Bill English facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Sir Bill English KNZM
English in 2017
39th Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office 12 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	Patsy Reddy
Deputy	Paula Bennett
Preceded by	John Key
Succeeded by	Jacinda Ardern
29th Leader of the Opposition
In office 26 October 2017 – 27 February 2018
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern
Deputy	Paula Bennett
Preceded by	Jacinda Ardern
Succeeded by	Simon Bridges
In office 8 October 2001 – 28 October 2003
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Deputy	Roger Sowry
Preceded by	Jenny Shipley
Succeeded by	Don Brash
9th Leader of the National Party
In office 12 December 2016 – 27 February 2018
Deputy	Paula Bennett
Preceded by	John Key
Succeeded by	Simon Bridges
In office 8 October 2001 – 28 October 2003
Deputy	Roger Sowry
Preceded by	Jenny Shipley
Succeeded by	Don Brash
17th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office 19 November 2008 – 12 December 2016
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Michael Cullen
Succeeded by	Paula Bennett
39th Minister of Finance
In office 19 November 2008 – 12 December 2016
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Michael Cullen
Succeeded by	Steven Joyce
In office 31 January 1999 – 22 June 1999
Prime Minister	Jenny Shipley
Preceded by	Bill Birch
Succeeded by	Bill Birch
Deputy Leader of the National Party
In office 27 November 2006 – 12 December 2016
Leader	John Key
Preceded by	Gerry Brownlee
Succeeded by	Paula Bennett
In office 7 February 2001 – 6 October 2001
Leader	Jenny Shipley
Preceded by	Wyatt Creech
Succeeded by	Roger Sowry
3rd Treasurer of New Zealand
In office 22 June 1999 – 10 December 1999
Prime Minister	Jenny Shipley
Preceded by	Bill Birch
Succeeded by	Michael Cullen
Constituency Member of the New Zealand Parliament for National Party List In office 20 September 2014 – 13 March 2018 Succeeded by Maureen Pugh Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Clutha-Southland In office 12 October 1996 – 20 September 2014 Preceded by New electorate Succeeded by Todd Barclay Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wallace In office 27 October 1990 – 12 October 1996 Preceded by Derek Angus Succeeded by Electorate abolished
Personal details
Born	Simon William English (1961-12-30) 30 December 1961 (age 63) Lumsden, New Zealand
Political party	National
Spouse	Mary Scanlon
Relations	Rachel Buchanan (niece)
Children	6
Parents	Mervyn English Norah O'Brien
Alma mater	University of Otago Victoria University
Signature

Sir Simon William English (born 30 December 1961) is a New Zealand politician who used to be the 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand. He held this top job from 2016 to 2017. He was also the leader of the National Party twice, from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2016 to 2018. Before becoming Prime Minister, he was the 17th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Minister of Finance from 2008 to 2016. He worked under Prime Minister John Key during the Fifth National Government.

Before he entered politics, Bill English was a farmer and worked for the government. He was first elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 1990. He became a Cabinet Minister in 1996. In 1999, he was made Minister of Finance, but his party lost the election that year. In October 2001, he became the leader of the National Party. This also made him the Leader of the Opposition. After a tough election in 2002, he was replaced as leader in 2003.

In 2006, he became the Deputy Leader of the National Party. When the National Party won the 2008 election, he became Deputy Prime Minister. He also became the Minister of Finance for a second time. Under his guidance, New Zealand's economy grew steadily. He stopped being an electorate MP in 2014, becoming a list-only MP.

John Key stepped down as Prime Minister in December 2016. Bill English won the leadership vote without anyone else running. He became Prime Minister on 12 December 2016. He was Prime Minister for about ten months. In the 2017 election, his party won the most seats but not enough to form a government alone. He was then replaced by Jacinda Ardern, the leader of the Labour Party. Bill English stayed on as Leader of the Opposition for a short time. He resigned as party leader in February 2018 and left Parliament soon after.

Early Life and Education

Bill English was born on 30 December 1961, in Lumsden, New Zealand. He is one of twelve children. His parents, Mervyn and Norah English, owned a farm in Dipton, Southland.

He went to St Thomas's School in Winton. Later, he attended St. Patrick's College in Upper Hutt, where he was the head boy. He also played rugby for the school's top team. After school, he studied business at the University of Otago. He then earned a degree in English literature from Victoria University of Wellington.

After university, Bill English worked on his family's farm for a few years. From 1987 to 1989, he worked in Wellington for the New Zealand Treasury. This was a government department that advises on money matters.

He joined the National Party in 1980 while he was at university. He was involved with the party's youth group and local committees.

Early Political Career (1990–1999)

In the 1990 general election, Bill English was elected as the National Party candidate for the Wallace area. He won by a large number of votes. He kept this seat, which was later called Clutha-Southland, until 2014. He was seen as a rising star in New Zealand politics. In his first term, he led a special committee that looked into social services. In 1993, he became a parliamentary under-secretary, helping the Minister of Health.

