In June 1984, a drunk Robert Muldoon surprised many by calling a snap election to be held in one month's time on July 14.
The last-minute snap election, which Muldoon would go on to lose, raised concerns about how little time the parties had to prepare, to which Muldoon infamously slurred "doesn't give my opponents much time to run up to an election, does it".
Clearly, that was the whole point.
The announcement came at a time when Muldoon's National government was well behind in the polls. The party was uncertain about whether they could still command a majority in Parliament, which sparked the idea in Muldoon to move the election forward.
He'd hoped it would give him an advantage and hinder his opponents.
His plan backfired though, as his intoxication earned the nickname "schnapps election" and sped Muldoon's time in power to an end. It would mark Muldoon's most significant and final political gamble as his nine-year reign as Prime Minister came to an end.
The opposing Labour Party went on to win with 46% of the vote, with National picking up 36%. New Zealand's next Prime Minister was David Lange.
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TVNZ's cameras were at Parliament to capture this moment in 1984.
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