Resignation of prime minister shocks Kiwis
POPULAR New Zealand Prime Minister John Key shocked the nation and resigned yesterday, saying he was never a career politician and it was time to go after eight years.
The former Merrill Lynch currency trader called it “the hardest decision I’ve ever made”, with no plans on what to do next other than spend more time with his family.
“Being leader of the party and the country has been an incredible experience,” he said.
“But despite the amazing career in politics, I have never seen myself as a career politician.”
Key, 55, recently marked his eighth anniversary as prime minister and 10th year as leader of the centre-right National Party, which is set to meet next week to elect his successor.
His deputy, Bill English, who led the party to its worst result in the 2002 election, is widely seen as favourite to take over, although he did not immediately confirm he wanted the role.
“Certainly, I wouldn’t stand if there wasn’t strong caucus support,” he said.
English said since the 2002 flop, he had received “a masterclass from John Key about how to do politics”.
As talk of Key’s decision swirled around social media, the down-toearth politician -- once voted the leader most New Zealanders would love to have a beer with – said he would not hang on to power for power’s sake.
Polls had pointed to his becoming the first politician in New Zealand history to win four consecutive elections in next year’s vote, but he said records were not a consideration.
“If you’re staying for the record of the time, you’re staying for the wrong reason,” he said.
“It’s been an incredible experience, a real privilege and I’m going to feel really proud of what we’ve done,” Key said.
He came into politics relatively late, entering parliament in 2002 and assuming leadership of the National Party four years later.
In 2008, he ended nine years of Labour Party rule, ousting then prime minister Helen Clark.
Key won plaudits for his leadership and steadied the economy after the global financial crisis without resorting to hard-line spending cuts, instead taking a steady, pragmatic approach that saw the budget return to surplus in the 2015-16 financial year for the first time since 2008.
Opposition Labour Party leader Andrew Little acknowledged Key’s popularity, but said: “Politics requires much sacrifice. We may all be politicians, but not all our lives are politics,” Little tweeted.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he considered his close friend Key one of the most outstanding world leaders.