Newshub's Paddy Gower says National and Labour's leaders are gutless for refusing to debate their colleagues in the minor parties.

He will moderate the show-down between Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins in Auckland tonight, after last week's TVNZ debate.

Gower says it's important for the pair to face-off, but it seems a bit historic that the other leaders won't be there.

"We know that whoever forms a Government, particularly this time around, is going to need 1 or 2 of those other parties- and they're going to be quite big. It's not just about these two main guys."

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