Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: John Key's speaking sense about billionaires

Thank goodness for Sir John Key speaking some sense about billionaires, am I right?

I don't think anybody expected billionaires to become a topic of discussion in this election but here we are.

It started, of course, with Jack Tame's question to the Chris' during the leaders' debate on whether it was basically morally offensive for someone to be a billionaire.

Then John Key raised it again during Herald Now's Future of New Zealand debate, taking issue with the question itself. He says we're wowsers if we think it's okay for sportspeople and artists to be successful but not okay for billionaires, businesspeople and entrepreneurs to be successful.

And he's bang on, isn't he?

Because we should be celebrating success, whatever it looks like. We need to stop this strange impulse we seem to have to turn rich people into evil caricatures.

Often, you'll find rich people do very good things with their money.

Nick Mowbray, who made his money from his toy empire, and his wife have helped dozens of people have children they otherwise wouldn't have had by funding IVF treatment.

The Plowman family has donated $150 million to conservation projects in New Zealand this year.

Mark Dunajtschik in Wellington built a children's hospital.

What, you don't want a children's hospital? I'd like a children's hospital. And if he has to build it, I'll take it, thanks very much.

And that's what Chris Luxon should have said.

After all, his Government is actively trying to attract this very type of person, wealthy individuals, to New Zealand by offering the golden visa.

But he didn't. He didn't defend them. John Key did.

Because do you know what John Key's got?

John Key has the clarity of thought and the absolute certainty in his position that is only possible because he is not embarrassed to be in the National Party.

I'm grateful for John Key's return to politics, if only to remind people in this country to be proud of our successful people and to want more of them, even if they're billionaires.

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