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Recently, Georgie Fenwicke was set the ambitious task of interrogating John Key on his leadership style, election plans and policies for students. Key turned out to be as evasive as any head of state should be, and thus what follows is compelling both for what he actually said, and what he carefully left out.
It's what John Key didn't say when I interviewed him two weeks ago that reveals the most about our Prime Minister's leadership style and hold on political power. Truth be told, I didn't speak to him at all, his jam-packed schedule being what it was in January meant that there was little time for an interview with me. Instead, I submitted questions by email and received a written reply some time later. The answers, as you will note, have largely been said and read before, but do take heed: this in itself is a telling sign that the man with a plan is on track to put the election in the can.
 
Now well into February, the National Party is firmly in control of the political narrative. Like a good affirmative debating team, they have defined the moot, outlined the agenda and left the negating team(s) with nothing but the details to discuss among themselves. In his Statement to Parliament, Key outlined two goals: “we will build the foundations for a stronger economy and build better results from the public services New Zealanders rely on”. He stressed the harsh economic conditions in which we now operate and the need for a fundamental shift in the way we operate financially on both a personal and national level. Introducing mixed public-private ownership structures into State Owned Enterprises, increasing exports, building infrastructure and reducing the costs of doing business are all essential to a stronger economy; while better results from the public sector will be achieved under Bauhaus's minimalist dictum – less is more.
 
An increased focus on vulnerable children is being undertaken alongside sweeping changes/cuts to welfare reform in the areas of education, housing, health and law and order. In much the same vein that Key was able to push the New Zealand First Party onto Labour's negotiation table, the National Party will place greater “trust” and onus on the public and the public service while limiting the resources they have to live with.
 
Undoubtedly, Key and his National government will win out over the other parties at the November 26 elections, but why? Their ideas are nothing we haven't heard before; indeed many policies mirror Ruth Richardson's 1990/1 budget. In the “mother of all budgets”, Richardson continued Labour's controversial economic policy with the further sale of SOE's, the cutting of benefits and the introduction of student loans. I have it on Key's personal authority, however, that, “the government remains committed to interest-free student loans.”
 
Key may be a new gun, but it is important to remember the party is largely made up of National Party stalwarts. Nevertheless, he is their fearsome leader and he has a plan. Indeed, when asked what impact “having a plan” had in achieving his own childhood dream of becoming Prime Minister, he replied, “I’m probably like a lot of people in that I find motivation in setting goals and working towards them...I believe it’s really important to have the self-discipline to work towards what you aspire to be, or want to achieve.”
 
As life imitates art, so too does National Party policy reflect Key's personal polemic. As a rather liberal, centre-right politician, he situates himself as a bipartisan man of the people: “what drives me is implementing ideas which will work for New Zealanders – I’m not beholden to a certain ideology.” But how much of this is true? Certainly he is not a typical professional politician, having told the New Zealand Herald in January that he would be unlikely return to parliament if the National Party was not re-elected. He explained this saying, “I’m not a negative person and a lot of Opposition is negative. I also believe New Zealanders want me here to make a contribution, and the best place for me to do that is as Prime Minister.” That said, the connection between his own vision for New Zealand and the strategy being implemented by the current government is inseparable. Efficiency, the economy and its continuing future are his focal points.
 
“I want to contribute to a successful New Zealand. To me, that means ensuring every New Zealander has the best start in life and the opportunities to achieve their potential”. It’s here that the National Party dictum of personal responsibility mixes with Key's own practicality. He observes that while free and equal, New Zealand society is not wholly equitable. There are some whose needs are greater than others, but only by targeted action towards the youth of New Zealand can an effective sea change be achieved. In economic terms, adults are the sunken costs of New Zealand society, the retrospective or past costs that have already been incurred and cannot be recovered. Certainly, that's not to say they won't and don't contribute but they are too entrenched in their own job security or welfare payments to commit to changing their lifestyles in any major way. Being on a benefit is a lifestyle choice, just as is running your own business and it has been said “if one budgets properly, one can pay one's bills". The onus of personal responsibility is on the older generation; National has undertaken to remodel the environment in which the young will grow up. In the past three years, for instance, there has been a move away from funding adult education programmes towards early childhood initiatives. Tellingly, the funding for universities has been capped and entry made competitive. 
 
“If New Zealand is going to capitalise on opportunities, we need to make sure New Zealanders are well-equipped to prosper in the global marketplace...That’s why we’re investing in early childhood education to get more preschoolers into education at a young age, and introducing National Standards”. Personal accountability, no matter what background one comes from, is the end-game, and increasing funding to services that advance the young the means of attaining that goal. Even though Key admits that “everyone has a different definition of power”, he says “I think if you’re in a position of power, it’s vital you scrutinise your decisions and hold yourself accountable to extremely high standards”.
 
Unlike Helen Clark who micromanaged her way through four terms in power knowing everything and anything about each cabinet portfolio, Key is more content to oversee. Think of the delegation of The Hobbit negotiations to Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee or the speed with which Rodney Hide forced through the plans to combine the Auckland councils into one big Supercity. “Get it done and get it done now” is Key’s mantra, we have other things to do. In this, he is thinking long term. “I don't think the main issue is going to be a shortage of capital in the future but more where this capital is invested and whether New Zealanders can save more of it themselves”.
 
One path to New Zealand's future success lies in innovation. When asked what areas particularly excite him, Key replied “at the moment, I’m particularly interested in the projects being co-funded through the government’s Primary Growth Partnership. One of the projects is a partnership with Silver Fern Farms, PGG Wrightson and Landcorp Farming to transform the meat sector, from genetics through to processing and market analysis”. Key also points to the Global Research Alliance, launched last year, as central to reducing our environmental footprint. Equally, “the future for New Zealand lies in exporting more.” Free trade negotiations with America, Russia, India and South Korea are underway at the moment in the hope that the positive returns of the 2008 China FTA can be reproduced with similar partnerships.
 
John Key is a man who prefers Weetbix over Nutrigrain, but will not say whether he favours the All Blacks or the All Whites - “never pick between children!”. His favourite author is John Grisham and his most admired New Zealand Business person, Graham Hart. According to Key, the currency to watch over the next decade is the Chinese yuan. In all likelihood, he is the man who will continue to lead New Zealand through a second term of the National government as they continue on their path to reduce the budget deficit, reform the justice system and come to an arrangement regarding the foreshore and seabed legislation. Going into election year, however, begs the question: as the orchestrator of National Party policy, can and does Key take advice or is it largely his own vision being implemented? How much time does he actually spend at his Helensville electorate? What about the leaky homes? And perhaps most importantly, where are the jobs?