John Key addresses young Latter-day Saints
Coming from a less well-off environment was not the single most important factor determining success in life, he said. That role went to education, “something that people can't take away from you.” In delivering his address entitled “Achieving a successful career by making the most of life's opportunities,” Mr Key recalled his own youthful experiences. Among the factors that shaped his career success he listed the positive influence of his mother, his admiration for his favourite All Black of all time , Sid Going (who was at the meeting), and other lessons learned in his youth – all of which shaped him for a highly successful career in international investment banking and New Zealand politics. Mr Key said he gained his high regard for education from his widowed mother. He also learned from her that “you get out of life what you put into it” regardless of what you want to achieve. She taught him a great deal about discipline, hard work and determination. As a result of this and his personal experiences, he said he believed there were no shortcuts to success and that there was no substitute for discipline, hard work and determination. He emphasis the importance of self belief, without which he said he never would have achieved success in politics. No matter what goal a person tried to achieve in life “lots of people are going to be telling you that you won't make it,” he said. “You've got to believe in yourself and you've got to go for it.” It was important to have dreams. It was his own dreams of becoming a politician, combined with his values of self belief, hard work and determination that had helped him become leader of the National party, and potentially the next prime minister of New Zealand. He cited Singapore 's great leap to economic success as an example for New Zealand to follow. Despite the challenges it faced, he said New Zealand was potentially in a positive position for the future. The world's increasing population and rate of development would create a higher demand for food and fuel from natural resources, something that New Zealand was able to supply. To help take advantage of this position and bring a prosperous future to New Zealand Mr Key said he encouraged each young New Zealander to achieve a successful career by making the most of life's opportunities. Mr Key was accompanied to the meeting by his parliamentary colleagues, Judith Collins, Pansy Wong, Wayne Mapp and Paul Hutchinson. The first of the preliminary speakers was Elder David Baxter, First Counsellor in the New Zealand/Pacific Area Presidency. He said that while the church was politically neutral, it hoped all members exercised their hard won right to vote. Reprising his previous message in the Evening with Prime Minister Helen Clark in November, Elder Baxter spoke of three foundation-forming principles for realising life's greatest opportunities. These were:
He said the first involved focusing on a vision and working relentlessly to realise it. “Let the future, not the past condition you,” he said. With the third, he advised the young people to be ready always to render selfless service to those who needed to be helped, lifted, encouraged and strengthened. “As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have a particular responsibility to do all we can to bless the lives of others, because we surely know that we truly are our brother's keeper,” he said. The second speaker, Erica Larsen a young single adult, listed three points which she said helped in charting a successful career and in making a successful step from education to employment. These were:
She quoted President. Thomas S. Monson who once said “Study and prepare for your life's work in a field that you really enjoy, because you are going to spend a good share of your life in that field.” Elder Spencer Condie, Area President of the New Zealand Pacific Area, said different people resonated toward different career paths and different specialties of knowledge. However, “It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you work hard and honourably, and can look after your family.” Elder Condie presented Mr Key with three gifts -- a framed copy of The Family: A Proclamation to the World; a book entitled Why I Believe, containing the testimonies of many influential LDS business people; and a music album, One Voice, by LDS singer Gladys Knight.
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Being poor doesn't rob you of hope, Opposition leader John Key told 1000 young Latter-day
Saints at Robertson Road, Mangere, on May 18, 