Prime Minister John Key has been invited to Hampden to debate asset sales.
The invitation has come from Hampden Community Energy, a community group which has invited Mr Key to debates in the past but without success.
The latest invitation to Mr Key was issued last week, the group's secretary, Elizabeth Norton, said.
It asked him to select a team to debate the topic "The sale of all, or significant proportions of New Zealand state assets, will create more problems than it solves" on September 17.
The letter stated that because the subject was so important for all New Zealanders and the National Party was seeking a mandate at this year's general election, a top quality debate was warranted.
As a result, the team to represent Hampden and take the affirmative - asset sales would create more problems than they solved - would be Peter Hodgson (Labour Party), Chris Trotter (political commentator) and Kennedy Graham (Green Party).
In the invitation to Mr Key, Ms Norton said previous debates had been conducted "in good spirits to packed houses", and were both entertaining and informative.
However, on two previous occasions when the National Party had been invited to defend one of its policies, it had declined.
"Our sincere hope is that this time you will agree and enter into the spirit of the event," she said.
