Prime Minister John Key has added his tributes to Baroness Margaret Thatcher, who died yesterday of a stroke, aged 87.
"You had to admire a woman that had such courage of her convictions," Mr Key said shortly after landing in Shanghai on his trade mission to China.
"She faced very, very difficult times, difficult circumstances. She stood up for what she believed in. She was fiercely determined all the way through."
There would be people who agreed and disagreed with the direction in which she took Britain "but what you can't question is that she was up against a very challenging set of circumstances on a number of fronts, she passionately believed in what she was doing, and that passion showed all the way through."
Mr Key recalled some of the challenges Thatcher faced, including the bombing campaigns by the Irish Republic Army and the war against Argentina over the Falkland Islands.
"She will be remembered as a very strong and determined leader that faced some real challenges - obviously the conflict with the Falklands, the conflict with the IRA and tremendous economic challenges that Great Britain faced.
"I think she's left a strong and permanent legacy for Great Britain. The challenges she faced were quite unique at the time. She was very determined as a leader but she believed passionately in what she was doing, and she'll be missed by many people in Britain."
- Audrey Young in China
