69-654: Leader of the National Party Leader of the Opposition Prime Minister General elections Sir John Phillip Key GNZM AC (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th prime minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as leader of the National Party from 2006 to 2016. Following his father's death when he was eight, Key was raised by his single mother in
138-575: A major earthquake in Christchurch the nation's second largest city significantly affected the national economy, the government formed the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority . In its second term, Key's government implemented a policy of partial privatisation of five state-owned enterprises , while voters in a citizens-initiated referendum on the issue were 2 to 1 opposed to the policy. He also faced
207-619: A presidential memorandum to withdrawing the United States' signature from the agreement, making its ratification virtually impossible. In February 2016, Key reached an agreement with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to grant New Zealanders living in Australia a pathway to citizenship if they were earning five times over the average wage. As a result of this agreement, the Australian Government introduced
276-745: A severe housing crisis , especially in Auckland, and was widely criticised for a perceived lack of action. In foreign policy, Key withdrew New Zealand Defence Force personnel from their deployment in the war in Afghanistan , signed the Wellington Declaration with the United States and pushed for more nations to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership . Key was born in Auckland to George Key (1914–1969) and Ruth Key (née Lazar; 1922–2000) on 9 August 1961. His father
345-614: A "strong and solid win" for his party. The Prime Minister re-negotiated confidence and supply agreements with United Future, the ACT Party and the Māori Party, to secure a second term of government. In 2012, Key was implicated in the arrest of Kim Dotcom and the subsequent revelations that the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) had illegally spied on Dotcom. As prime minister, Key
414-409: A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch , causing widespread damage to the city region and significantly affecting the national economy. It was New Zealand's third deadliest natural disaster , killing 185 people. Addressing the nation, Key said that the disaster "...may well be New Zealand's darkest day". On 29 March 2011, Key created the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) to manage
483-535: A crisis, claiming it instead was a "challenge". The prime minister was challenged over his criticism of Helen Clark's government's response to the housing crisis during the 2008 campaign, but reluctance to take a stand now it had worsened considerably. A Newshub poll released in May 2016 showed that 76% of New Zealanders felt the government was not doing enough to control the housing market, while only 20 per cent thought it had housing under control. International trade and
552-578: A defence for parents charged with prima facie assault of their children. Key and Prime Minister Helen Clark agreed a compromise – giving police the discretion to overlook smacking they regarded as "inconsequential". In August 2007 Key came in for criticism when he changed his position regarding the Therapeutic Products and Medicine Bill. At the same time Labour's Trevor Mallard hinted in Parliament that Labour would try to link Key to
621-474: A further two months to obtain the extra signatures. In September 2013, it was officially confirmed that the added signatures had successfully been collected, with the tally now standing some 18,500 more signatures than required. The referendum was backed by several prominent New Zealanders, including Dame Anne Salmond , who called it the "only just way" to determine whether asset sales are acceptable. On 30 September 2013, Prime Minister John Key announced that
690-530: A long-standing convention about citizen initiated referendums. By July 2012, it was reported that nearly 200,000 signatures had been collected, of which 100,000 were collected by the Green Party. As a combined initiative, Labour and the Greens issued a protest T-shirt against asset sales in support of the referendum. By early January 2013, the group had collected 340,000 signatures, more than enough to force
759-469: A referendum; 10% of registered voters or approximately 310,000 signatures are required to force a referendum, although more are generally required to be collected to account for invalid and duplicate signatures. By late February 2013, 391,000 signatures had been collected. On 12 March 2013, the entire 393,000-signature petition was presented to the House. Holding a referendum separate from an election process
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#1732780747688828-523: A state-house in the Christchurch suburb of Bryndwr . He attended the University of Canterbury and graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Commerce . He began a career in the foreign exchange market in New Zealand before moving overseas to work for Merrill Lynch , in which he became head of global foreign exchange in 1995, a position he would hold for six years. In 1999 he was appointed a member of
