Bill English

For other people with the same name, see William English (disambiguation).

**Simon William** "**Bill**" **English** (born 30 December 1961) is Prime Minister of New Zealand and leader of the National Party, having taken office on 12 December 2016. He was previously Deputy Prime Minister from 2008 to 2016.

A farmer and public servant before entering politics, English was elected to parliament in 1990 as the National Party's candidate in the Wallace electorate. He was elevated to cabinet in 1996 and in 1999 was made Minister of Finance, although he served for less than a year due to his party's loss at the 1999 general election. In October 2001, English replaced Jenny Shipley as the leader of the National Party (and consequently as leader of the opposition). The party lost the 2002 general election, and in October 2003 he was replaced as leader by Don Brash. In November 2006, after Don Brash's resignation, English became deputy leader under John Key.

After National's victory at the 2008 general election, English became Deputy Prime Minister and was also made Minister for Finance for a second time. He became a list-only MP after retiring as an electorate MP at the 2014 general election. In December 2016, John Key announced his intention to resign as prime minister. He endorsed English as his replacement, and English won the resulting leadership election unopposed.

## Contents

 [hide]

* 1Early life
* 2Early political career
* 3First period in cabinet (1996–1999)
* 4Opposition (1999–2008)
	+ 4.1Leader of the Opposition
	+ 4.2Shadow cabinet roles and deputy leader
* 5Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (2008–2016)
* 6Prime Minister (2016–present)
* 7Controversies
	+ 7.1Leaked tapes
	+ 7.2Living allowances
* 8Political views
* 9Personal life
* 10See also
* 11References
* 12External links

## Early life[edit]

English is the second-youngest of 12 children of Mervyn and Norah English. His parents owned *Rosedale*, a mixed sheep and cropping farm in Dipton, Southland.[1][2] English was born in the nearby town of Lumsden.[3]

He attended St Thomas's School in Winton, then boarded at St. Patrick's College in Upper Hutt, where he became head boy. He played in the first XV of the school's rugby team. English went on to study commerce at the University of Otago, where he was a resident at Selwyn College, and then completed an honours degree in English literature at Victoria University of Wellington.[4]

After finishing his studies, English returned to Dipton and farmed for a few years.[4] From 1987 to 1989, he worked in Wellington as a policy analyst for the New Zealand Treasury, at a time when the free market policies favoured by Labour's finance minister Roger Douglas (known collectively as "Rogernomics") were being implemented.[5]

## Early political career[edit]

See also: Fourth National Government of New Zealand

English joined the National Party in 1980, while at Victoria University. He served for a period as chairman of the Southland branch of the Young Nationals, and became a member of the Wallace electorate committee. After moving to Wellington, he served for periods on the Island Bay and Miramar electorate committees, respectively.[6] At the 1990 general election, English stood as the National candidate in Wallace, replacing the retiring Derek Angus, and was elected with a large majority. He and three other newly elected National MPs (Tony Ryall, Nick Smith, and Roger Sowry) were soon identified as rising stars in New Zealand politics, and at various points were dubbed the "brat pack", the "gang of four", and the "Young Turks". In his first term in parliament, English chaired a select committee into social services. He was made a parliamentary under-secretary in 1993, serving under the Minister of Health.[4][7]

## First period in cabinet (1996–1999)[edit]

See also: Fourth National Government of New Zealand

In early 1996, English was elevated to cabinet by Prime Minister Jim Bolger, becoming the Minister for Crown Health Enterprises and Associate Minister of Education (to Wyatt Creech). He was 34 at the time, becoming the cabinet's youngest member.[8] After the 1996 general election, the National Party was forced into a coalition with New Zealand First in order to retain government. In the resulting cabinet reshuffle, English emerged as Minister of Health. However, as a condition of the coalition agreement, NZ First's Neil Kirton (a first-term MP) was made Associate Minister of Health, effectively becoming English's deputy. This arrangement was described in the press as a "shotgun marriage", and there were frequent differences of opinion between the two ministers.[9][10] After their relationship became unworkable, Kirton was sacked from the role in August 1997, with the agreement of NZ First leader Winston Peters.[11]

