On July 26th 1984, David Lange was sworn in as the 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand.

His ascension into the country’s top job came after Robert Muldoon’s infamous snap election ended his nine years in power.

Best remembered for enshrining New Zealand’s nuclear free status, Lange also oversaw controversial economic policies that ultimately divided his caucus, and saw his time on the ninth floor only last five years.

With this Ruby Jubilee prompting reflections on Lange’s leadership and the legacy of the fourth Labour government, today on The Front Page we’re joined by one of the few journalists who was there at the time and is still working today, Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent, Barry Soper, and Victoria University of Wellington politics professor Lara Greaves. 

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Sound Engineer: Paddy Fox
Producer: Ethan Sills

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