897-604: A theme which received a large amount of media coverage. Key followed up on this speech in February 2007 by committing his party to a programme which would provide food in the poorest schools in New Zealand. In opposition he was instrumental in promoting National's change of policy regarding keeping superannuation and Kiwibank . He also supported interest-free student loans and early childhood education funding. He relented on his stance in opposition to Sue Bradford 's Child Discipline Bill , which sought to remove "reasonable force" as
966-456: A time of economic restraint. Initially, Key denied any knowledge of the plan, although reports later surfaced showing that his office was aware of the deal. Political opponents accused Key and his government of hypocrisy; he later apologised, calling it a "sloppy" deal, effectively placing most of the blame on his chief of staff. Shortly before the general election in November 2011, a recording
1035-523: A waitress' ponytail multiple times over several months; when Key learnt she had taken offence, he apologised. International media reported the incident as "ponytail-gate". Key had long supported changing the flag of New Zealand , and during the 2014 general election campaign promised a referendum on the issue. Following the election win, two New Zealand flag referendums were held in November/December 2015 and March 2016. The second resulted in
1104-689: A year by 2030. It will help diversify our economy and create more jobs and higher incomes for New Zealanders". Key was particularly intent on securing the participation of the United States in the agreement; to this end, he discussed TPP with President Barack Obama in April 2016, and hosted Secretary of State John Kerry in Wellington, 9–13 November 2016. The finalised TPP proposal was signed on 4 February 2016 in Auckland , concluding seven years of negotiations. In January 2017, US President Donald Trump signed
1173-438: Is estimated to cost $ 9 million. Defending this cost, Russel Norman , Greens co-leader, noted that this cost paled in comparison to the (to September 2013) $ 100 million cost of the asset sales program itself. The referendum took place by postal ballot, opening on 22 November 2013 and closing on 13 December 2013. 45 cent of eligible voters took part. Of those, approximately two-thirds voted against asset sales. Despite
1242-565: The 1998 Russian financial crisis . He was a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the New York Federal Reserve Bank from 1999 to 2001. In 1998, on learning of his interest in pursuing a political career, National Party president John Slater began working to recruit him. Former party leader Jenny Shipley describes him as one of the people she "deliberately sought out and put my head on
1311-548: The 2005 general election , garnering 63% of votes cast. He increased his majority again in 2008 , gaining 73% of the electorate vote. The low numbers in the National caucus meant Key was given more opportunities and responsibilities than most new Members of Parliament would. After serving as deputy finance spokesman under Brash, Key was promoted to the Opposition front benches in 2004 as party spokesman for finance. Key
1380-646: The 2017 general election , but on 5 December 2016 he resigned as prime minister and leader of the National Party. He was succeeded by Bill English on 12 December 2016. After resigning from both posts in December 2016 and leaving politics, Key was appointed to the board of directors and role of chairman in several New Zealand corporations. As prime minister, Key led the Fifth National Government of New Zealand which entered government at
1449-859: The Attorney General Christopher Finlayson became Minister Responsible for the GCSB and Minister in Charge of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), portfolios which have traditionally been held by a prime minister. Key was elected Chairman of the International Democrat Union (IDU), an international alliance of centre-right political parties. The National Party was a founding member party in 1983. In April 2015, Key acknowledged that he had pulled
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#17327807476881518-572: The Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York until leaving in 2001. Key entered the New Zealand Parliament representing the Auckland electorate of Helensville as one of the few new National members of parliament in the election of 2002 following National's significant defeat of that year. In 2004, he was appointed Finance Spokesman for National and eventually succeeded Don Brash as
1587-824: The UN General Assembly meeting in September 2009. He met briefly with US President Barack Obama and former US President Bill Clinton . While in New York City , Key appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman . He read out the Top Ten list, 'Top Ten Reasons You Should Visit New Zealand'. In foreign policy, Key supported closer relations with the United States, an ANZUS defence partner. On 4 November 2010, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully signed
