During his eight years in office, John Key, and his wife Bronagh, have opened the doors to their home to New Zealand Woman’s Weekly on many occasions.
They’ve been generous with their time, and open about the complexities that come with living an eye in the spotlight.
Here, the Weekly reflects on our revealing interviews with Bronagh and John over the years.
See this week’s issue of New Zealand Woman’s Weekly for more.
John on his relationship with Bronagh:
“We were an entity long before politics and we will be an entity long after.” New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, March 10 2014
John on life in the spotlight:
“There are people at the house and people with us constantly, and there’s a constraining element to that. While it’s not the end of the world, it is harder now to have that intimacy as a family. That has implications when we go out – I’m more recognisable and so are Bronagh and the kids.” New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, December 15 2008
Bronagh on her intrepid children:
“Max was born in Singapore when Stephie was a toddler. We moved from there to London, London to Sydney, then here. Stephie fully intends to study overseas and try living overseas for a while. We’ve created creatures of the world.” New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, July 4 2011
John on putting family first:
“Parliament is littered with broken marriages and families that have been left in the wake, and my experience of sitting through a lot of valedictory speeches is that those politicians, when given time to reflect, say that that is their major regret. So that’s not the path we’re going down. If in the end there was a final choice to make, I’d choose my family. But I’m confident it won’t come to that.” New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, December 15 2008
John on missing milestones in his children’s lives due to the job:
“There is a huge number of things I have missed but Bronagh has gone to absolutely everything, which has given them stability.” New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, March 10 2014
Bronagh on bringing up children in the public eye:
“Even with the best of intentions, teenagers are teenagers. It doesn’t mean our kids aren’t going to stuff up. Kids make mistakes. You’ve got to try your best.” – New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, July 4 2011
Max Key on his dad’s resignation:
“Today marks the end of an era. To say that I’m proud of you would be an understatement. You achieved your childhood dream and showed me that dreams can really be achieved. Politics is an inherently polarising industry and therefore the journey was not always the smoothest of sailing. In saying this, you always kept your head held high and always remained infectiously positive. You’re the best role model I could’ve asked for and my hero. Love you dad” Max Key’s Instagram, December 6 2016
John Key and Bronagh
John Key has resigned
See this week’s New Zealand Woman’s Weekly for more on the couple’s big news.
