Paula Bennett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Paula Bennett
Bennett in 2018
18th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
In office 12 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister	Bill English
Governor-General	Patsy Reddy
Preceded by	Bill English
Succeeded by	Winston Peters
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
In office 26 October 2017 – 22 May 2020
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern
Leader	Bill English Simon Bridges
Preceded by	Kelvin Davis
Succeeded by	Nikki Kaye
Deputy Leader of the National Party
In office 12 December 2016 – 22 May 2020
Leader	Bill English Simon Bridges
Preceded by	Bill English
Succeeded by	Nikki Kaye
18th Minister of State Services
In office 8 October 2014 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister	John Key Bill English
Preceded by	Jonathan Coleman
Succeeded by	Chris Hipkins
14th Minister for Women
In office 20 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister	Bill English
Preceded by	Louise Upston
Succeeded by	Julie Anne Genter
35th Minister of Tourism
In office 20 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister	Bill English
Preceded by	John Key
Succeeded by	Kelvin Davis
38th Minister of Police
In office 20 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister	Bill English
Preceded by	Judith Collins
Succeeded by	Stuart Nash
5th Minister for Climate Change Issues
In office 14 December 2015 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister	John Key Bill English
Preceded by	Tim Groser
Succeeded by	James Shaw
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waitakere
In office 8 December 2008 – 14 August 2014
Preceded by	Lynne Pillay
Succeeded by	constituency abolished
Majority	9
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Upper Harbour
In office 21 September 2014 – 17 October 2020
Preceded by	constituency established
Succeeded by	Vanushi Walters
Majority	9,692
Personal details
Born	(1969-04-09) 9 April 1969 (age 56) Auckland, New Zealand
Political party	National Party
Spouse	Alan Philps
Children	1
Alma mater	Massey University (BA)
Occupation	Recruitment consultant

Paula Lee Bennett (born 9 April 1969) is a New Zealand former politician. She served as the 18th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from December 2016 to October 2017. She was also the deputy leader of the National Party from 2016 to 2020. Paula Bennett was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Upper Harbour from 2014 to 2020.

Before this, she represented the Waitakere area. This area's boundaries changed before the 2014 election. In the fifth National Government, she held important roles. These included Minister of State Services, Minister for Women, Minister of Tourism, Minister of Police, and Minister for Climate Change Issues. She decided to retire from Parliament at the 2020 general election.

Paula Bennett's Early Life

Paula Bennett was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 9 April 1969. Her parents were Bob and Lee Bennett. She has Tainui heritage from her grandmother, Ailsa Bennett, who was half-Māori. Her father ran a flooring business in Auckland. In 1974, her family bought a village store in Kinloch, near Taupo.

Paula went to Taupo-nui-a-Tia College in Taupo. When she was 17, she had a daughter named Ana. She raised Ana by herself. During this time, she worked in hotels and tourism. Sometimes, she received government support to help her family.

Education and First Jobs

In 1992, Paula moved to Auckland. She worked in a rest home, first in the kitchen, then as a nurse aide. In 1994, she started studying social work at Massey University in Albany. She became the welfare officer for the university's student association. In 1996, she became the president. She said this experience made her interested in politics. She focused on social policy and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

After university, Paula worked for Murray McCully. He was a National Party Member of Parliament for East Coast Bays. She worked for him until the 1999 election. Later, she worked as a recruitment consultant for several years. She also helped McCully with his election campaign in 2002.

Paula Bennett's Political Journey

Starting in Parliament (2005-2008)

In the 2005 election, Paula Bennett ran for the National Party in the Waitakere area. She was also 45th on the National Party's list of candidates. She did not win the Waitakere seat. However, she still entered Parliament as a list MP. At that time, the National Party did not have enough support to form the government.

While in opposition, Paula Bennett had different roles. From 2005 to 2006, she was a spokesperson for welfare and community groups. From 2006 to 2008, she focused on early childhood education.

In the 2008 election, she won the Waitakere seat. She beat the sitting MP, Lynne Pillay, by 632 votes. After this win, Paula Bennett was given several important roles in the new National-led government.

Key Roles in Government (2008-2017)

Paula Bennett as Deputy Prime Minister with Prime Minister Bill English in 2016.

