Sir John Phillip Key was born on 9 August 1961 and 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 New Zealand National Party from 2006 to 2016.
90 Facts About John Key
2.
John Key attended the University of Canterbury and graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Commerce.
3.
John Key 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.
4.
John 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.
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John Key was sworn in as prime minister on 19 November 2008.
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John Key was expected to contest for a fourth term of office at the 2017 general election, but on 5 December 2016 he resigned as prime minister and leader of the National Party.
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John Key was succeeded by Bill English on 12 December 2016.
8.
John Key was described as having socially liberal but fiscally conservative views and policies.
9.
John Key's 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.
10.
John Key faced a severe housing crisis, especially in Auckland, and was widely criticised for a perceived lack of action.
11.
In foreign policy, John 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.
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John Key's father 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.
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John Key is the third prime minister or premier of New Zealand to have Jewish ancestry, after Julius Vogel and Francis Bell.
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John Key attended Aorangi School, and then Burnside High School from 1975 to 1979, where he met his wife, Bronagh.
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John Key went on to attend the University of Canterbury and earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting in 1981.
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John Key then became a project manager at Christchurch-based clothing manufacturer Lane Walker Rudkin for two years.
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John Key began working as a foreign exchange dealer at Elders Finance in Wellington, and rose to the position of head foreign exchange trader two years later, then moved to Auckland-based Bankers Trust in 1988.
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John Key was a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the New York Federal Reserve Bank from 1999 to 2001.
19.
In 1998, on learning of his interest in pursuing a political career, National Party president John Key Slater began working to recruit him.
20.
John Key beat long-serving National MP Brian Neeson for the National Party Helensville selection.
21.
At the 2002 general election John 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.
22.
Brash narrowly won 14 votes to 12 and at the time it was thought John Key had changed his support to Brash.
23.
The votes were confidential, although later John Key stated that he did vote for English.
24.
The low numbers in the National caucus meant John Key was given more opportunities and responsibilities than most new Members of Parliament would.
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John Key was up against Michael Cullen, the Minister of Finance and a veteran of 23 years in parliament.
26.
John Key was promoted to number four on the list, partly due to his success at selling the party's tax package during the campaign.
27.
Rumours that John Key was looking to take over the leadership circulated and there was an unofficial agreement between Brash and John Key that he would be the natural successor.
28.
On becoming leader John Key convinced Gerry Brownlee, deputy leader under Brash, to step aside and promoted his main rival English to deputy leader and finance spokesman.
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John Key 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.
30.
John 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.
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John Key supported interest-free student loans and early childhood education funding.
32.
John Key relented on his stance in opposition to Sue Bradford's Child Discipline Bill, which sought to remove "reasonable force" as a defence for parents charged with prima facie assault of their children.
33.
John 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 during the investigation into the affair could only have helped to convict the people involved.
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John 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.
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John Key became Prime Minister following the general election on 8 November 2008, which signalled an end to the Labour-led government of nine years under Clark.
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John Key was sworn in as Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism and appointed as a member of the Executive Council on 19 November 2008, along with his nominated cabinet.
37.
John Key chose Bill English as his Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
38.
John Key's government introduced several bold economic policies in response to the global economic downturn that began shortly after he took office.
39.
John Key's 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.
40.
In January 2009, after addressing Chinese New Year celebrations at the Greenlane ASB Showgrounds, John Key tripped after coming down a small set of stairs in front of cameras, leaving him with a broken right arm and "embarrassed".
41.
Later that year, when arriving at the Ngapuhi Te Tii Waitangi Marae the day before Waitangi Day, John Key was briefly shoved and grabbed by two protesters before diplomatic protection officers pulled them off.
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John Key told reporters he was "quite shocked" but continued onto the marae and spoke, while police took the two men away and charged them with assault.
43.
John Key was tied with the National Cycleway Project since its conception at the national Job Summit in early 2009.
44.
John Key proposed it, and as Minister for Tourism, was instrumental in getting NZ$50 million approved for initial construction work.
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John Key launched New Zealand's campaign for a Security Council seat at the UN General Assembly meeting in September 2009.
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John Key met briefly with US President Barack Obama and former US President Bill Clinton.
47.
John Key read out the Top Ten list, 'Top Ten Reasons You Should Visit New Zealand'.
48.
