John Key

John Key has been called a political phenomenon. Having scaled the heights of one career, as a foreign currency trader, he came home from the world's financial capitals to start another. Six years after entering Parliament, Key was Prime Minister - the most rapid rise of a New Zealand politician in our lifetime. In this updated edition of John Key: Portrait of a Prime Minister, Key shares his account of defining moments in his career, including the bruising 2014 election campaign that nonetheless saw the National Party increase its majority in government.
This lively portrait offers insights into Key's life, personality, political motivations and ambitions. Journalist John Roughan has secured unconditional access to Key and his family, as well as his closest advisers. Roughan examines how the twin ambitions of a boy in a state house, 'to make a million dollars and be Prime Minister', have been realised beyond his dreams, and how Key's instincts as a currency trader have shaped his politics. He reflects on the reasons for Key's continuing popularity and assesses his contribution to New Zealand's future.