‘I hope people will still call me Bill’
Former prime minister Bill English has received top honours in the Queen’s Birthday list – awarded a knighthood for his services to the state over a 27-year political career.
English – who was prime minister for less than a year – has been made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He is one of the country’s most celebrated finance ministers, and has also earned praise for being a vocal champion for his groundbreaking approach to social issues.
Talking to Stuff at his home in Karori, Wellington, alongside his wife – now Lady Mary English – he acknowledged he would probably have to be called by his new title ‘‘Sir Bill’’ at some official events. ‘‘But I hope people will still call me Bill.’’
The honour has been awarded for ‘‘services to the state’’ and recognises a career that includes 24 years of service as MP for Clutha-Southland, as well as national service holding major ministerial portfolios, including education, health and treasurer.
As the 39th prime minister of New Zealand, from December 2016 to October 2017, English pushed New Zealand forward with a heavy focus on trade relations and the development of social investment.
But it was, perhaps, during his time as finance minister and deputy prime minister under former prime minister Sir John Key that English made his largest and most lasting impact on New Zealand. ‘‘As finance minister from 2008 until 2016, Mr English oversaw one of the fastestgrowing economies in the developed world, steering New Zealand through the global financial crisis and the Christchurch earthquakes and ensuring the Crown accounts were in a strong financial position,’’ his citation reads, rather dryly.
More colourful commentary at the time would globally brand him the man responsible for New Zealand’s ‘‘rock-star economy’’ – the envy of governments worldwide and a textbook example of how to pull a country out of recession.
But in keeping with his humble Dipton roots, it was an accolade English was only interested in as far as it affected the lives of New Zealanders and, of course, kept National’s political opponents at bay.
English said the honour recognised all the people who enabled him to do his work, as much as it was about him.
‘‘It’s a recognition of certainly the opportunities that I’ve had.
‘‘But so many people; my lovely wife, Mary, my supporters down south and the people I’ve represented for a long time, the team I worked with in politics, which I greatly enjoyed and I think did a very good job of running New Zealand in difficult circumstances,’’ he said.
‘‘I really like the way that it does acknowledge the spouses – I mean my public life has only been possible because of Mary’s strength and resilience. It kept me anchored in the family and it all matters when you leave public life because the people that are there are your family and those close family around you.
‘‘So I’ve got a great debt of gratitude to Mary for all that.’’