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John Key

Personal Profile

John Key
  • Birth Name:
    John Phillip Key
  • Date of Birth:
    August 9, 1961
  • Zodiac Sign:
    Leo
  • Place of Birth:
    Auckland, New Zealand
  • Sex:
    Male
  • Nationality:
    New Zealander
  • Education:

    Burnside High School

    University of Canterbury

    Harvard University

     

Family

John Key
  • Spouse:
    Bronagh Key
  • Son:
    Max Key
  • Daughter:
    Stephie Key

Career

John Key

Trivia

John Key
  • Key is the 38th and current Prime Minister of New Zealand and leader of the New Zealand National Party.
  • Key resignation followed controversies over an extramarital affair, and over leaked internal National Party documents which were later published in the book The Hollow Men.
  • In late 2006 Brash resigned as leader, citing damaging speculation over his future as the reason.
  • In 2004, Key was promoted to the Opposition front benches by party leader Don Brash and was made the party spokesman for finance.
  • Key has committed the National Party to working towards reducing greenhouse emissions in New Zealand by 50% within the next fifty years.
  • Key says that he believes that global warming is a real phenomenon, and that the Government needs to implement measures to reduce human contribution to global warming.
  • In a 2002 interview he said "some form of orientation towards privatisation" in health, education and superannuation, such as giving firms tax breaks for employer super schemes, made sense.
  • Key has in the past noted others' concern at the pace of asset sales, but argued that the arguments against selling assets in the 1980s were largely irrational.
  • Key portrays himself as more centrist than his predecessor, Don Brash. However he also notes the differences are more of style and focus rather than view.
  • Key first international outing as Prime Minister was the 20th APEC meeting in Peru the following day.

Quotes

John Key
  • “Australia is taking an aggressive view to attracting talent.”
  • “It would be a dark day for New Zealand if Fletcher Building relocated. We have to look at the savings industry and see if it's working properly. We have to look around the corporate tax rate.”
  • “The surplus confirms that business tax cuts are affordable and so are personal tax cuts.”
  • “If you don't look for them you won't find them. The razor gang is no longer using a razor, it is using a toothpick.”
  • “That approach is like letting the inmates run the jail. Reviews like this should be done independently of departments.”
  • “Dr Cullen should take our advice and cut business taxes, as well as free businesses from red tape.”
  • “The tragedy is that New Zealanders are paying with their jobs because this government has squandered the golden years.”
  • “It would be stupid of me to rule out ever being the leader because that's an impossible thing to rule out. I can't predict future events.”
View all Quotes: John Key

Biography

John Key
Last Updated: Monday, September 28, 2009

John KeyPrime Minister John Key was born in Auckland but moved to Christchurch when a child. He was educated at Burnside High School and then gained a B.Comm from the University of Canterbury. John launched his investment banking career in New Zealand in the mid 80s. After 10 years in the New Zealand market he headed offshore, working in Singapore, London and Sydney for US investment banking giant Merrill Lynch. During that time he was in charge of a number of business units including global foreign exchange and European bond and derivative trading.

In 1999 John was invited to join the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of NY and on two occasions undertook management studies at Harvard University in Boston. In 2001, he headed back to New Zealand to fulfill a long held ambition to stand for Parliament for the National Party. He won the Helensville seat in 2002 with a majority of 1589. John has risen through the ranks since then, becoming deputy finance spokesman and then finance spokesman, rising to number 7 prior to the 2005 election. At the 2005 election he again won the Helensville seat, this time with a majority of 12,778.

He continued to be the Party’s finance spokesman and and was ranked at number 4 before being elected Leader on 27 November 2006. In the November General Election 2008, John secured his position as MP for Helensville with a 18,562 vote majority.  John is married to Bronagh and has 2 children. When he has some spare time he likes to spend time with the family, cooking, playing golf and watching rugby.

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