Campaign top 10 moments

10. Shadowy Americans paying National for policies: This attack by Trevor Mallard and Phil Goff was the first sign of how feral the campaign would be. But the only US donor named, millionaire Julian Robertson, turned out to have been contributing to Labour as well.

9. National's tax cuts: The king-hit of the campaign, John Key's tax cut package outdid all expectations and put the Nats back in the game.

8. Working for Families boost: Timed a few days before National's announcement so every mention of the tax cuts package would have to be compared to the Working for Families bonuses, it was Labour's response to public dissatisfaction with Michael Cullen's 67c a week chewing gum tax cut.

7. Vandalism and kidnapping: Mafia-style politicking hit the Maori electorates, after Maori Party campaigners caught a 16-year old boy vandalising hoardings at John Tamihere's behest. He was held for seven hours and made to confess on video.

6. Petrol tax cut: Of course if was cynical opportunism. Of course it was a flip-flop after Brash's previous insistence it was unaffordable. But National's promise to lop 5c a litre off petrol excise was what motorists wanted to hear.

5. Student loans interest write-off: And this was even more cynical. Labour promised to write off interest at a cost of $300m a year, eventually revealed by Treasury costings as costing nearly $1b a year. Bank economists who challenged Labour's dodgy numbers were accused of bias.

4. No shouting at ladies: Brash's old-fashioned claim he had lost a television debate because he did not want to shout over a lady was welcomed by traditionalists, derided by everyone else.

3. Testicular candour sufferer: Tauranga challenger Bob Clarkson's promise to "bet my left testicle" on an All Black win prompted a sexual harassment complaint, and his crotch-clasping exploits didn't help.

2. Cockpit cock-up: When an Air NZ pilot blamed the Prime Minister over the intercom for delays to the flight, she was not amused - and she went up to the cockpit to tell him so. He publicly apologised, but it looked like Clark had flown off the handle.

1. Exclusive Brethren brouhaha: Members of the reclusive sect spent more than half a million dollars on leaflets attacking Labour and the Greens. Brash belatedly admitted advance knowledge. Then the Brethren were found to be using their children for dodgy phone canvassing.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY