Rt Hon John Key

Rt Hon John Key has been the MP for Helensville since 2002. In November 2006, he was elected unopposed as leader of the National Party following the resignation of Dr Don Brash. He quickly stamped his mark on the party, moving it to the centre and adopting many of Labour’s popular policies. These included interest-free student loans and Working for Families, a tax credit system for low to middle income working families. Key has brought his own style to the role of prime minister.

 

He is not involved in his minister’s portfolios to the extent of Clark and her office. His preference is to leave ministers to run their own departments and ministries. This is empowering for the ministers, but also risks putting the government and himself on the back foot if a minister’s political management skills are not up-to-scratch. This has been the case on a number of issues, leaving Key to use some of his immense store of political capital to clean up.

 

Key has an acute sense of public sentiment and is unafraid to take a step back and retreat from a position if he suspects he does not have the nation’s backing. He is a pragmatist first and foremost, rather than being driven by any particular ideological bent. Undoubtedly, Key’s popularity is the major reason that the party continues to poll so highly. The success of the government is intimately tied to him – which is not surprising given the presidential style of politics in New Zealand in modern times. Key has a natural and easy rapport with people from all backgrounds. His self-deprecating humour, bad jokes, mangling of the English language, and the odd slip of the tongue are refreshing to most. His easy manner has apparently also served him well on the international stage, as he has built dt personal relationships with a number of major leaders. Key could not be described as a great orator, but he is genuine in his communications and possesses the ability to hit the right tone with audiences and convey the appropriate message. None of this should disguise the fact that Key is a ruthlessly driven and ambitious individual; evident in the speed of his ascendancy to the leadership of National and onwards to the role of prime minister.

 

When Hon Bill English was rolled as National leader, Key secured for himself the plum role of finance spokesperson despite having less than two years’ parliamentary experience. The seamless transition to the leadership position and effective side-lining of former leader Dr Don Brash – who reportedly had expectations of a role under Key – is another example. He is not afraid to make the tough calls when required to do so, and when they are in his interests. Key’s individual popularity and the party’s dependence on him means that he can achieve the rejuvenation in the ranks that any governing party requires, bringing fresh faces into Cabinet and Parliament. He will signal to MPs that either their time in Cabinet or caucus is up, and most will go quietly.

 

The opposition tried early on to label Key as lacking gravitas, as being a right-wing zealot and foreign policy novice, or not being up to the leadership job during a recession. They have attempted a number of times to dig the dirt on Key and each time have come up short. He has been labelled the ‘Teflon’ prime minister as nothing seems to stick to him. It is worth remembering that Clark was similarly described in this way, but the label eventually wore thin. Key’s life story is New Zealand’s version of the ‘American Dream’. He has actively cultivated his rags-to-riches background: his start in life featured a solo parent and state housing accomodation, yet he and his family now live in a Parnell mansion after a successful banking career. Arguably Key has tapped into the sentiment of a new generation that celebrates and desires success for itself and its children. While he has a level of wealth unimaginable to most, Key is still viewed as being an ‘everyday man’ which for Kiwis seems to be important. Key launched his investment banking career in the mid-80s.

 

After 10 years, he joined Merrill Lynch’s investment banking arm working in Singapore, London, New York and Sydney. Key was a member of the foreign exchange committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 1999 to 2001. He returned to New Zealand in 2001 to pursue a career in politics. His time away from New Zealand and relative inactivity prior to this means that he does not always appreciate the historical context when making decisions. This has both positive and negative aspects to it. Key has a BComm from the University of Canterbury. Born in 1961 he is married to Bronagh, with two children, Stephie and Max.

 

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