, particularly around affordability, but policies and opinions on how to improve the situation varied widely.
Strengthening the economy, family support, restoring the training incentive allowance and support for vulnerable families were all put forward as solutions.
When asked about the environment, most candidates agreed the government should play a major role in its protection.
However, there was heated disagreement about National's record on the environment, with Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei accusing National candidate Michael Woodhouse of "just not telling the truth".
Labour's Clare Curran joined in by referencing the Tui ads saying: "The National Party as environmental crusaders - yeah right."
Questions from the floor raised issues such as the age of retirement, race-based representation and early childhood education.