Assassination of John F. Kennedy
There had been an unusually large number of by-elections during the term of the 33rd Parliament. None of these had resulted in any upsets, and there was little indication for the population wanting a change. Holyoake started his election campaign on 4 November, not even a month out from the election. Whilst television had just been introduced in New Zealand, the election campaign was a dull affair. And from 23 November, the Assassination of John F. Kennedy was the dominant topic in the media.