KEY POINTS:
Since we ran the cover story in Spy on Sunday about National Party leader John Key's aspiring fashion designer daughter Stephie, the mailbox has been inundated with comments. Positive comments, which is nice.
To be honest, when you run a story about the offspring of a politician you
worry about the impact it will have on the family, the politician, and how much it really is of interest to the public. In this case, a lot it seems. Comments like, "It's nice to see Key in a new light," and "who'd have thought he'd have such a cool daughter," were the norm.
Given Key's former life as a multi-millionaire corporate banker, you'd be forgiven for expecting his 15-year-old daughter to be the archetypal Parnell princess: spoilt rotten, pretentious, and shallow, with aspirations to be the captain of the cheerleading squad - not designs on sewing her own clothes.
The fact she's picked the Bernina over the BlackBerry and gossiping about boys with her teenage girlfriends, is an insight into Key the Younger and a reflection on the kind of family environment she's grown up in. Pocket money must be earned, I understand, and Stephie earns hers after school at a local salon sweeping floors and doing the odd job, I hear.
But it's the world of fashion that beckons. Last Wednesday night Stephie, the funky and fabulous 15-year-old fashionista daughter of John and Bronagh, was announced as one of the seven finalists for Newmarket's Young Designer Fashion Award at the Epsom Girls Grammar school hall. She didn't take away the top prize but was awarded highly commended from some very stiff competition from around the country.
Wearing a wonderfully creative outfit herself - dressed in hot-pink brogues and an original lilac and turquoise mini-dress with cool dangly black plastic earrings - Stephie stole the spotlight for her bold, innovative and confident design flair.
Stephie says she took her design inspiration "straight from the Tower of London... looking at 17th century royalty... and plunging them into a world of high-flying electric car races and acidic Japanese Pachinko machines." How fabulous! How very L.A.M.B and Gwen Stefani. What's more, not only did Stephie design the intricate outfit, she actually made it herself! Watch out NZ, we've got our very own John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood in the making.
The outfit was definitely in a world of its own and a big crowd pleaser with a lot of noise coming from the back row where mum and dad and friends were cheering loudly (you're not at home now, John!). By all accounts the Key family, complete with young Max, loved the evening with no special mention or fuss made of them, which is just how Bronagh likes it. John seemingly enjoyed being able to break away from the campaign trail for a couple of hours and just be a supportive parent. Nice, eh? He told me, as a proud-as-punch dad, that he thought his daughter was "very clever." How lovely.
Even though she didn't win, there's no reason why Stephie Key can't enter the Young Designer Awards again next year. One thing's for sure we haven't seen the last of her design flair and creativity. If dad should romp home on election night (as the polls predict), will First-Mum Bronagh be wearing some glamorously fetching outfit designed by her clever daughter? We hope so. They're a very loving, close-knit family, so it wouldn't surprise me.
In the mailbox, Paul from Auckland said, he "admired Key for keeping his family life private, but he should be proud of the fact he has such a hard-working, well-adjusted daughter... Politicians talk about improving life for families in this country," he said, "but I often wonder whether they really understand what it's like bringing up three kids. After reading that story, Key seems like any ordinary father. Like me. My daughter wants to be a fashion designer too."
Helen Clark and Peter Davis are childless, we know. Is that significant? Should the leader of this country have children in order to understand the average New Zealander and young people - the future of this country? Talking to Kiwis is one thing, but talking with them, living with them, experiencing life with them, is something else.
Yellowglen launch
Sparkling wine favourite Yellowglen was launched with a party at Auckland's Floating Pavilion at the Viaduct last week. Click here for photos by Norrie Montgomery.
Rachel Glucina
Pictured above: Left; John Key. Photo / Martin Johnston. Right; Stephie Key and her model. Photo / Ted Baghurst