JOHN KEY

'John Phillip Key' (born 9 August 1961, in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand politician, and member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, representing the North Auckland constituency of Helensville, He is the current leader of the National Party and, by virtue of this position, the current Leader of the Opposition.

Contents

Before Politics

Political career

Helensville

Spokesperson for finance

Leader of the Opposition

Political Views

Religious Views

External links

References

Political offices

Before Politics

Key was raised in a single-parent home in a state house in Christchurch. He attended school at Burnside High School, and earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Canterbury in 1982. Key has undertaken postgraduate work at Harvard University.
Key began working in Wellington as a foreign exchange dealer at Elders Finance, and rose to the position of head foreign exchange trader two years later. Key then worked for Bankers Trust, before working in Singapore and London for Merrill Lynch. In 1999, Key became global head of foreign exchange for Merrill Lynch, and in that capacity was a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Key returned to New Zealand in 2001 to pursue a political career. His net worth is estimated to be in excess of NZD$40 million (approx US$28 million). ^[3]

Political career

'Parl.'	'Electorate'	'List Pos.'	'Party'
47th	Helensville	43	National
48th	Helensville	7	National

Helensville

New Zealand's high population growth after the 2001 census led to the creation of a new electorate called Helensville, which covered the north-western corner of the Auckland urban area. Key beat long-serving MP Brian Neeson (whose own Waitakere seat had been rendered a safe Labour seat by the boundary changes) for the preselection. At the 2002 elections 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. ^[4] Key was re-elected with ease at the 2005 election garnering 63% of votes cast in Helensville. ²

Spokesperson for finance

In 2004, Key was promoted to the Opposition front benches by then leader Dr Don Brash, and made the party spokesperson for finance. In late 2006, scandal and the leak of private correspondence forced Brash's resignation as leader.
^[5]. John Key and Bill English were elected as leader and deputy leader, respectively. ^[6]

Leader of the Opposition

In his maiden speech as leader on November 28, 2006, Key talked of an 'underclass' that had been 'allowed to develop' in New Zealand, a theme which received a large amount of media coverage ^[7]. Key followed this speech up in February, 2007 by committing his party to a programme which would provide food in the poorest schools in New Zealand. ^[8]
Key has a mixed voting record on social issues: he voted against the bill creating Civil Unions, but was part of a large block of MPs voting to defeat a bill that promoted a restrictive gender-based definition of marriage. Key backed an ill-fated attempt to raise the legal drinking age back to 20.
He relented on his stance in opposition to Sue Bradford's Child Discipline Bill, which sought to remove 'reasonable force' as a defence in child abuse cases. Many parents saw this bill as an attempt to ban smacking outright^[9]. Key and Prime Minister Helen Clark agreed a compromise giving police the discretion to overlook smacking they regard as "inconsequential"^[10].
In August 2007, Key came in for criticism when he changed his position regarding the Therapeutic Products and Medicine Bill:
:"John Key had finally slipped up. National's leader had told the Herald on Tuesday he would have signed up to a New Zealand First-initiated compromise on the stalled Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill had he seen it - and was still willing to sign up - only to change his mind yesterday after his remarks appeared in print."^[11]
Labour MPs have criticised Key for not releasing specific policy information at their annual conference. Key responded that National will set its own policy agenda, and that there is adequate time before the next election for voters to digest National Party policy proposals. ^[12].

Political Views

Key portrays himself as more centrist than his predecessor, Don Brash. However he also notes the differences are more of style, than anything else. 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. In a interview that appeared in the Herald on March 23, 2002 he is quoted as saying "some form of orientation towards privatisation in health, education and superannuation makes sense."
Key is supportive of the changes National made to employment laws in 1992, stating that greater flexibility was needed across the labour market, and that the Employment Relations Act provided better opportunities of gaining employment.
Key says that he believes that global warming is a real event, and that the Government needs to implement measures to reduce human contribution to global warming. Key has committed the National Party to working towards reducing greenhouse emissions in New Zealand by 50% within the next fifty years. Critics note that as recently as 2005, Key made statements indicating that he was skeptical of the effects and impact of climate change.
Critics note that Key has changed his views on the Iraq war since becoming leader of the opposition. In 2003, as an opposition MP, Key emphasised National's position of supporting New Zealand's traditional allies, the United States and Australia. Key came under fire in the New Zealand Parliament in August 2007, when the Government claimed (following a speech by George Galloway in New Zealand) that had Key been Prime Minister at the time, he would have sent troops to Iraq ^[13].
Key has recently been the subject of attacks led by Labour strategist Pete Hodgson surrounding Key’s business experience. Hodgson claimed that Key had been implicated in a serious fraud office investigation surrounding a payment to Equiticorp Chief Executive Allan Hawkins in 1987. Hawkins was later jailed for fraud. Key responded that he had provided evidence to the Serious Fraud Office at the time that had helped convict the people involved in the transaction. This statement was supported publicly by then-SFO director Chas Sturt.^[14]
Key has been repeatedly criticized by many of his repeated policy changes, called "flip-flops" by those in the Labour government. Although Key has in the past argued against Working for Families, Interest Free Student Loans, Kiwisaver, cheap doctors visits he now claims these will be largely kept by an incoming National Government, or replaced by similar schemes such as tax cuts.
The National Party has responded that the allegations that Labour have made about Key have been baseless, and are merely attempts to smear Key’s personal character. Some commentators have noted however that the National Party have continually attacked Helen Clark's character, so John Key cannot really complain about any attacks.

Religious Views

Key does not profess any faith as such, describing himself as 'not a heavy believer' and not a believer in life after death, although his mother was Jewish ¹. If elected to government, and subsequently as Prime Minister, Key would be the third premier of New Zealand with Jewish ancestry (Julius Vogel and Francis Bell being the other two).

External links

★ Official website

★ Electorate website

References

1. Will the real John Key step forward Ruth Berry
2. Official Count Results -- Helensville
3. New National Leadership Brash And Confident Kevin List
4. Official Count Results -- Helensville
5. New Zealand National Party leader, Don Brash, resigns
6. Key promises a more inclusive National party
7. Speech to North Shore National Party luncheon John Key
8. National launches its Food in Schools programme John Key
9. 78pc of parents say they'll still smack
10. The smacking bill - what it says Jennifer Colwill
11. John Armstrong: At last, Labour gets to give Key a good kicking John Armstrong
12. John Key's policy: There'll be more, later Paula Oliver
13. All you wanted to know about John Key but were afraid to ask Matt McCarten
14. Muck-rakers desperate for dirt Richard Long

Political offices

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