As Minister of Health, English was responsible for continuing the reforms to the public health system that National had begun after the 1990 general election. The reforms were unpopular, and health was perceived as one of the government's weaknesses, with the health portfolio consequently being viewed as a challenge.[12] English believed that the unpopularity of the reforms was in part due to a failure in messaging, and encouraged his National colleagues to avoid bureaucratic and money-focused language (such as references to "balance sheets" and "user charges") and instead talk about the improvements to services the government's reforms would bring.[13] He also rejected the idea that public hospitals could be run as commercial enterprises, a view which some of his colleagues had previously promoted.[14]

By early 1997, as dissatisfaction with Bolger's leadership began to grow, English was being touted as a potential successor, along with Jenny Shipley and Doug Graham. His age (35) was viewed as the main impediment to a successful leadership run.[15] National's leadership troubles were resolved in December 1997, when Bolger resigned and Shipley was elected to the leadership unopposed. English had been a supporter of Bolger as leader, but Shipley reappointed him Minister of Health in her new cabinet.[12] He was promoted to Minister of Finance in a reshuffle in January 1999, a position which was at the time subordinate to the Treasurer, Bill Birch. After a few months, the pair switched positions as part of Birch's transition to retirement, with English assuming the senior portfolio. In early interviews, he emphasised his wish to be seen as a pragmatist rather than an ideologue, and said that the initiatives of some of his predecessors (Roger Douglas's "Rogernomics" and Ruth Richardson's "Ruthanasia") had focused on "fruitless, theoretical debates" when "people just want to see problems solved".[5][16]

## Opposition (1999–2008)[edit]

English in February 2005

After the National Party lost the 1999 election to Helen Clark's Labour Party, English continued on in the shadow cabinetas National's spokesperson for finance. He was elected deputy leader of the party in February 2001, following the resignation of Wyatt Creech, with Gerry Brownlee being his unsuccessful opponent.[17]

### Leader of the Opposition[edit]

In October 2001, after months of speculation, Jenny Shipley resigned as leader of the National Party after being told she no longer had the support of the party caucus. English was elected as her replacement unopposed (with Roger Sowry as his deputy), and consequently became Leader of the Opposition.[18] However, he did not openly organise against Shipley, and according to *The Southland Times* "there was almost an element of 'aw, shucks, I'll do it then' about Mr English's ascension".[19]

Aged 39 when he was elected, English became the second-youngest leader in the National Party's history, after Jim McLay (who was 38 when elected in 1984). He also became only the third Southlander to lead a major New Zealand political party, after Joseph Ward and Adam Hamilton.[20] However, English failed to improve the party's performance. In the 2002 elections, National suffered its worst electoral defeat ever, gaining barely more than twenty percent of the vote. English described it as "the worst day of my political life". Both party insiders and the general public were split as to how much to blame him for the loss, but most of the party believed that English would be able to rebuild National's support.[21]

By late 2003, however, National's performance in opinion polls remained poor. The party had briefly increased its popularity in the year following the election, but by October its support had fallen to levels only slightly better than what it achieved in the last ballot. English also appeared in a boxing match for a charity against entertainer Ted Clarke. This "stunt" did not boost his polling or that of the National party either, with suggestions that it devalued his image as a serious politician. Don Brash, former governor of the Reserve Bank and a relative newcomer to politics, began to build up support to replace English. On 28 October, Brash gained sufficient backing in Caucus to replace English as leader.[22]

### Shadow cabinet roles and deputy leader[edit]

On 2 November 2003, when Brash announced changes in responsibilities for certain MPs, English became National's spokesman for education, ranked at fifth place in the party's parliamentary hierarchy. He remained in parliament after the 2005 election. In his new shadow education portfolio, English performed strongly, and remained a party favourite despite his election defeat as leader in 2002, eventually being returned to the finance portfolio in August 2004 as deputy spokesman (while still retaining responsibility for education).[23] After the resignation of Don Brash, English aspired to replace Gerry Brownlee as deputy leader. In November 2006, Brownlee announced that he was stepping aside and English was predicted to take over the deputy leadership and also the finance portfolio. This was confirmed the next day following a caucus meeting.[24]

## Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (2008–2016)[edit]

At the 2008 election, English continued to hold his seat, winning by a margin of about 15,500 votes.[25] He became Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Minister of Finance[26] in the Fifth National Government, being sworn into office on 19 November 2008. He was also made Minister of Infrastructure, an entirely new position,[26] although he held that title for only a single term of parliament.[27]

