The Prime Minister said she has called an early election for July 27 because the current parliament has run its course.
Helen Clark told Paul Holmes that there is no crisis but she has felt since the time of the break up of the Allance that the government needed to seek a new mandate from the people.
"My objective was to get the budget through, get the confidence on that and then move on," Clark said.
Describing the recent scenes in parliament as a farce, the Prime Minister said it was her judgement that to sit for the next two and a half months would have achieved little. She said being in a minority government meant it was a struggle to get agreement for urgency and there was a tremendous backlog of very worthy legislation.
Earlier she said that in recent months events in the Alliance had brought it to breaking point.
Clark said she believes the government has put in place sustainable growth for the future and that the coalition has run the economy very well.
The Prime Minister denied that she was calling the election because of her current 50% showing in opinion polls.
"It isn't an issue of win now or in October or November. It's an issue about getting a programme through in an orderly way," Clark told Holmes.
It is only the third time in New Zealand electoral history that a government has gone early.
And Clark is largely blaming the break-down of her coalition partner and opposition tactics for her decision to bring the poll forward.
"It is clear to me that time wasting by the opposition will continue to obstruct the passage of important legislation until the election is called."
But National Party leader Bill English said all the opposition has done is point out the Prime Minister's hypocrisy in passing party hopping legislation then endorsing a party hopper.
"Clark got a bit irritated about being held to account. The real problem in parliament is that she and Anderton campaigned against party hopping and then arranged parliament so that Anderton could party hop," English told Holmes.
"That's hypocrisy and we held the government to account."
English said the National Party has not been waiting round and that he has received strong support while out on the road talking to members of the public.
"Helen Clark and Labour have run out of things to do and are starting to have to grapple with real problems like the teachers' strike," he said.
And English told Holmes he is confident that the support he has been experiencing first hand will be reflected in future polls.
"There is no way Labour will end up governing on its own," English said.
The Alliance and the Greens also say that there was no need for an early election.
The Alliance factions and other parties had pledged support for the Clark government to continue.
"The Prime Minister has decided she no longer wishes to continue that arrangement for the full term of this parliament. That was a decision for her alone," Alliance Party leader Laila Harre said.
And Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons emphasised that the party was still supporting the government on confidence and supply.
"They have our assurance that that would last for the full term of the government so there is no reason to go early," Fitzsimons said.
Promised a job if Labour wins, Anderton was accepting some responsibility.
"If there's blame to go around I'll take my share of it," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Meanwhile, the PM's announcement in Wellington drew an almost instant response in Auckland as dozens of election hoardings went up in the afternoon.
