John Key
 |
The English used in this article may not be easy for everybody to understand. (January 2012) |
| The Honourable John Phillip Key MP |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 19 November 2008[1] |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Anand Satyanand |
| Deputy | Bill English |
| Preceded by | Helen Clark |
| 31st Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 27 November 2006 – 8 November 2008 |
|
| Deputy | Bill English |
| Preceded by | Don Brash |
| Succeeded by | Phil Goff |
| Minister of Tourism | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 19 November 2008 |
|
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Damien O'Connor |
| 12th Leader of National Party | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 27 November 2006 |
|
| Deputy | Bill English |
| Preceded by | Don Brash |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Helensville |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 27 July 2002 |
|
| Preceded by | Seat Established |
| Majority | 20,547[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 August 1961 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Political party | National |
| Spouse(s) | Bronagh Key |
| Children | Two |
| Residence | Parnell, Auckland |
| Website | www.johnkey.co.nz |
John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is the 38th and current Prime Minister of New Zealand and leader of the New Zealand National Party. John Key entered the New Zealand Parliament in 2002 representing the north-west Auckland area of Helensville as a National MP, a seat that he still holds. In 2006 he succeeded Don Brash as the National Party leader in 2006. Key led his party to victory in the November 2008 general election.
Personal Life [change]
Key was born in Auckland, New Zealand, to George Key and Ruth Key. His father, who was from the UK, died of a heart attack in 1967. Key and his two sisters were raised in a state house in Christchurch by his mother.[3][4]
He attended Burnside High School, and earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting from the University of Canterbury in 1981.[3] He has attended management studies courses at Harvard University, although he did not receive a degree from this institution.[5][6]
Key met his wife Bronagh when they were both students at Burnside High School. They married in 1984. She is currently full-time mother of their two children, Stephie and Max.[4]
Before politics [change]
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.[3][7] 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 the 1998 Russian financial crisis.[4][7] He was a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the New York Federal Reserve Bank from 1999 to 2001.[6]
| Parl. | Electorate | List Pos. | Party |
| 47th | Helensville | 43 | National |
| 48th | Helensville | 7 | National |
| 49th | Helensville | 1 | National |
Prime Minister [change]
Key became Prime Minister following the general election on 8 November 2008 which ended the Labour-led government of nine years under Helen Clark. The National Party, promoting a policy of "change", won 45% of the party vote and 59 of the 122 seats in Parliament, a big margin over the Labour Party which won 43 seats.
Key was sworn in as Prime Minister on 19 November 2008 along with his new cabinet. His first international outing as Prime Minister was the 20th APEC meeting in Peru the following day.
- ↑ "John Key announces he has numbers to govern". New Zealand Herald. 2008-11-16. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-election-2008/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501799&objectid=10543317. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ↑ "Official Count Results – Helensville". New Zealand Electoral Commission. 12 November 2008. http://2008.electionresults.govt.nz/electorate-15.html. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "POLITICS: John Key - A snapshot". Sunday Star Times. 2008-02-03. Archived from the original on 2008-03-19. http://www.webcitation.org/5WQHSoSeA. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Bevan Rapson (2005-04-26). "Golden Boy". Metro Magazine. http://www.metrolive.co.nz/metroarchives/metroarchivesarticle/tabid/230/Default.aspx/mid/1416/dnnprintmode/true/?ArticleID=1178&SkinSrc=%5bG%5dSkins%2fMetro%20Live%2fPrinterFrendlySkin&ContainerSrc=%5bG%5dContainers%2f_default%2fNo+Container. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ↑ Maggie Tait (2006-11-27). "Profile: John Key". New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10412660&pnum=0. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "New Zealand Parliament - Key, John". http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/MPP/MPs/MPs/3/7/8/48MP78101-Key-John.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gillian Tett and Ruth Laugesen (2008-02-03). "Who is John Key?". Sunday Star Times. Archived from the original on 2008-03-19. http://www.webcitation.org/5WQHEq1k4. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
