John Key voted NZ's hottest politician

John Key and admirers at a winery concert earlier this month

Opinion poll

Who is NZ's sexiest male politician?

John Key

Simon Bridges

Bill English

Phil Goff

Rodney Hide

Russell Norman

Pita Sharples

Vote Result

Opinion poll

Who is NZ's sexiest female politician?

Nikki Kaye

Melissa Lee

Jacinda Ardern

Metiria Turei

Vote Result

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Prime Minister John Key might be on the wrong side of 40, married, and with a job that is more stressful than sexy, but that has not stopped Kiwis voting him as the country's hottest politician.

The 48-year-old pipped (with 43% of votes) his much younger, and some would say more cosmetically appealing colleague, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges (33%), in an online survey of 700 Kiwis.

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English was a distant third (10%).

The high placement of the nation's helmsman and his deputy, neither of whom have been noted for their modelling potential, perhaps confirms the old notion that power can be sexy.

Key was nonplussed about his new sex-symbol status: "I'm gratified, if a little surprised," he said.

The survey, run by condom company Durex, also asked respondents to name the country's sexiest female politician and celebrity.

Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye took out the female title with 32% of the votes, followed by another National MP, Melissa Lee (24%), and young Labour MP Jacinda Ardern (19%).

Kaye said that although she thought it was "lovely" that she had been chosen as the nation's hottest female politician, she was not sure whether it would help her love life. Kaye is single.

"Yesterday I turned 30 and I was feeling down in the dumps, I had the 30 blues, but this news has just made it all better – it has made my day.

"I just hope there weren't too many of my relatives in the survey sample."

The results for the sexiest male celebrity were a little less surprising. A rugby nation could not look past All Black superboot and Jockey underwear frontman Dan Carter (37%), All Black captain Richie McCaw (15%) and teammate Richard Kahui (13%). Victoria Cross winner Corporal Willie Apiata's courage under fire set enough hearts a-flutter to earn 10% of the votes and fourth place on the list.

The women celebrities were much more varied, with a singer, dancer-cum-snowboarder and weather presenter topping the list.

Gin Wigmore was voted the sexiest female celebrity with 27% of votes, followed by Dancing with the Stars regular Hayley Holt (14%) and TV3 weather girl Toni Marsh (10%). As for couples, old Dan made the list again. He and hockey-playing partner Honor Dillon were named the sexiest couple with 45% of votes, followed by radio duo Dominic Harvey and Jay-Jay Feeney (18%) and Dean and Mandy Barker (13%).

- © Fairfax NZ News