In a surprise announcement Monday in Wellington, Key said that for family reasons he couldn’t commit to serving a full fourth term as prime minister if his governing National Party wins the next election, due in late 2017.
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Intrusion His children, Max and Stephie, who are now young adults, had suffered an “extraordinary level of intrusion” along with the opportunities that came with being New Zealand’s “first family”, he said.
A special National Party caucus meeting held next Monday will select a new leader and later that day Key plans to tender his resignation to the governor-general.
As the shock news of New Zealand Prime Minister John Key’s resignation broke, Malcolm Turnbull picked up his phone and sent his friend across the ditch a text: “Say it ain’t so, bro”.
The opposition Labour Party says it favors free trade, but has also been critical of the way Key’s government handled the TPP negotiations.
Among English’s key policies as finance minister were moves to partly privatise several state-owned energy firms and Air New Zealand, cutting personal tax and corporate tax rates and increasing the goods and services tax.
Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox: Backs Bill English for Prime Minister.
Key was elected as the party leader in 2006.
Mr English told the media that he would talk to the caucus and his family before announcing his decision.
Mr Key’s National party has been in power since 2008 on election scores of 45%, 47% and 47%, and averaged 48% in opinion polls in November.
“I’ve been in politics for over a decade now but I was never a professional politician”, Coleman said.
Prime Minister John Key says his legacy will probably be economic leadership and his biggest regret the flag referendum failure. “His leadership helped transform New Zealand into a resilient and vibrant economy, and he has now given his successor the best chance of taking over and building on his achievements”, wrote Mr Lee, adding that both leaders had worked together closely on defence, economic cooperation and regional issues.
The decision to resign was “the hardest decision I’ve ever made”, Key said, the BBC reports.
He has led the country for about eight years.
Ms Collins told reporters “we’ll see how things go in caucustoday”.
Asked if he would offer something different from John Key, he referred to planning rules.
Arguably his finest moment came in the wake of a devastating quake in Christchurch in 2011 that claimed 185 lives, when his calm leadership helped settle a shocked nation.
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Key said he was looking forward to enjoying a slightly quieter life in and spending time travelling with his spouse. English had been leader for barely a year and lasted barely one more before being ousted by former central bank governor Don Brash.
