Bill English

39th Prime Minister of New Zealand

• Born: December 30, 1961
• Place of Birth: Lumsden, New Zealand

Education: University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington

Significance: Bill English is a long-time New Zealand political figure and was the thirty-ninth Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Background

Bill English was born on 30 December 1961 in Lumsden, New Zealand, to Norah (née O’Brien) and Mervyn English, who owned a sheep and cropping farm in Dipton, Southland. English was the second youngest of his parents’ twelve children. He went to school in Winton at St Thomas’s School before attending boarding school in Upper Hutt at St Patrick’s College. For tertiary education, English attended the University of Otago, where he received a BA in commerce. He completed his BA Honours in English Literature at Victoria University of Wellington. During this time, he joined the National Party.

After finishing his degrees, English returned to Dipton to farm for a few years. He continued to work in politics as a political analyst in Wellington, as chairman for the Young Nationals in Southland, and as a member of the electorate committees in Island Bay and Miramar. In 1990, English ran in the Wallace district as the National Party candidate. He won the election with a large majority and joined the House of Representatives.

Life’s Work

English served a number of roles as a member of Parliament (MP). In his first term, he chaired a social services committee. In 1993, he became a parliamentary under-secretary for the Minister of Health. In 1996, English joined the cabinet of Prime Minister Jim Bolger, making him the youngest member of the cabinet. Later in the same year, the cabinet was reshuffled when the National Party joined New Zealand First as a coalition. In this shuffle, English became the Minister of Health. However, Neil Kirton, an MP for New Zealand First, was appointed as Associate Minister of Health. The joint position was fraught, and Kirton was eventually dropped from the role with the consent of New Zealand First’s party leader. As Minister of Health, English was in charge of implementing public health system reforms.

Bolger resigned as Prime Minister in 1997, and Jenny Shipley was elected into leadership. Shipley reappointed English as Minister of Health. During a reshuffle in January 1999, English became Minister of Finance and then Treasurer a few months later. Both of these roles ended up being short-lived as the Labour Party won the 1999 election, and Helen Clark became Prime Minister. Shipley became the leader of the opposition, and English became the National Party’s spokesperson for finance.

In February 2001, English was elected leader of the National Party after Shipley resigned, making him the second youngest to be elected into the position after Jim McLay. However, the party suffered its worst electoral defeat in history with English at the helm. The National Party earned just over 20 percent of the vote, while the Labour Party earned just over 40 percent. While the blame for the loss did not fall squarely on English, opinion polls remained poor under his leadership. In October 2003, Don Brash was elected party leader. Brash shuffled the cabinet to include English as the party’s spokesperson for education, a high-ranking place within the party’s hierarchy.

With the education portfolio, English flourished and remained a highly regarded member of the National Party. When John Key took over as the leader of the National Party in 2006, English replaced Gerry Brownlee as deputy leader. When Key was elected as Prime Minister in the 2008 election, English became the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. Key and English were considered to work well together.

English’s role as Finance Minister was challenging due to the global financial crisis. He focused on deficit reduction and business growth. Under his leadership, government-wide spending was reduced, infrastructure spending was increased, and real GDP grew, despite the global financial climate. In 2009, it was revealed that English and other ministers were claiming accommodation allowances for living in their own homes. English responded by paying back the allowance and stating he would no longer claim a housing allowance.

After Key resigned, English became the 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand, swearing in on December 12, 2016. While he appointed Steven Joyce to replace him as Finance Minister, other portfolios remained largely the same. English made several overseas trips to discuss trade agreements and introduced an investment package to improve digital learning, mathematics and second language teaching in schools. While he made two political faux pas in 2017, namely not attending Waitangi Day commemorations and turning a blind eye to the illegal behaviour of a colleague, he was nevertheless favoured to win the 2017 election.

However, neither the National Party or the Labour Party initially won enough seats to govern alone. After the Labour Party formed a coalition with New Zealand First, Labour leader Jacinda Ardern replaced English as prime minister on October 26, 2017. English stayed on as National Party leader until he resigned in February 2018. Several weeks later, he left Parliament as well. He then joined the boards of companies including Air New Zealand, ANZ, and Wesfarmers, the Australian retail giant. He also served as a visiting fellow at the Harvard University Institute of Politics in 2018.

Impact

English spent nearly three decades as a prominent politician in New Zealand. He held a variety of important positions, including prime minister. His recognition as Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2018 for services to the State reflects and highlights his impact on NZ politics.

Personal Life

English married Mary Scanlon, a general practitioner. They had one daughter and five sons. A Roman Catholic, English stated that his religious beliefs did not influence his political decisions.

Bibliography

Cooke, Henry. “Six Things You Might Not Know about Bill English, Our Next PM.” Stuff, 12 Dec. 2016, www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87412259/six-things-you-might-not-know-about-bill-english-our-next-pm. Accessed 6 June 2024.

"Bill English." Harvard University Institute of Politics, 2024, iop.harvard.edu/fellows/bill-english. Accessed 6 June 2024.

Salmond, Rob. “Grabbing Governments by the Throat: Question Time and Leadership in New Zealand’s Parliamentary Opposition.” Political Science, vol. 56, no. 2, 2004, pp. 75–90.

Trevett, Claire. “Bill English’s Long Road to Redemption.” The New Zealand Herald, 10 Dec. 2016, www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c‗id=1&objectid=11763933. Accessed 6 June 2024.

Trevett, Claire. “Down on the Farm in Dipton with Bill English.” The New Zealand Herald, 3 Feb. 2018, www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c‗id=1&objectid=11799383. Accessed 6 June 2024.