1656-439: The University of Canterbury and earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting in 1981. He also attended management studies courses at Harvard University . Key's first job was as an auditor at McCulloch Menzies in 1982. He then became a project manager at Christchurch-based clothing manufacturer Lane Walker Rudkin for two years. He began working as a foreign exchange dealer at Elders Finance in Wellington, and rose to
1725-584: The Wellington Declaration . The agreement signalled an increase in the strategic partnership between the two nations and covered areas of co-operation including nuclear proliferation , climate change and terrorism. This was followed in June 2012 by a companion document, the Washington Declaration. Since 2008 Key has also engaged in Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations with the United States and other Asia-Pacific economies. On 22 February 2011
1794-457: The general election on 8 November 2008 , which signalled an end to the Labour-led government of nine years under Clark. The National Party won 45% of the party vote and 58 of the 122 seats in Parliament, overtaking the incumbent majority Labour Party. National negotiated with smaller parties to form a minority government with confidence and supply from the classical-liberal ACT Party ,
1863-479: The marae and spoke, while police took the two men away and charged them with assault. Key was tied with the National Cycleway Project since its conception at the national Job Summit in early 2009. He proposed it, and as Minister for Tourism, was instrumental in getting NZ$ 50 million approved for initial construction work. Key launched New Zealand's campaign for a Security Council seat at
1932-495: The "Ozkiwi lobby" since two-thirds of New Zealanders living in Australia did not meet the qualifying wage. In March 2016, Queen Elizabeth II , Queen of New Zealand , approved the appointment of Dame Patsy Reddy as the next Governor-General of New Zealand , for a five-year term starting in September 2016, on the advice of John Key. Leader of the New Zealand National Party The leader of
2001-512: The "Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)" in July 2017 to fast-track the Australian citizenship naturalisation process for New Zealanders living in Australia. New Zealanders living in Australia for at least five years and earning an annual income over A$ 53,900 were eligible for the visa. By late February 2018, 1,512 Subclass 189 visas had been issued. However, this visa scheme was criticised by
2070-482: The 1987 "H-Fee" scandal, which involved Key's former employer Elders Merchant Finance and a payment to Equiticorp Chief Executive Allan Hawkins. Hawkins and Elders executive Ken Jarrett were later jailed for fraud. Key declaring that he had left Elders months before the event, that he had no knowledge of the deal, and that his interview with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) during the investigation into
2139-659: The Board of Directors (the governing body of the party), the leader of the Parliamentary Section becomes the leader of the party. The leader organises the business of the party in Parliament and represents the party to the general public. Within the party organisation, they must ensure political consensus; the constitution of the National Party states that the leader has "the right to attend any Party meeting or committee meeting and shall be an ex officio member of
John Key - Misplaced Pages Continue
2208-509: The Board". The leader becomes the National Party's candidate for prime minister in the run-up to an election , and they invariably take office as prime minister when the National Party forms a government. In 1949 , party leader Sidney Holland became the first prime minister from the National Party. Of the fifteen people to officially hold the leadership, nine have served as prime minister. Key: National Labour PM : Prime Minister LO : Leader of
2277-643: The Council. While in New York, Key suddenly fell ill, but recovered in time for meetings with representatives from other countries ahead of the General Assembly. In April 2013, whilst visiting Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing, Key made headlines by suggesting New Zealand would back any United States or Australian military action against North Korea . The following day he backtracked, saying
2346-470: The GCSB to sign a "ministerial certificate" suppressing details of the bureau's involvement in the case while Key was overseas – the only time this had been done in the last ten years. The fallout from Dotcom's arrest continued in December when the High Court ordered the GCSB to "confirm all entities" to which it gave information, opening the door for Dotcom to sue for damages – against the spy agency and
2415-502: The Government selling up to 49% of Meridian Energy , Mighty River Power , Genesis Power , Solid Energy and Air New Zealand ?" The National government was re-elected at the 2011 election on a platform of "Mixed Ownership Model" for the five state-owned companies Meridian Energy , Mighty River Power , Genesis Energy , Solid Energy and Air New Zealand , where a minority stake in the companies would be sold off. This policy
