Moments of Truth The New Zealand General Election of 2014

The 2014 general election was surely the most bizarre election campaign in New Zealand’s history. Moments of Truth tells the story of a campaign in which NSA leaker Edward Snowden and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange join Kim Dotcom in New Zealand for a televised ‘moment of truth’ that threatens the future of Prime Minister John Key’s government. At the end of the day John Key remains the country’s prime minister – how, after all the tumult and confusion, did that happen? The contributors to Moments of Truth seek to provide some answers and insights into an election unlike any before it.

Jon Johansson is a senior lecturer in political science and international relations at Victoria University of Wellington. He is the author of Two Titans and US Leadership in Political Time and Space, as well as editor of a special issue on ‘political leadership in New Zealand’ for Political Science. He has contributed to four previous books in this series. Stephen Levine is a professor of political science at Victoria University of Wellington. He has co-edited (and contributed to) books about each of New Zealand’s elections under MMP.