The office of the Prime Minister in New Zealand exists by a convention established during the colonial rule when New Zealand was a part of the mighty British Empire.
The present prime minister of the country is Simon William Bill English, who assumed office on December 12, 2016, following the resignation of his predecessor John Key.
Born on December 30, 1961, Bill is the 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand and also the leader of the National Party.
He has also served the government as the Deputy Prime Minister from 2008 to 2016, before his elevation.
He was elected as a member of the New Zealand Parliament in 1990 and was made the Finance Minister in 1999.
After the National Party was wiped out of power in 1999 elections, Bill was chosen as the leader of the National Party, replacing Jenny Shipley.
However, the fortunes of his party did not change in the 2002 elections and he was replaced as the leader of the party in October 2003 by Don Brash.
Bill became the deputy leader of the National Party in November 2006 after the resignation of Don Brash and elevation of John Key as the party leader.
At the 2014 general election, he became a List-Only MP following his retirement as an electorate MP.
After tendering his resignation as the prime minister in December 2016, Key endorsed Bill’s candidature as the next prime minister and he was elected unopposed as the new head of the New Zealand government.
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New Zealand's National Ruling Party appointed Bill English as the Country's new Prime Minister. And Paula Bennett was sworn in as deputy prime minister. "Bill and Paula are outstanding leaders who will provide a good mixture of experience and fresh thinking," said party president Peter Goodfellow.