John Banks (New Zealand politician)

The Honourable John Archibald Banks CNZM QSO
Leader of ACT New Zealand
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 February 2012
Preceded by	Don Brash
38th Mayor of Auckland City
In office 2007 – 31 October 2010
Preceded by	Dick Hubbard
Succeeded by	abolished
In office 2001–2004
Preceded by	Christine Fletcher
Succeeded by	Dick Hubbard
Minister of Police
In office 1990–1996
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger
Associate Minister of Education
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Whangarei
In office 1981–1999
Preceded by	John Gordon Elliott
Succeeded by	Philip Heatley
Minister for Regulatory Reform
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Epsom
Incumbent
Assumed office 2011
Preceded by	Rodney Hide
Minister for Small Business
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 December 2011
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Maurice Williamson
Associate Minister of Commerce
Personal details
Born	(1946-12-02) 2 December 1946 Wellington, New Zealand
Nationality	New Zealand
Political party	ACT New Zealand
Other political affiliations	National Party (until 2011)
Website	johnbanks.co.nz

John Archibald Banks, CNZM, QSO (born 2 December 1946) is a New Zealand politician. He served as Mayor of Auckland City for two terms, from 2001 to 2004, and from 2007 to 2010. He was a member of Parliament for the National Party from 1981 to 1999 and was a Cabinet Minister from 1990 to 1996.

In 2010, Banks lost the mayoralty race for the newly formed Auckland Council to Len Brown, the serving mayor of Manukau City.

In May 2011, he joined ACT New Zealand and was elected as the sole MP for the party in the Epsom electorate in the November 2011 election. In February 2012, the ACT Board of Trustees unanimously voted him party leader.

Before politics

Banks, born in Wellington, moved to Auckland while still at high school. He attended Avondale College. His father, Archie spent much of his life in prison.

In his career before entering politics, Banks worked as a market researcher in the pharmaceutical industry, as a commercial property developer, and as a restaurant owner. He served for a time as Chairman of the New Zealand Licensed Restaurant and Cabaret Association.

Banks began his political career in local-body politics with election to the Birkenhead Borough Council.

Private life

Banks lives in Remuera, with his wife Amanda Medcalf who he married in December 1987. They adopted three children from a Saint Petersburg orphanage in 1995, a girl and two boys. He holds a private pilot's licence, for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

In addition to his pilot's license, Banks also is an avid motorcar and motorcycle enthusiast, owning and regularly riding a Harley Davidson motorbike.

He was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to local body affairs.

Banks has stated that he believes the first chapters of the Book of Genesis, describing the creation of the world in six days, are literally true.

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament

Years	Term	Electorate	List	Party
1981–1984	40th	Whangarei			National
1984–1987	41st	Whangarei			National
1987–1990	42nd	Whangarei			National
1990–1993	43rd	Whangarei			National
1993–1996	44th	Whangarei			National
1996–1999	45th	Whangarei	16		National
2011 – present	50th	Epsom	4		ACT

In the 1978 general election, Banks stood as the National Party candidate for the Roskill electorate, but was unsuccessful. In the 1981 election, he stood in a different seat, Whangarei, and won. He would retain this seat for the remainder of his parliamentary career with the National Party.

Cabinet minister

When National won the 1990 elections, Banks entered Cabinet, becoming Minister of Police, Minister of Tourism, and Minister of Sport.

While Minister of Police, he was fined $750 for answering his cell phone on a commercial flight in 1991.

Banks gained a position as the host of a talkback radio programme on Radio Pacific in August 1992, taking over the Sunday afternoon timeslot from former Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon, for whom he had occasionally substituted during 1991 and 1992. In 1995, his fellow National Party Member of Parliament John Carter rang his programme impersonating a workshy Māori called Hone, which caused widespread offence.

In 1996, he resigned from Cabinet, becoming a backbencher after he refused to participate in the same cabinet as New Zealand First leader and coalition partner Winston Peters.

Banks retired from Parliament at the 1999 elections.

Return to Parliament

In 2011 he won the seat of Epsom for the ACT party becoming the sole MP for the party. ACT leader Don Brash resigned and Banks became leader of the party.