English announced in November 2013 that he would retire as an electorate MP at the 2014 general election, and contested the election as a party-list candidate only.[28][29]

The pairing of John Key as leader of the National Party and English as his deputy has been compared by political correspondent Gillian Bradford to that of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating (in Australia) and Tony Blair and Gordon Brown (in the UK).[30]

## Prime Minister (2016–present)[edit]

On 5 December 2016, John Key announced he would resign on 12 December, and endorsed English as his successor in the resulting leadership election.[31] English announced that he would be in the running on 6 December 2016.[32][33] Following the dropout of both Judith Collins and Jonathan Coleman from the leadership election, he was sworn in as the 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand on 12 December 2016.[34]

## Controversies[edit]

### Leaked tapes[edit]

Two tapes were covertly made of conversations with English at the National Party conference in August 2008, and subsequently leaked by Kees Keizer[35] to the media. The first indicated that English would like to eventually sell Kiwibank. The second, released to the media on 4 November 2008, just before the New Zealand election, gave English's views on Barack Obama. He is heard on the tape saying: "I'm a bit worried about this whole Obama and Europe thing, just because there's a limited effectiveness in being moralistic about international relations and Europe has turned out to be particularly ineffective even in its own backyard." "And the US can argue over-do it (sic) and Bush should have put a different window dressing – there still needs someone willing to pull the trigger."[36]

### Living allowances[edit]

In 2009, the media, including TVNZ and TV3 revealed that English was receiving about NZ$900 a week as part of a living allowance for ministers, to live in his own NZ$1.2 million Wellington home. At the time, English also received $276,200 in his annual salary as Deputy Prime Minister.[37][38] It was also revealed other ministers with homes in the capital city were also claiming accommodation allowances.[39] On Monday 3 August 2009, Prime Minister John Key announced a review of the housing allowances claimed by cabinet ministers.[40]

English subsequently announced he would pay back $12,000 and only claim about $24,000 a year in living allowances.[41] The Auditor-General's office said in September 2009 that they were making "preliminary enquiries" into parliamentary housing expenses in response to a letter of complaint from Progressive party leader Jim Anderton.[42] Two days later English announced that he would no longer take up any housing allowance and had paid back all the allowance he had received since the November 2008 election.[43]

## Political views[edit]

English (left) at a 2011 Anzac Day service in Wellington, standing alongside Sir Anand Satyanand(centre), the Governor-General of New Zealand at the time.

English has been described as having socially conservative views. He is opposed to abortion,[44] although as Health Minister in 1997 he said that he believed the debate over the legality of abortion in New Zealand was settled, and government should instead concentrate on providing "services that are more effective in reducing the numbers of abortion".[45] English has also stated his opposition to voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted suicide,[46][47]civil unions,[48] and the decriminalisation of prostitution.[49]

In 2004, English voted against a bill to establish civil unions.[50] In 2005, he voted for the Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill 2005, which would have amended the Marriage Act to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.[51] English voted against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand.[52] However, in December 2016 he said "I'd probably vote differently now on the gay marriage issue, I don't think that gay marriage is a threat to anyone else's marriage".[53]

In 2009, English voted against the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill, a bill aimed at amending the Misuse of Drugs Act so that cannabis could be used for medical purposes.[54]

## Personal life[edit]

English met his future wife, Mary Scanlon, at university. She was studying medicine at the time, and became a general practitioner. Both her parents were immigrants, her father being Samoan and her mother Italian, born on the island of Stromboli. They have six children.[55]

English is a practising Roman Catholic, but has stated that he considers his religious beliefs personal and thus separate from politics.[56][57]

In June 2002, English took part in TV3's *Fight For Life*, a celebrity boxing fundraiser to raise money for the Yellow Ribbon anti-youth-suicide campaign, influenced by the death of a teenage nephew in 1997. He lost a split decision to former university colleague Ted Clarke.[58]

