‘I wrote back to every child’: Sir John Key on his time as Prime Minister

Monday, 5 August 2024

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When Sir John Key was a young boy, he wrote to then-Prime Minister Bill Rowling expressing his aspiration to one day hold the same office. To his surprise, he received a reply.

In a candid and wide-ranging interview on the latest episode of Brodie Kane’s Kiwi Yarns podcast, Sir John recalled the profound impact of that moment. “It turned up in this beautiful envelope,and it was stamped. The whole thing was very cool.”

This experience left such an impression on him that he vowed to respond personally to any correspondence from children if he ever became PM.

True to his word, he did just that, instructing his correspondence unit to deliver any letters from children directly to him. He often spent long hours, sometimes till midnight or 1.30am, replying.

Looking back, Sir John admits he’s unsure whether it was actually Bill Rowling who replied or someone from his correspondence team “I had five people in the correspondence unit, so lots of people writing letters… but he signed the letter.“

To hear more about Sir John Key’s time as Prime Minister and what he talks to Barack Obama about on the golf course, listen to Kiwi Yarns by clicking the purple play button above.

Kiwi Yarns is a joint production between Stuff and Brodie Kane Media, and there’s a new episode every Monday. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts for instant access to new episodes.