He currently serves as Minister of Regulatory Reform, Minister for Small Business, Associate Minister of Commerce and Associate Minister of Education in the Fifth National Government.

Mayor of Auckland City

First term 2001–2004

In 2001, he contested and won the Auckland City mayoralty, defeating the incumbent Christine Fletcher (herself also a former National MP). Banks remained controversial in his new role, although often regarding financial and management issues rather than social policy. He governed with the support of the traditional incumbent ticket at Auckland City, Citizens and Ratepayers Now. Banks brought in a streamlined decision making process at council, kept spending increases within inflation, sold half of the Auckland International Airport shares to pay off Auckland City's increasing debt and proposed massive transport projects such as the Eastern Transport Corridor. Banks' personal style, coupled with his mayoral agenda, polarised many Aucklanders. In 2001 he was caught speeding on a jet ski close to the beach, not long after criticising boy racers. He also said Asian immigrants had filthy habits such as spitting on footpaths.

A serious challenge to his mayoralty came from philanthropic cereal-maker Dick Hubbard in late August 2004. Six weeks out from the next election, a New Zealand Herald public opinion poll gave Hubbard 32.2 per cent and Banks 27.3 per cent, with Christine Fletcher trailing by a wide gap.

The campaign gained notoriety as one of the "nastiest" and hardest-fought in memory. In September 2004, Banks's campaign manager, Brian Nicolle, resigned amidst allegations of "gutter politics" after he ordered distribution of copies of a National Business Review article highly critical of Hubbard to hundreds of letterboxes in Auckland, and then proceeded to deny it. Nicolle eventually confirmed he ordered the article distribution. This was done without the authorisation of Banks as the candidate, which helped make the story even more controversial during the campaign.

The New Zealand Herald poll's pattern held for most of the campaign as the postal votes came in. On 9 October 2004, Hubbard defeated "Banksie" in his bid to be re-elected as Mayor of Auckland. At the same time, the city also elected a centre-left council, dominated by the City Vision and Action Hobson councillors. In early interviews after his election loss, Banks stated that he would look after his varied business interests, both in New Zealand and Australia.

Post 2004 election

For a time, rumours suggested that he might return to national politics, standing as a candidate either for the National Party or for ACT New Zealand. Speculation eventually focused on ACT, and several meetings took place between Banks and senior party members. In the end, however, Banks declined to become an ACT candidate, despite indications that he could win a seat for the ailing party that would guarantee them representation.

In February 2005, Banks returned to talkback radio reprising his "Breakfast with Banksie" early morning radio show on Radio Pacific.

Re-election in 2007

In October 2006, Banks announced he was giving serious consideration to standing for the Auckland Mayoralty again. He indicated that if he did become Mayor again, he would practise a more inclusive style of leadership with a firmer focus on financial matters. He has indicated qualified support for the proposed 2007 "Hero Parade", which was an annual gay parade held in the 1990s prior to his becoming Mayor. Banks ditched the controversial Eastern Corridor proposal that caused a split in his voting base.

In July 2007 Banks announced his intention to stand for Mayor in the October 2007 local body election, running on a platform of "affordable progress" and transparency in council meetings. Polls soon showed him in a clear lead. Banks campaigned heavily on platforms of affordable progress, plus openness and accountability, particularly in regard to Auckland City's leaky homes crisis.

On 13 October 2007, Banks was re-elected as mayor of Auckland, becoming only the second Mayor in Auckland City's history to have come back to the Mayoralty after defeat, the other being Dove-Myer Robinson in 1968.

Second Mayoral term 2007–2010

Upon his successful re-election, Banks indicated a number of initial changes and spending cuts in order to meet his goal of keeping future rates increases at affordable levels. Banks and the Citizens and Ratepayers council majority re-introduced a streamlined council structure, bringing in five super-committees instead of the previous 14 committees.

Banks has also campaigned on job creation and economic development initiatives, such as a film friendly policy for Auckland, to attract television, movie and commercial filming. The benefits of the film industry was reported as almost $900 million in GDP activity for Auckland region.

His personality, especially during his first mayoral term, has been called that of a bully, "raised by Sir Robert Muldoon in the ways of the bear pit". However, it has been commented that his leadership style became much less brusque and confrontative in his second term, something he himself ascribes to the "long, cold shower" he received in being defeated by political newcomer Dick Hubbard in the 2004 elections.