In foreign policy, John Key supported closer relations with the United States, an ANZUS defence partner.
49.
Since 2008 John Key has engaged in Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations with the United States and other Asia-Pacific economies.
50.
On 29 March 2011, John Key created the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority to manage the earthquake recovery, co-operating with the government, local councils and residents.
51.
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.
52.
In October 2011, John Key was caught up in a controversy over the replacement of 34 three-year-old Government BMW limousines with new ones at a time of economic restraint.
53.
John Key made a complaint to the police and compared the incident to illegal phone hacking in the News of the World scandal in Britain.
54.
Statements made by John Key regarding New Zealand's national credit rating proved controversial.
55.
John Key called the election a "very happy night" and a "strong and solid win" for his party.
56.
In 2012, John Key was implicated in the arrest of Kim Dotcom and the subsequent revelations that the Government Communications Security Bureau had illegally spied on Dotcom.
57.
Later John Key's office released a statement saying he rang Fletcher and recommended he apply for the position at GCSB.
58.
John Key said he hadn't originally mentioned the phone call because he "forgot".
59.
John Key continued New Zealand's push for a spot on the UN Security Council while in New York in 2013.
60.
John Key was elected Chairman of the International Democrat Union, an international alliance of centre-right political parties.
61.
John Key had long supported changing the flag of New Zealand, and during the 2014 general election campaign promised a referendum on the issue.
62.
John Key repeatedly refused to call the property bubble a crisis, claiming it instead was a "challenge".
63.
John Key was a leading advocate of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, supporting the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership.
64.
In February 2016, John 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.
65.
John Key resigned as Prime Minister and leader of the National Party effective from 12 December 2016, and instructed the party to put into motion the processes to elect a new leader.
66.
John Key expressed interest in spending more time with his family, stating that he had "never seen [himself] as a career politician" and that "this feels the right time to go".
67.
John Key gave his valedictory speech in Parliament on 22 March 2017 and formally resigned the following month, on 14 April.
68.
In May 2017, John Key was appointed to the board of directors of Air New Zealand, and took up the position on 1 September 2017.
69.
John Key was appointed chairman of ANZ Bank New Zealand, taking up the position on 18 October 2017.
70.
On 31 March 2020, John Key stood down as a director of Air New Zealand.
71.
John Key's views were largely aligned with his own party's view.
72.
John Key noted others' concern at the pace of asset sales, but stated that the arguments against selling assets in the 1980s were largely irrational.
73.
However, in 2005, John Key was part of a large bloc of MPs voting to defeat a bill that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.
74.
John Key stated in 2008 that he did not oppose same-sex couples adopting children.
75.
In 2008 John Key voted for an attempt to raise the legal drinking age from 18 back to 20, but ignored a Law Commission recommendation to increase levies on alcohol.
76.
John Key claimed there was "no appetite" for such a move.
77.
John Key says that global warming is a real phenomenon, and that the Government needed to implement measures to reduce human contribution to global warming.
78.
Commentators note that as late as 2005, John Key made statements indicating that he was sceptical of the effects and impact of climate change.
79.
In September 2021, John Key criticised the Labour Government's elimination-based lockdown policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, likening it to making New Zealand a hermit kingdom like North Korea.
80.
John Key accused the Government of ruling by fear and lacking a post-lockdown strategy.
81.
On 25 July 2008, John Key was added to the New Zealand National Business Review Rich List for the first time.
82.
John Key had an estimated wealth of NZ$50 million, which made him the wealthiest New Zealand Member of Parliament.
83.
John Key married Bronagh Irene Dougan in 1984; they met when they were both students at Burnside High School.
84.
John Key has a BCom degree, and worked as a personnel consultant before becoming a full-time mother.
85.
In 2008 John Key stated that he attended church frequently with his children, but was an agnostic.
86.
John Key has said that he does not believe in an afterlife, and sees religion as "doing the right thing".
87.
On 3 August 2010, John Key gained the style "The Right Honourable".
88.
John Key was appointed a Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, in recognition of "services to the State", in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours.
89.
Later John Key was appointed an honorary Companion of the Order of Australia, for "eminent service to Australia-New Zealand relations", by the Governor-General of Australia on the personal recommendation of the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull.
90.
On 7 August 2017, John Key was awarded an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, the University of Canterbury, to become a doctor of commerce.