Created by Bob Jones, the New Zealand Party came out of nowhere to gain 12% of the vote in 1984 election and be instrumental in the defeat of Robert Muldoon's government. But it did not win any seats and with a change of government Jones became less and less engaged and quite quickly put the party into "recess". This full study of the rise and fall of one of the country's most influentual, and brief, minor parties is supported by interviews with many of the leading players and access to Jones's private material.