First Time in Cabinet (1996–1999)

In 1996, Prime Minister Jim Bolger made Bill English a member of the Cabinet. This meant he was part of the group of top ministers who make important decisions. He became the Minister for Crown Health Enterprises and an Associate Minister of Education. At 34, he was the youngest member of the Cabinet.

After the 1996 election, the National Party formed a government with another party, New Zealand First. Bill English became the Minister of Health. He worked on changes to the public health system. He believed it was important to talk about how these changes would make services better for people.

In January 1999, he was promoted to Minister of Finance. He said he wanted to be seen as someone who solved problems in a practical way.

Leader of the Opposition (1999–2008)

English in February 2005

After the National Party lost the 1999 election to the Labour Party, Bill English continued to work as the party's spokesperson for finance. In February 2001, he was elected as the party's deputy leader.

Leading the Opposition

In October 2001, Bill English became the leader of the National Party. This also made him the Leader of the Opposition. He was 39 years old, making him one of the youngest leaders in the National Party's history.

However, the party had a very difficult time in the 2002 general election. They received their lowest number of votes ever. Bill English described it as "the worst day of my political life." Many people wondered if he could help the party recover.

By late 2003, the National Party's popularity in polls was still low. Don Brash, a new politician, gained support to replace English. On 28 October, Don Brash became the new leader of the National Party.

Roles in Opposition

After losing the leadership, Bill English became the National Party's spokesperson for education. He worked hard in this role. In August 2004, he also became the deputy spokesperson for finance.

In November 2006, he became the Deputy Leader of the National Party again. He also took on the important role of finance spokesperson once more.

In Government (2008–2017)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (2008–2016)

English interviewed as a part of the Vote Chat forum at the University of Otago, October 2011

In the 2008 election, Bill English was re-elected to Parliament. He became the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Minister of Finance in the new National Government. He was sworn into these roles on 19 November 2008.

As Minister of Finance, his main goal was to reduce the government's debt. He focused on improving the business environment and investing in important projects like roads and buildings. He also worked to make government spending more efficient.

New Zealand's economy grew steadily during his time as Finance Minister. In 2014, he decided to run for Parliament only as a party-list candidate, meaning he no longer represented a specific local area.

By 2016, New Zealand had a budget surplus, meaning the government was collecting more money than it was spending. Bill English said that reducing debt and dealing with costs from the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake were more important than cutting taxes.

Prime Minister (2016–2017)

Premiership of Bill English
12 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Premier	Bill English
Cabinet	Fifth National Government of New Zealand
Party	New Zealand National Party
Appointer	Patsy Reddy
← John Key • Jacinda Ardern →

English with Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett on the steps of Parliament, December 2016

When John Key resigned as Prime Minister in December 2016, he supported Bill English to take over. Bill English became the 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand on 12 December 2016.

He appointed his first Cabinet on 18 December. He made Steven Joyce the new Finance Minister. Most other ministers kept their jobs.

In February 2017, Bill English did not attend the Waitangi Day events at the historic treaty grounds. This was because a local Māori tribe, Ngāpuhi, decided he could not speak at their meeting place. They were protesting a trade agreement they felt affected Māori rights.

His first trip overseas as Prime Minister was to Europe. He went to discuss trade, especially a possible free trade agreement between New Zealand and the European Union. He met with leaders like British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

On 1 February 2017, Bill English announced that the 2017 general election would be held on 23 September. He said his party would work with other smaller parties if they needed to form a government after the election.

In the 2017 general election, the National Party won the most votes and seats. However, they did not win enough seats to govern alone. After talks with other parties, New Zealand First decided to form a government with the Labour Party. Bill English was then replaced as Prime Minister by Jacinda Ardern on 26 October.

After Being Prime Minister (2017–2018)

Leader of the Opposition

Bill English was re-elected as the National Party leader on 24 October 2017. He initially planned to stay on as leader until the next general election in 2020. However, on 13 February 2018, he decided to step down as leader for personal reasons. He also retired from Parliament two weeks later. Simon Bridges became the new leader of the National Party on 27 February.

Life After Politics

After leaving Parliament in 2018, Bill English joined the board of an Australian company called Wesfarmers. He also holds leadership roles in several New Zealand companies and groups. These include Mount Cook Alpine Salmon and Impact Lab Ltd. He is also a director for other businesses.

In December 2023, the government asked Bill English to lead a review. This review looked into the financial situation of Kāinga Ora, a government agency that provides housing. In May 2024, his review found that Kāinga Ora had borrowed too much money without being careful enough.

Personal Life

English (left) at a 2011 Anzac Day service in Wellington, alongside then-Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand (centre)

Bill English met his wife, Mary Scanlon, at university. She studied medicine and became a doctor. Mary's parents were immigrants; her father was Samoan and her mother was Italian. Bill and Mary have six children: one daughter and five sons.

Bill English is a Roman Catholic. He believes his religious views are private and separate from his political work.

Awards and Recognition

In 2018, Bill English was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This honour was given to him for his more than 27 years of service to New Zealand.

See also

• List of New Zealand governments
• Politics of New Zealand