The Honourable John Archibald Banks QSO (born 2 December 1946) has made a career as a New Zealand politician. For three years (2001 - 2004), he served as mayor of the city of Auckland. Prior to that he had filled posts as a Cabinet Minister in the New Zealand government.

At present, there are two biographies of his life available. Paul Goldsmith's work is largely celebratory, while Noel Harrison takes a more critical perspective about its subject.

Before politics

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Banks, born in Wellington, moved to Auckland while still at high school. In his career before entering politics, he 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.

Political career

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Banks began his political career in local-body politics with election to the Birkenhead Borough Council. In the 1978 general election, Banks stood as the National Party candidate for the Roskill electorate, but unsuccessfully. 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 despite some significant challenges during those election years less favourable to National.

When the National Party won the 1990 elections, Banks entered Cabinet, becoming Minister of Police, Minister of Tourism, and Minister of Sport. He quickly gained a high public profile due to his often-controversial views, most of which reflected a highly conservative political outlook. His political opponents accused him of racism towards Maori and immigrants, and of homophobia. Despite this, Banks earned the respect of the Police force and senior police hierarchy as "one of their own". Banks also had a troubled relationship with his political colleagues, who disliked what they saw as his aggressive and confrontational style. Banks sometimes clashed with Prime Minister Jim Bolger and other senior ministers. His reputation suffered with the appearance of revelations that he had threatened journalist Paul Jackman in the basement of Parliament Buildings, supported by an affidavit Jackman released to the press. In 1996, he resigned from Cabinet, becoming a backbencher after he refused to participate in the same cabinet as maverick MP turned NZ First leader and coalition partner Winston Peters. At around the same time he also gained a position as the host of a talkback radio programme. His resignation on principle and subsequent radio show was to be a good platform for his future political moves.

Banks retired from Parliament at the 1999 elections. His valedictory speech is said to be one of the better valedictory speeches in the last 25 years.

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 Airport shares to pay off Auckland City's increasing debt and proposed massive roading and public transport projects such as the "Eastern Corridor". Banks' personal style, coupled with his mayoral agenda, polarised many Aucklanders. 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 anonymously distributed copies of a newspaper article highly critical of Hubbard to hundreds of letterboxes in Auckland. This was done without the authorisation of Banks as the candidate, which helped make the story even more controversial during the campaign.

The Herald poll's pattern held for most of the campaign as the postal votes came in. On October 9, 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.

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 . He has indicated that he is interested in running for the Auckland mayoralty again after public feedback indicated deep concerns with the performance of the gaffe prone Dick Hubbard and discontent with the new direction of Auckland City. Banks has indicated that if he did run again, he would not re-run on the controversial Eastern Corridor proposal that caused a split in his voting base.

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

Personal matters

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Married and with three adopted children from Russia (who are all from the same family), Banks participates in Rotary International, and has received the Paul Harries Fellow Rotary prize. He also holds membership of a Masonic Lodge. Banks was also awarded a Queens Service Medal (QSM) for services to politics.

The New Zealand band Salmonella Dub released a song carrying Banks' name. The lyrics express criticism of Banks and include the line "We don't need to be told, we need to put you on hold".

His parents were convicted criminals, with his father a getaway driver in a bank robbery gang. Banks spent some years in foster care, and was enormously self-disciplined when commencing his post-education career in business. Banks owned a number of businesses when young including a shareholding in the "Tony's" chain of restaurants. Banks described his years of public service as a way of "balancing the ledger" regarding good deeds to outweight the bad deeds of his parents.

Biographies

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• Paul Goldsmith: John Banks: A Biography: Auckland: Penguin: 2001: (Updated. Originally published 1997): ISBN 0143018191

• Noel Harrison: Banks: Behind the Mask: Wellington: Estate of Lyndsay Rae Gammon: 2002: ISBN 0476009901

1946 births | Companions of the Queen's Service Order Living people Mayors of Auckland | New Zealand National Party | New Zealand politicians