2484-577: The Greenlane ASB Showgrounds, Key tripped after coming down a small set of stairs in front of cameras, leaving him with a broken right arm and "embarrassed". Later that year, when arriving at the Ngāpuhi Te Tii Waitangi Marae the day before Waitangi Day , Key was briefly shoved and grabbed by two protesters before diplomatic protection officers pulled them off. He told reporters he was "quite shocked" but continued onto
2553-548: The National Party is the most-senior elected politician within the New Zealand National Party . Under the constitution of the party, they are required to be a member of the House of Representatives . The National Party has found itself either in government (alone or with the support of other parties) or in opposition to Labour-led governments. Consequently, the leader of the National Party usually assumes
2622-482: The National Party Helensville selection. At the 2002 general election Key won the seat with a majority of 1,705, ahead of Labour's Gary Russell, with Neeson, now standing as an independent, coming third. The National Party was heavily defeated in the 2002 election, receiving only 20.9% of the party vote – the party's worst-ever election result. Following the fallout, a leadership coup against
2691-521: The National Party leader in 2006. After two years as leader of the Opposition , Key led his party to victory at the November 2008 general election . He was subsequently sworn in as prime minister on 19 November 2008. The National government went on to win two more general elections under his leadership: in November 2011 and September 2014 . Key was expected to contest for a fourth term of office at
2760-581: The Opposition 2013 New Zealand asset sales referendum "Do you support the Government selling up to 49 per cent of Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand?" The 2013 New Zealand asset sales referendum is a citizens-initiated referendum that took place by postal ballot from 22 November 2013 to 13 December 2013. It was on the Fifth National ( Key ) government's policy to partially privatise four energy-related state-owned enterprises and reducing
2829-445: The affair could only have helped to convict the people involved. Then-SFO director Charles Sturt publicly supported Key's statement. Labour MPs criticised Key for not releasing specific policy information at their annual conference. Key responded that National would set its own policy agenda and that there was adequate time before the next election for voters to digest National Party policy proposals. Key became prime minister following
John Key - Misplaced Pages Continue
2898-621: The beginning of the late-2000s recession in 2008. He was described as supporting both socially liberal and economically liberal policies. Key was worth an estimated USD$ 35 million in 2016, making him the wealthiest individual ever to assume the premiership. In his first term, Key's government implemented a GST rise and personal tax cuts, while enacting several austerity measures. His government refused to renew license agreements for multiple television channels, including TVNZ 6 , TVNZ 7 , Kidzone and Heartland , while reducing funding for Radio New Zealand in real terms. In February 2011, after
2967-545: The centrist United Future and the indigenous-rights-based Māori Party . Key was sworn in as prime minister and Minister of Tourism and also appointed as a member of the Executive Council on 19 November 2008, along with his nominated cabinet. He chose Bill English as his Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance . During his first term in office National remained high in the polls and one commentator described support for Key as "stratospheric". In 2011 he
3036-544: The chance of New Zealand troops entering North Korea was "so far off the planet". The general election on 20 September 2014 saw the National Government returned again. National won a plurality with 47.0% of the party vote and 60 of the 121 seats. On election night counts the party appeared to hold the first majority since 1994 with 61 seats, but lost a list seat (for Maureen Pugh ) to the Green Party on
3105-408: The claim, bringing Key's credibility into question. National won the election, but New Zealand's credit rating was subsequently downgraded anyway – by two different agencies – Standard and Poor's and Fitch Group . The general election on 26 November 2011 saw National increase its share of the vote and gain a seat, while Labour suffered further losses. Key called the election a "very happy night" and
3174-433: The earthquake recovery, co-operating with the government, local councils and residents. On 8 March 2011, John Key advised Queen Elizabeth II , Queen of New Zealand to appoint Jerry Mateparae as the next Governor-General of New Zealand . The Queen made the appointment later that day. In October 2011, Key was caught up in a controversy over the replacement of 34 three-year-old Government BMW limousines with new ones at
3243-417: The election, Key remained as finance spokesman. He was promoted to number four on the list, partly due to his success at selling the party's tax package during the campaign. While Keys ambition to become leader had been telegraphed from early in his political career, he was now beginning to rate highly on preferred prime minister polls. Rumours that Key was looking to take over the leadership circulated and there