Auckland Council

Banks supported pushing for a unitary authority or a "supercity" from 2001. After the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance recommended and the Government confirmed it would introduce a single council for the Auckland region, Banks confirmed he would stand in the 2010 Auckland mayoral election for the new Auckland Council. Banks has been critical of some of the aspects of the new supercity, favouring increased powers to the local boards that would represent people at the grassroots level. Banks was the second highest polling mayoral candidate, but was beaten by Len Brown by more than 10% of the electoral vote share.

The teapot tapes

On 18 May 2011 Banks joined ACT New Zealand and applied to contest the Epsom electorate for the party in the 2011 general election. He was confirmed as the party's candidate on 28 May.

In November 2011, Banks and Prime Minister John Key had a cup of tea together in a cafe in Newmarket. Their meeting two weeks before election day was seen as a symbolic endorsement of Mr Banks by the National Party as their preferred candidate for the Epsom electorate. After publicly meeting for some time, media were asked to leave. A journalist, Bradley Ambrose, left his recording device behind, and subsequently gave the recording of the politicians' conversation to the Herald on Sunday newspaper. The recording allegedly contained comments about the leadership of ACT and disparaging remarks about elderly New Zealand First supporters. There was intense media interest in what was on the recording but the Herald refused to publish it. The recording became known as the Teapot Tape and the incident was a highly embarrassing for both of them.

The ACT Party did poorly in the election, attracting only 1.07 per cent of the vote. However, Banks won the Epsom electorate becoming the party's sole MP. Party leader Don Brash resigned shortly thereafter and in February 2012, Banks was unanimously voted ACT party leader by the ACT board.

Campaign donation controversy

In April 2012, TV3 alleged that Banks had asked Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload, for and received a campaign donation of $50,000 that was later declared as anonymous. TV3's John Campbell alleged that Banks had asked for a $50 000 donation to be broken into two donations of $25 000, which were then reported as anonymous donations, instead of naming Kim Dotcom as the donor as required by the Electoral Finance Act 2007. Dotcom told the New Zealand Herald and TV3's Campbell Live program that the cheques were written out in the presence of Banks, and Banks called him a few days later to thank him. He produced emails which seemed to verify his chain of events. This followed a similar accusation, where Banks was alleged to have failed to name a donation from Skycity Entertainment Group, to the value of $15 000. A complaint was made to the Electoral Commission, and was subsequently investigated by the Police.

On Thursday, 26 July 2012, Assistant Commissioner Malcolm Burgess announced that after an extensive inquiry by the Auckland police, there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Banks. Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law at Waikato University, described Bank's behaviour as "outrageous" and said the fact that he was not charged did not mean he was not guilty. Gillespie said New Zealand must adopt a code of conduct for parliamentarians to reduce the risk of corruption and to increase accountability.

Accountant Graham McCready brought a private prosecution against Banks in relation to the Kim Dotcom donations, which went to court in December 2012.

An amendment to local electoral laws nicknamed the 'John Banks bill' passed its first reading in November 2012. It tightens restrictions on campaign donations, and was directly inspired by Banks' 2010 mayoralty campaign.

McCready hoped the court would release Mr Banks' statements to police over the donations, but in court on 12 December 2013 Judge Gill Moss said the court did not deal with Official Information Act matters. She criticised Mr Cready’s submissions saying, "It took longer than it should have for me to work out what you were saying." McCready was given until 10 January to file further submissions.

On 11 February 2013 McCready withdraw the matter by leave of the court. On Tuesday, 5 March 2013, McCready plead guilty to blackmail

However in April 2013 a judge ruled a private prosecution against Banks could proceed, as there was "sufficient evidence" to look into the case.

Biographies

• Paul Goldsmith: John Banks: A Biography: Auckland: Penguin: 2001: (Updated. Originally published 1997): ISBN 0-14-301819-1
• Noel Harrison: Banks: Behind the Mask: Wellington: Estate of Lyndsay Rae Gammon: 2002: ISBN 0-476-00990-1

External links

• Campaign website for 2007 Auckland City mayoral bid