New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English and Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett on Monday. Credit:Cameron Burnell/Fairfax NZ Asked whether he would stay on for the full term if he wins the elections in 2017, Mr English said: "That's about three layers of hypotheticals there. Let's wait until I'm sworn in first." He is expected to be sworn in on Monday afternoon. Mr English takes the reins of a country in good economic shape compared to much of the developed world. He has held several ministerial posts across education, health and finance since joining parliament in 1990.

As finance minister, his key policies included moves to partly privatise several state-owned energy firms and Air New Zealand, cutting personal tax and corporate tax rates and increasing the goods and services tax. National Party Deputy Leader, Bill English, was also Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. He becomes NZ's 39th Prime Minister Credit:Getty Images Heading into the caucus meeting, Mr Key said he had confidence in his successor. "But I know I'm passing over to tremendously good hands in the form of Bill English and Paula Bennett and they're going to steer the country extremely well," Mr Key said. John Key resigned last week. Credit:Getty Images

Ms Bennett is the first Maori in a leadership position in a long while. In comments after the vote she said it was part of her identity, but was not going to pretend to have grown up on a marae. Despite initial competition from Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Police Minister Judith Collins, Mr English was the last man standing in the race. Both stood down on Thursday after it became clear the 54-year-old finance minister had the backing of the majority of the 59-member caucus. Ms Collins says she didn't expect to be punished for her failed bid at the leadership, nor does Simon Bridges who was hopeful for a continued role in cabinet. The transport minister on Saturday withdrew his own bid to be deputy, clearing the way for fifth ranked Mrs Bennett to be elected unopposed.

He said the new leaders were "spoilt for choice" with those around them. Mr English has already revealed senior cabinet minister Steven Joyce would replace him as finance minister. "You'll see probably a typical finance minister with some interest in particular areas," Mr Joyce said as he walked into the vote. There are expected to be more tweaks to come in terms of cabinet and policy. Loading

"We'll use it as an opportunity for a stocktake and we'll see how that looks in January, February," he said. AAP, Stuff.co.nz, Reuters</s>Bill English is expected to become the next Prime Minister of New Zealand after being elected as the leader of the National Party.

English will replace former Prime Minister John Key, who unexpectedly resigned on December 5 after leading his party for 10 years and the country for eight.

"I am both excited and humbled by this opportunity," English said in a statement. "As Prime Minister, I will be committed to building a New Zealand which rewards hard work and enterprise and which cares for our most vulnerable."

English said that he and Paula Bennett, who will be his deputy leader, will be sworn in on Monday.</s>WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s ruling National Party appointed the experienced Bill English as the country’s new prime minister on Monday following last week’s 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 Wellington later in the day.

“Bill and Paula are outstanding leaders who will provide a good mixture of experience and fresh thinking,” said party president Peter Goodfellow.

“Under 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.”

He added that with English at the helm the party would remain committed to “growing the economy, creating jobs, and allowing the government to invest in world-class services like schools, healthcare and infrastructure”.

English, 54, was Key’s preferred candidate to succeed him after serving under him as finance minister and returning New Zealand’s budget to a surplus.

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.

“You learn more from losing than you do from winning,” said English, who will go to the polls in late 2017 seeking the National’s fourth straight election win.

English said New Zealand’s 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’s victory.

And he said a priority for his government was ensuring the most needy were given opportunities.

“We have a strong economy, almost unique in the developed world, and most New Zealanders would expect to be able to share in that,” he said.

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.

“It doesn’t define me but it is an important influence,” he replied when asked about his faith Monday, saying he would now support gay marriage.

Opposition Labor Party leader Andrew Little said voters could not expect much change from the switch from Key to English.

“New Zealand has moved on, but Bill English hasn’t,” he said. “The ring-wing rump of National under English is now reasserting itself.”

Key resigned for family reasons, having recently marked his eighth anniversary as prime minister and tenth year as leader of the Nationals.

“Congratulations to my good friend @honbillenglish on becoming the new leader of the @nznationalparty and the next Prime Minister of NZ,” Key tweeted soon after the announcement.

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 “a credit to New Zealand”.

