John Key — prime minister (former) with roots in the Russian Empire
Sir John Key served as the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016, leading the National Party to three election victories. A former foreign exchange trader at Merrill Lynch, he was one of the most popular and pragmatic leaders in New Zealand's modern history.
Tracing the roots — Austria / Russia
His mother Edith Lichtensteinova was a Jewish refugee from Vienna who had fled Nazi Austria — her family's roots traced to the Russian Empire borderlands of Austria-Hungary. Key grew up in a state house in Christchurch and has spoken about his mother's refugee story as the defining experience that shaped his values of opportunity and resilience.
His mother Ruth Lazar was a Jewish refugee with roots in the Austro-Russian borderlands.
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Austria / Russia. At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
A career defined by ambition
"My mother came here with nothing. Everything I am comes from that."