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International desk: New Zealand\u2019s ruling National Party appointed the experienced Bill English as the country\u2019s new prime minister on Monday following last week\u2019s shock resignation of his popular predecessor John Key.<\/p>\nInternational desk: New Zealand\u2019s ruling National Party appointed the experienced Bill English as the country\u2019s new prime minister on Monday following last week\u2019s shock resignation of his popular predecessor John Key.<\/p>\n
The centre-right National Party caucus met to confirm the decision on Monday morning, with English to be officially sworn in at Government House in Wellington later in the day.<\/p>\n
State Services Minister Paula Bennett was named as deputy prime minister.<\/p>\n
\u2018Bill and Paula are outstanding leaders who will provide a good mixture of experience and fresh thinking,\u2019 said party president Peter Goodfellow.<\/p>\n
\u2018Under their leadership, New Zealanders will continue to benefit from the stable government they expect, along with a dedicated focus on delivering results for families and businesses.\u2019<\/p>\n
He added that with English at the helm the party would remain committed to \u2018growing the economy, creating jobs, and allowing the government to invest in world-class services like schools, healthcare and infrastructure\u2019.<\/p>\n
English, 54, was Key\u2019s preferred candidate to succeed him after serving under him as finance minister and returning New Zealand\u2019s budget to a surplus.<\/p>\n
A farmer with degrees in commerce and literature, he has been in parliament since 1990 and was previously leader of the National Party in 2002 when it suffered its worst election defeat.<\/p>\n
\u2018You learn more from losing than you do from winning,\u2019 said English, who will go to the polls in late 2017 seeking the National\u2019s fourth straight election win.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Social conservative <\/strong><\/p>\n English said New Zealand\u2019s prosperity, with an economy growing at about three percent, meant the country did not have the pool of disaffected voters responsible for Brexit and US President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s victory.<\/p>\n And he said a priority for his government was ensuring the most needy were given opportunities.<\/p>\n \u2018We have a strong economy, almost unique in the developed world, and most New Zealanders would expect to be able to share in that,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n A committed Catholic with six children, English is regarded as far more socially conservative than Key, opposing the 2013 legalisation of same-sex marriage and speaking out against abortion and voluntary euthanasia.<\/p>\n \u2018It doesn\u2019t define me but it is an important influence,\u2019 he replied when asked about his faith Monday, saying he would now support gay marriage.<\/p>\n Opposition Labour Party leader Andrew Little said voters could not expect much change from the switch from Key to English.<\/p>\n \u2018New Zealand has moved on, but Bill English hasn\u2019t,\u2019 he said. \u2018The ring-wing rump of National under English is now reasserting itself.\u2019<\/p>\n Key resigned for family reasons, having recently marked his eighth anniversary as prime minister and tenth year as leader of the Nationals.<\/p>\n \u2018Congratulations to my good friend @honbillenglish on becoming the new leader of the @nznationalparty and the next Prime Minister of NZ,\u2019 Key tweeted soon after the announcement.<\/p>\n Bennett, 47, said she had struggled as a teenage single mother and the fact that she still had the opportunity to become deputy prime minister was \u2018a credit to New Zealand\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018There was a moment when I was a 17-year-old Maori solo mum in Taupo, I\u2019d left school with no qualifications, I didn\u2019t have a job and it looked pretty bleak, actually,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" International desk: New Zealand\u2019s ruling National Party appointed the experienced Bill English as the country\u2019s new prime minister on Monday following last week\u2019s shock resignation of his popular predecessor John Key. The centre-right National Party caucus met to confirm the decision on Monday morning, with English to be officially sworn in at Government House in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":28730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n