For other people with the same name, see William English.
The Right Honourable
Sir Bill English
KNZM
English in 2018
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 62) Lumsden, New Zealand
Political party
National
Spouse
Mary Scanlon
Relations
Rachel Buchanan (niece)
Children
6
Parent(s)
Mervyn English Norah O'Brien
Alma mater
University of Otago Victoria University
Signature
Website
Official website
Sir Simon William EnglishKNZM (born 30 December 1961) is a New Zealand former National Party politician who served as the 39th prime minister of New Zealand from 2016 to 2017. He had previously served as the 17th deputy prime minister of New Zealand and minister of finance from 2008 to 2016 under John Key and the Fifth National Government.
A farmer and public servant before entering politics, English was elected to the New Zealand 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). He led the party to its worst defeat at the 2002 general election, and as a consequence, in October 2003 he was replaced as leader by Don Brash.
In November 2006, after Brash's resignation, English became deputy leader under John Key. After National's victory at the 2008 general election, he became deputy prime minister and was also made minister of finance for the second time. Under English's direction New Zealand's economy maintained steady growth during National's three terms of government. He became a list-only MP after stepping down as an electorate MP at the 2014 general election.
John Key resigned as leader of the National Party and prime minister in December 2016. English won the resulting leadership election unopposed and was sworn in as prime minister on 12 December 2016. His tenure was only ten months, and included a three-month election campaign. In the 2017 general election, National won the largest number of seats but fell short of a majority. The parties holding the balance of power declined to support the existing government, and English was subsequently replaced as prime minister by Jacinda Ardern, leader of the Labour Party. English initially continued on as Leader of the Opposition, but resigned as leader of the National Party on 27 February 2018 and left parliament two weeks later.[1]
^"Bill English announces retirement from Parliament". Scoop News. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
"BillEnglish stays as National's leader, Paula Bennett still deputy". New Zealand Herald. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017. "BillEnglish staying...
remains a crucial statute in English constitutional law. Largely based on the ideas of political theorist John Locke, the Bill sets out a constitutional...
BillEnglish (born 1961) was the 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand. William English or BillEnglish may also refer to: William English (physician) (fl...
of BillEnglish may refer to the following in New Zealand politics: First Shadow Cabinet of BillEnglish, 2001–2003 Second Shadow Cabinet of Bill English...
National Party was in government from 2008 to 2017 under John Key and BillEnglish; it governed with support from the centrist United Future, the classical-liberal...
English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English...
prime minister and leader of the National Party. He was succeeded by BillEnglish on 12 December 2016. As prime minister, Key led the Fifth National Government...
2021. "NZ First submits Bill for English to be recognised as official language". Newshub. 15 February 2018. "NZ First Bill: English set to become official"...
Leo Martin Bill (born 31 August 1980) is an English actor, best known for his role as James Brocklebank in the 2006 film The Living and the Dead, as well...
Bill Nighy is an English actor of the stage and screen. "The Man With The Stolen Heart". Charlotte Film Festival. Archived from the original on 8 August...
and the Netherlands Bill Thompson (footballer, born 1940) (1940–2011), English footballer for Newcastle, Rotherham and Darlington Bill Thompson (American...
Clayton Mitchell introduced a bill to parliament to statutorily recognise English as an official language. New Zealand English is mostly non-rhotic with the...
the help of his geographically distributed team (including Bill Paxton), with BillEnglish directing the presentation's technical elements, demonstrated...
appointment of BillEnglish as Prime Minister, McCully announced that he would not stand for parliament in 2017 (in that year's general election). English and McCully...
returned to the Cabinet in 2015. Collins served under Prime Minister BillEnglish as minister of revenue and minister of energy and resources from 2016...
an English land agent during the Irish Famine in The Hanging Gale (1995), for which he won a Golden FIPA award in 1996, and a recurring role as Bill Tanner...
the election, the centre-right National Party, led by Prime Minister BillEnglish, had governed since 2008 in a minority government with confidence and...
Zealand Parliament. Her maiden speech included sections in English, Māori, and Korean. In English, she mentioned crime, education, and anti-Asian racism issues...
community education. Upston was promoted into Cabinet by new prime minister BillEnglish in December 2016. She became Minister of Corrections and an associate...
Gift winner Bill Williams (footballer, born 1942), English football player Bill Williams (footballer, born 1960), English football player Bill Williams (priest)...