John Key likes ... Johnny English?

How much can you really tell about a political candidate from their policies? Could you learn more if you discovered what movies they love, the books the read and the TV shows they watch?

Charlie Gates has asked parliamentary leaders about their cultural favourites in an effort to cast fresh light on who we might be voting for in Saturday's election.

FAVOURITE FILM

John Key: Johnny English.

Phil Goff: I really enjoyed The King's Speech. The acting was just superb. I also found Inside Job gave a fascinating insight into the greed and recklessness of the financial sector which led to the global financial crisis.

Hone Harawira: Jesus Christ Superstar - the one with Yvonne Elliman in it.

Peter Dunne: Gone With the Wind.

Russel Norman: Twelve Angry Men, and The Runaway Jury.

Tariana Turia: Rabbit-Proof Fence.

Don Brash: Impossible to answer!  I have seen many great ones. Inherit the Wind (about  the Scopes trial in the US), In the Heat of the Night, Invictus, and Gran Torino.

FAVOURITE TV PROGRAMME

John Key: Seven Days.

Phil Goff: I'm becoming addicted to Downton Abbey but I also really like The Borgias - it's certainly more bloodthirsty than modern politics.

Hone Harawira: The Crowd Goes Wild.

Peter Dunne: Any news and current affairs shows.

Russel Norman: Outrageous Fortune, House.

Tariana Turia: Te Tepu.

Don Brash: There are none I’ve watched regularly in recent years.

FAVOURITE MUSIC

John Key: Easy listening music.

Phil Goff: A really wide variety from rock to contemporary NZ, including Gin Wigmore, Crowded House and Don McGlashan are my all-time favourites.

Hone Harawira: New Zealand reggae.

Peter Dunne: Classics, big Bands, ballads.

Russel Norman: Fat Freddy’s Drop, Fiona Apple, Steve Abel, Johnny Cash.

Tariana Turia: Wide range: violin, piano, mood music. My favourite song is Dance with my Father (Luther Vandross).

Don Brash: My tastes in music are pretty catholic. When driving, I usually listen to The Coast - so easy listening. But I also enjoy some popular classical music - for example, Cavalleria Rusticana, and popular opera.

FAVOURITE FICTION BOOK

John Key: Anything by John Grisham.

Phil Goff: The National Party manifesto.

Hone Harawira: The Bible.

Peter Dunne: The Cruel Sea.

Russel Norman: The Bone People by Keri Hulme.

Tariana Turia: Anything by Patricia Grace.

Don Brash: I haven’t read much fiction over the last 20 years, but one which I greatly enjoyed was The Emperor’s General, a historical novel about General MacArthur’s jealousy of his Japanese opposite number.

FAVOURITE WORK OF ART

John Key: A Colin McCahon of a koru, which hangs in the Speaker's Lounge in Parliament.

Phil Goff: That is too hard to answer. I really like a lot of Dick Frizzell's work. I visited him at his studio recently and thought the images he produced for the Rugby World Cup were superb.

Hone Harawira: Anything done by my daughter.

Peter Dunne: Rita Angus' Cass.

Russel Norman: Sam Mahon’s sculpture of Nick Smith’s head, made of cow dung.

Tariana Turia: Photography. My son-in-law takes wonderful photos of our whanau.

Don Brash: Again, a tough question, but if I have to name a single work of art I’d name Salvador Dali’s Last Supper.