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Jacinda Ardern has outfoxed opposition leader Judith Collins with a stirring performance in the third leaders debate of the New Zealand election campaign.

After lacklustre efforts in previous outings, the Labour leader showed both her stately and relatable sides on stage at James Hay Theatre in Christchurch on Tuesday night.

On topics as varied as climate change and 신촌 치과 electric vehicles, youth dental care and 신촌 치과 the COVID-19 lockdown, Ms Ardern had Ms Collins' measure.

And in a "The Price Is Right" round designed to test how in touch the two leaders are with everyday costs, Ms Ardern was able to name the cost of a Netflix plan.

"I believe it's about $11.99," she said, naming the monthly price to the cent.

Ms Ardern blundered on the price of a two-kilogram leg of lamb - offering $20 to Ms Collins' $28 - when the actual price is $42.

However, it didn't dent a strong night for Ms Ardern, who is heavily favoured to win a second term as PM in the October 17 election.

The popular 40-year-old looked more comfortable in a raucous town hall setting, with a crowd tilted in her favour, after two debates in a TV studio.

On COVID-19, Ms Ardern hit out at National's run of three leaders since May, saying "every leader we've have from National has had a different position and it's been wrong".

Ms Collins erred by offering Samoa as a better example of a country which locked down "hard and early", to use Ms Ardern's commonly uttered phrase.

The 61-year-old said the island nation, which has not recorded any cases of the virus, locked down a month earlier than New Zealand - in fact it locked down a day later.

Ms Ardern's best moment came while discussing poor dental outcomes for Kiwi kids.

Rather than attack her opponent, she accepted Ms Collins' point and then spelled out a specific policy prescription, leaving the otherwise-noisy opposition leader silent.

"We have to dig deeper about what is happening," she said.

"Our children aren't accessing free dental care and instead are having to go under anaesthetic to have them removed ... we need extra dental buses (and) we want an extra 20 to get into those communities and make that difference."

After the debate, Ms Ardern declined to declare victory, 신촌 치과 but said her showing was reflective of her government.

"What we're offering is a stable government with a plan and I think that was on display tonight," she said.

The fourth and final debate will be hosted by TVNZ on Thursday 15 October, two days before the election.