## References[edit]

1. **Jump up^**
2. **Jump up^**
3. **Jump up^**
4. ^ Jump up to:***a*** ***b*** ***c*** Patricia Herbert, "A country boy who's set to lead", *New Zealand Herald*, 11 August 1997. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
5. ^ Jump up to:***a*** ***b*** Marion Rae, "NZ's newly-minted Finance Minister takes office", Reuters, 3 February 1999. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
6. **Jump up^** Joanne Black, "'Dominatrix act' the last straw for Nat plotters", *The Evening Post*, 9 October 2001. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2001.
7. **Jump up^** Helen Bain, "Plain English preferred", *The Dominion*, 2 February 1999. Retrieved From Factiva, 12 December 2016.
8. **Jump up^** Bernard Orsman, "Rapid rise for English", *The New Zealand Herald*, 1 March 1996. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
9. **Jump up^** Victoria Main, "All's fair in love and health", *The Dominion*, 20 May 1997. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
10. **Jump up^** Brent Edwards, "Villain or hero, he won't give ground", *The Evening Post*, 23 July 1997. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
11. **Jump up^** Michael Laws, "The staredown before the Kirton sacking", *The Evening Post*, 12 August 1997. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
12. ^ Jump up to:***a*** ***b*** Dave Cannan, "English confident of health role", *Otago Daily Times*, 6 November 1997. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
13. **Jump up^** "Mr English seeks to cure health reforms", *New Zealand Herald*, 20 April 1996. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
14. **Jump up^** Ruth Laugesen, "English making his mark as reformer Shipley's apprentice", *The Dominion*, 17 June 1996. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
15. **Jump up^** Chris Trotter, "Who can save National from Bolger's liaison dangereuse?", *Independent Business Weekly*, 23 May 1997. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
16. **Jump up^** Guyon Espiner, "Shipley's new men at the top", 3 February 1999. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
17. **Jump up^** Ryan Keen, "English scores deputy leader", *The Southland Times*, 8 February 2001. Retrieved from Factiva, 13 December 2016.
18. **Jump up^** Grant Fleming, "Nat MP caucus claps in English", *The Evening Post*, 9 October 2001. Retrieved from Factiva, 13 October 2001.
19. **Jump up^** "Bill English", *The Southland Times*, 10 October 2001. Retrieved from Factiva, 13 December 2016.
20. **Jump up^** Graeme Hunt, "Death in the afternoon – how the might fall", *National Business Review*, 12 October 2001. Retrieved from Factiva, 13 December 2016.
21. **Jump up^** Audrey Young, "Is this the future National deserved?", *The New Zealand Herald*, 30 July 2002. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
22. **Jump up^**
23. **Jump up^** Rt Hon Bill English, New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
24. **Jump up^**
25. **Jump up^**
26. ^ Jump up to:***a*** ***b*** "Appointment of Ministers" (21 November 2008) 179 *New Zealand Gazette* 4634.
27. **Jump up^** "Resignation of Ministers" (14 December 2011) 193 *New Zealand Gazette*, govt.nz; accessed 15 December 2016.
28. **Jump up^**
29. **Jump up^**
30. **Jump up^** "John Key resignation: Meet Bill English, the likely next Prime Minister of New Zealand", ABC News, 5 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
31. **Jump up^**
32. **Jump up^**
33. **Jump up^**
34. **Jump up^**
35. **Jump up^**
36. **Jump up^**
37. **Jump up^**
38. **Jump up^**
39. **Jump up^**
40. **Jump up^**
41. **Jump up^**
42. **Jump up^**
43. **Jump up^**
44. **Jump up^**
45. **Jump up^** "Research into high abortion rate needed – MP", New Zealand Press Association, 16 December 1997. Retrieved from Factiva, 12 December 2016.
46. **Jump up^** Euthanasia bill dies in NZ Parliament, Australasian Bioethics Information, 86, 1 August 2003.
47. **Jump up^** Death with Dignity Bill – First Reading, Hansard, New Zealand House of Representatives, 30 July 2003
48. **Jump up^**
49. **Jump up^**
50. **Jump up^**
51. **Jump up^**
52. **Jump up^**
53. **Jump up^**
54. **Jump up^**
55. **Jump up^** "The English Doctor", *The New Zealand Herald*, 7 December 2001; retrieved 15 December 2016.
56. **Jump up^**
57. **Jump up^**
58. **Jump up^**

## External links[edit]

* Bill English MP official site
* Profile at National party
* Profile on Parliamentary website

Categories:

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* Leaders of the Opposition (New Zealand)
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