3312-511: The government raised the rate of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 12.5% to 15%, despite Key previously stating that an increase would not happen under a National government. Key's government also enacted several austerity measures. His government declined to renew license agreements for multiple television channels, including TVNZ 6 , TVNZ 7 , Kidzone and Heartland , while reducing funding for Radio New Zealand in real terms. In January 2009, after addressing Chinese New Year celebrations at
3381-513: The government's share in Air New Zealand . In March 2013, the groups collecting signatures to force the referendum announced that they had achieved enough signatures to comfortably clear the 10% registered voters threshold. However, in May 2013, the clerk of the house announced that the petition was 16,500 signatures short of the number required (308,753), as about 100,000 signatures on the petition were faulty or invalid. The organisers had
3450-519: The incumbent Bill English was launched by Don Brash , another of the 2002 recruits, in October 2003. English and his supporters offered Key the finance spokesman position for his vote and were confident they had the numbers with him on their side. Brash narrowly won 14 votes to 12 and at the time it was thought Key had changed his support to Brash. The votes were confidential, although later Key stated that he did vote for English. Key won re-election at
3519-406: The line–either privately or publicly–to get them in there". Auckland's population growth led to the formation for the 2002 general election of a new electorate called Helensville , which covered the north-western corner of the Auckland urban area. Key beat long-serving National MP Brian Neeson (whose own Waitakere seat had moved on paper to being a Labour seat through the boundary changes) for
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#17327807476883588-703: The negotiation of free-trade agreements were a priority in Key's third term. He was a leading advocate of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), also supporting the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPSEP). Both agreements provide for a multilateral free-trade area in the Asia–Pacific region. In a September 2016 speech to the Council of Foreign Relations , Key said "[TPP] will boost our economy by at least $ 2.7 billion
3657-464: The official count (including special votes) of the party vote. National re-entered a confidence and supply arrangement with United Future, the ACT Party and the Māori Party. In October, Key created a new ministerial portfolio called the Minister of National Security and Intelligence to serve the newly established Cabinet National Security Committee . The Prime Minister assumed the new portfolio while
3726-495: The party and was elected unopposed . On becoming leader Key convinced Gerry Brownlee , deputy leader under Brash, to step aside and promoted his main rival English to deputy leader and finance spokesman. He showed a ruthless streak by unceremoniously pushing Brash out and refusing to allow another one of the 2002 recruits, Brian Connell , back into the caucus. In his maiden speech as National Party leader, Key spoke of an "underclass" that had been "allowed to develop" in New Zealand,
3795-412: The police. Later that month, Key's rating as preferred PM dropped to 39% – the first time in his four years as prime minister that his rating had slipped below 40%. It emerged that Key had known Ian Fletcher , head of the GCSB, since they were at school, but Key denied he had 'shoulder-tapped' Fletcher for the role. Later Key's office released a statement saying he rang Fletcher and recommended he apply for
3864-572: The position at GCSB. Key said he hadn't originally mentioned the phone call because he "forgot". Political commentator Bryce Edwards called it the "most appalling political management since he became Prime Minister back in 2008". Key continued New Zealand's push for a spot on the UN Security Council while in New York in 2013. There he accused rival candidates Spain and Turkey of using aid money to buy votes from small African countries, and said New Zealand would not be spending its way onto
3933-692: The position of head foreign exchange trader two years later, then moved to Auckland-based Bankers Trust in 1988. In 1995, he joined Merrill Lynch as head of Asian foreign exchange in Singapore . That same year he was promoted to Merrill's global head of foreign exchange, based in London, where he may have earned around US$ 2.25 million a year including bonuses, which is about NZ$ 5 million at 2001 exchange rates. Some co-workers called him "the smiling assassin" for maintaining his usual cheerfulness while sacking dozens (some say hundreds) of staff after heavy losses from
4002-444: The referendum would be via postal ballot and would take place between 22 November and 13 December. The cost of the referendum would be $ NZD9 million. John Key said that the Government intended to ignore the results of the referendum, as the 2011 general election gave them a mandate for the sell-off. The referendum result showed a two to one majority against the proposed asset sales. The question asked was: "Do you support