Paula Bennett became a senior minister in the Fifth National Government. She was well-known for leading changes in social welfare. She served as Minister of Social Development from 2008 to 2014. During this time, she also held other roles. These included Minister of Youth Affairs (2008–2013) and Minister for Disability Issues (2008–2009). She was also Associate Minister of Housing (2013–14).

In the government's third term, she took on more responsibilities. She was Minister of State Services (2014–2017) and Minister of Social Housing (2014–2016). She was also Associate Minister of Finance (2014–2016) and Minister of Local Government (2014–2015). From 2015 to 2017, she was Minister for Climate Change Issues.

In December 2016, she became Deputy Prime Minister. She also became Minister for Women, Minister of Police, and Minister of Tourism.

When she was first appointed Minister of Social Development in 2008, some people were surprised. She had been ranked 41st on the party list. Her background as someone who had received government support was seen as a way to make the role seem more understanding.

Paula Bennett made some changes to welfare during her time as minister. One change was to the Training Incentive Allowance (TIA). This allowance helped students, and Paula herself had received it. It was later stopped. Another change was for single parents receiving government support. They now had to look for part-time work when their child turned six, instead of eighteen. Paula had her first child at 17 and had received similar support. She explained that times had changed in 25 years.

In the 2011 election, Paula Bennett ran for the Waitakere seat again. She won by a small number of votes. After a recount, she was confirmed as the winner.

The electoral boundaries changed in 2013/14. Her Waitakere area was split into two new areas: Kelston and Upper Harbour. In the 2014 election, Paula Bennett ran for the Upper Harbour seat. She won with a large majority of 9,692 votes.

The National Party won a third term in government in 2014. Prime Minister John Key suggested that Paula Bennett would take on a financial or economic role. She became the highest-ranking female Cabinet minister. She held the State Services, Social Housing, and Local Government roles. She was also an Associate Minister for Finance and Tourism. From December 2015, she became Minister for Climate Change Issues.

John Key stepped down as leader of the National Party in December 2016. Bill English became the new Prime Minister. Paula Bennett was chosen as the National Party's deputy leader. She was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister on 12 December 2016. She kept this role and her other Cabinet roles until the end of the government's term.

In the 2017 election, Paula Bennett ran for the Upper Harbour seat again. She was re-elected with a majority of 9,556 votes.

In Opposition (2017-2020)

After the 2017 election, the National Party did not have enough support to form the government. Paula Bennett continued as the National Party's deputy leader under Simon Bridges. This happened after Bill English retired in 2018. She was the party's spokesperson for social investment, social services, women, and drug reform. Paula Bennett believed that drug reform should consider health, education, and justice.

In August 2019, Paula Bennett announced she would not run for the Upper Harbour seat in 2020. Instead, she would be a list-only candidate. She was also chosen to manage the National Party's 2020 election campaign.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Parliament was not meeting. Paula Bennett was a member of the Epidemic Response Committee. This committee looked at how the government was responding to the pandemic.

In May 2020, a poll showed low support for the National Party and its leader, Simon Bridges. Paula Bennett, as deputy leader, was challenged by Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye. Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller challenged Simon Bridges for the leadership. A vote was held on 22 May. Bridges and Bennett were replaced by Muller and Kaye as leader and deputy leader.

Paula Bennett was then ranked 13th in Muller's Shadow Cabinet. On 29 June, she announced she would retire from politics at the general election in September. Her former roles for Women and Drug Reform were taken over by Nikki Kaye and Amy Adams.

Life After Politics

After the general election on 19 October 2020, Paula Bennett joined Bayleys Real Estate. She became their Director - Strategic Advisory. In 2021, she was asked to host the TVNZ show Give Us a Clue.

In 2024, Associate Minister of Health David Seymour appointed Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. Pharmac is the government agency that decides which medicines are funded in New Zealand.

Personal Life

Paula Bennett married Alan Philps in 2012. Alan Philps prefers to stay out of the public eye. Paula mentioned him in October 2016. He was not in photos from her swearing-in ceremony in 2016. However, her daughter, granddaughter, and stepdaughter were there. After announcing her retirement from politics, Paula Bennett said she planned to work in business.

In late 2017, Paula Bennett shared that she had gastric bypass surgery to help with weight loss. In November 2018, she said she had lost 50 kilograms (about 110 pounds) over the previous year.