Audrey Young: When gloves come off, it's all Clark

An alien wandering into the TV3 leaders debate last night would not have picked which one was the New Zealand Prime Minister, so demure was Helen Clark, so saccharine sweet were the leaders trying to be to one another.

By the second half, there could have been no doubt. They stopped trying to say words like family, innovation, community and tax cut and, when it got down to it, Helen Clark dominated with ease.

More importantly, she dominated the match within the match - the first live encounter between her and Don Brash since he became National Party leader in October 2003.

Brash made too many errors for the balance to be otherwise - calling himself a "listener" rather than "leader" with his opening line, referring to student loans being tax deductible for pre-schoolers, and leaving out the minor detail from his party's state assets policy.

But detail matters, and it gave Helen Clark something to seize on. Yes, it was only a few farms and a minority shareholding in the coal company that National plans to sell, but she disclosed it, not him.

That is a damaging look for National, which has spent the past two weeks batting off claims it has a hidden agenda.

Dr Brash did well considering he has never appeared in such a forum, but that isn't the test.

He has to do well compared to pros like Act leader Rodney Hide, who shone, and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.