4071-477: The release of the tapes and the affair was nicknamed ' teapot tape '. A senior barrister criticised Key, stating that the comparison of the recording to the phone hacking scandal was a "cheap shot". Statements made by Key regarding New Zealand's national credit rating proved controversial. In October 2011 he claimed that Standard & Poor's (S&P) had said that "if there was a change of Government, that downgrade would be much more likely". S&P contradicted
4140-430: The result of this referendum being not in favour of partial asset sales, Prime Minister John Key announced these partial asset sales would continue. He said: "Three in four New Zealanders said no we don't agree with Labour and the Greens. I think it will be a dismal failure from their point of view." He had also gone on to call the referendum "an utter waste of money" as he had no intention of honouring its results, claiming
4209-404: The retention of the current flag. Critics (both national and international) charged that the referendums were unnecessary, expensive and a "wasteful vanity project". The New Zealand housing crisis took hold substantially following Key's third term. From the time Key took office until the year he left, average housing prices had more than doubled. Key repeatedly refused to call the property bubble
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#17327807476884278-459: The role of either the prime minister or leader of the Opposition . The current leader of the National Party since 30 November 2021 is Christopher Luxon . Following a general election, or when a vacancy arises, the Parliamentary Section of the National Party (also called the Caucus ) elects a leader of the Parliamentary Section (that is, the parliamentary leader ). After receiving approval by
4347-762: Was an English immigrant and a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and World War II , who died of a heart attack when his son was eight years old. Key and his two sisters were raised in a state house in the Christchurch suburb of Bryndwr by his mother, an Austrian-Jewish refugee who escaped the Holocaust . Key is the third prime minister or premier of New Zealand to have Jewish ancestry, after Julius Vogel and Francis Bell . He attended Aorangi School , and then Burnside High School from 1975 to 1979, where he met his wife, Bronagh. He went on to attend
4416-475: Was an unofficial agreement between Brash and Key that he would be the natural successor. Things came to a head earlier than expected. In November 2006 Brash resigned as leader, citing damaging speculation over his future as the reason. Brash's resignation followed controversies over an extramarital affair, and over leaked internal National Party documents that were later published in the book The Hollow Men . After months of speculation, Key stood for leadership of
4485-503: Was directly responsible for the GCSB, which is not allowed to spy on New Zealand citizens – and Dotcom had been granted permanent residency. Three days later, Key apologised for the illegal spying. "I apologize to Mr Dotcom. I apologize to New Zealanders because every New Zealander…is entitled to be protected from the law when it comes to the GCSB, and we failed to provide that appropriate protection for him." It subsequently came to light that Deputy Prime Minister Bill English had been asked by
4554-624: Was made of a conversation between Key and ACT Party candidate John Banks that they considered private – though the conversation took place in a public cafe. Key made a complaint to the police and compared the incident to illegal phone hacking in the News of the World scandal in Britain. The recording allegedly concerned the leadership of ACT and disparaging remarks about elderly New Zealand First supporters. Journalists and opposition parties demanded
4623-437: Was nicknamed " Teflon John" in the popular media, as nothing damaging to his reputation seemed to "stick" to him. Key's government introduced several bold economic policies in response to the global economic downturn that began shortly after he took office. The government introduced a plan of personal tax cuts, reducing taxes on all income; the top personal tax rate was lowered from 39% to 38% and then 33%. In its first budget
4692-428: Was opposed by the opposition. A coalition of groups including the Green Party , Grey Power , Council of Trade Unions (CTU), Labour Party , New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA), Greenpeace and others started a petition against it in April 2012. The New Zealand Herald argued in an editorial that the Green Party used parliamentary funding to pay people to collect signatures, which while legal broke
4761-462: Was up against Michael Cullen , the Minister of Finance and a veteran of 23 years in parliament. There was concern he would be out of his depth going up against Cullen in his first term and there was talk among the party of trying to "protect" Key. During the 2005 election campaign political commentators felt Key matched Cullen in the debates, although he may have benefited from Labour focusing their campaign on discrediting Brash. Although Brash lost
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