It takes a lot to upstage a PM: Max Key has done it

Poor old Prime Minister John Key has been upstaged by his own son, Max.

It is his first week back after the long silence of his holiday, yet it is Max's latest video clip of his holiday in Hawaii that is getting all the attention rather than Key's musings on the economic slowdown and property investment in Auckland.

Speaking about the video on Monday, Key said his children have to learn for themselves to take both the bad and the good if they choose to use social media. What he left unsaid was that he also had to take the bad and good by association.

On one hand, Key's presence in some of Max's social media shows him as the "loving father" he has proclaimed himself to be, involved in his children's lives. But things can quickly go awry.

Key says he does not censor Max - but it is highly unlikely Max hasn't been warned of the need for care in this regard. The fact we haven't yet seen photos of Max a la Prince Harry in Nazi uniforms or dancing with naked ladies is likely evidence Max is cognisant of this himself.

The criticism his latest contribution to YouTube has attracted from some quarters was over the lifestyle the clip exhibited - the works deluxe neighbour-free class seats, swanning around living what seems like the high life Hawaii on holiday. This is a lifestyle Key the Elder does not flaunt for obvious political reasons - it grates with his everyman image.

Politicians' children are often a no-go zone. Where this gets tricky is where those children know they will get the attention and even foster it.

Stephanie is a more private individual than Max. Like his father, Max is clearly an extrovert. He also learned early that what he put on social media would soon get a wider audience. One of those early instances was the photo, taken by his dad, of Max planking when still in his early teens.

The other key factor is that Key's children are no longer children. They are now adults. Max is 20 and Stephanie is 22. Key has become less protective as they have grown, clearly picking there is a fine line between stifling their own chances in life and protecting them.

This is particularly the case with Stephanie and her art career. Stephanie's chosen medium of slightly risque self-portrait photos are probably not the safest political option for Key. He would undoubtedly wish she had chosen to paint classical landscapes. But Stephanie has had some success under her Cherry Lazar alter ego and Key clearly believes she should be free to pursue that without having to take into account her father's political stakes.

Max exhibited a sense of humour early on in life, largely by taking the mickey out of his father - jokes Key would later use in speeches. The latest clip is also somewhat tongue in cheek. A teaser in the leadup to the video showed Max and Amelia on a rock holding hands, a scene reminscent of the final rose ceremony in the Bachelor. It prompted speculation of a proposal. But the soundtrack to his video also appears to be the theme music to the Bachelor. And not long ago, Max was described as one of New Zealand's most eligible bachelors, so perhaps it was all a big joke.