“There was a moment when I was a 17-year-old Maori solo mum in Taupo, I’d left school with no qualifications, I didn’t have a job and it looked pretty bleak, actually,” she said. AFP</s>WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Bill English, New Zealand’s finance minister and a former farmer, will be sworn in as the country’s 39th prime minister on Monday after his colleagues in the Parliament chose him as their new leader.

English emerged victorious from a meeting of the conservative National Party caucus. Two other candidates for the job withdrew last week after English gained more support than them. He is to be officially sworn in on Monday afternoon.

His ascension from deputy prime minister follows the surprise resignation last week of John Key after eight years as prime minister.

Key was a popular leader and was expected to contest a fourth straight election next year. But he said he wanted to leave while he was on top and to spend more time with his wife and two children.

English, 54, has degrees in commerce and literature. He has been praised for his handling of the country’s economy in his role as finance minister.

A practicing Roman Catholic, English has been a politician for 26 years, after he was first elected to the parliament in 1990. He had a previous unsuccessful stint as party leader, taking his party to a big election defeat in 2002. He said he’s gained wisdom and experience since then.

“I was 39 years old then, with six children under 13,” he said last week. “So if nothing else, I’ve got the opportunity to focus much more on the job now.”

Under English, New Zealand has been enjoying relatively robust annual GDP growth of more than 3 percent and the unemployment rate has fallen below 5 percent. English has also managed to return small surpluses on the government’s books over the past couple of years.

English said he will deliver tax cuts and spread the country’s growing wealth to where it is needed.</s>WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s socially conservative finance chief Bill English was sworn in as the country’s new prime minister on Monday following last week’s shock resignation of his popular predecessor John Key.

The center-right National Party caucus unanimously backed English at a meeting on Monday morning and he traveled to Government House in Wellington a few hours later to officially take over.

English, 54, said he was “excited and humbled” to take the top job after eight years as Key’s deputy and finance minister.

“This will be a government supporting economic growth and ensuring that the benefits of growth are widely shared,” he told reporters.

National Party president Peter Goodfellow said English and Bennett offered “a good mixture of experience and fresh thinking.”

“Under 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,” he said.

A former farmer with degrees in commerce and literature, English has been in parliament since 1990 and was previously leader of the National Party in 2002 when it suffered its worst election defeat.

“You learn more from losing than you do from winning,” said English, who will seek National’s fourth straight election win in late 2017.

He was Key’s preferred successor after returning New Zealand’s budget to surplus and keeping the economy ticking over at about three percent.

Social conservative 

 English said New Zealand’s prosperity meant the country did not have the pool of disaffected voters responsible for Brexit and US President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.

And he said a priority for his government was ensuring the most needy were given opportunities.

“We have a strong economy, almost unique in the developed world, and most New Zealanders would expect to be able to share in that,” he said.

A committed Catholic with six children, English is regarded as far more socially conservative than Key, opposing the 2013 legalization of same-sex marriage and speaking out against abortion and voluntary euthanasia.

“It doesn’t define me but it is an important influence,” he said when asked about his faith on Monday, adding that he now supported gay marriage after seeing its positive impact.

Key, who resigned for family reasons after eight years and prime minister and 10 as party leader, said he was looking forward to becoming an anonymous backbencher.

He congratulated English and Bennett, saying he did not expect the government’s direction to change under the new team.

“I don’t think it will be a radically different agenda under Bill English,” he told reporters. “It gives a sense of newness [to the government]that the public probably do want.”

Opposition Labor Party leader Andrew Little said English’s leadership meant more of the same for voters.

“New Zealand has moved on, but Bill English hasn’t,” he said. “The right-wing rump of National under English is now reasserting itself.”

Bennett, 47, revealed she had struggled as a teenage single mother and said the fact that she was given a second chance and had become deputy prime minister was “a credit to New Zealand.”

“There was a moment when I was a 17-year-old Maori solo mum in Taupo, I’d left school with no qualifications, I didn’t have a job and it looked pretty bleak,” she said.</s>WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Bill English was sworn in Monday as New Zealand’s 39th prime minister after John Key resigned. Here’s a glance a English’s life:

Born Dec. 30, 1961 (aged 54). Simon William “Bill” English was raised on a farm near Dipton, which has population of about 150, on the South Island.

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Otago, and a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, in English literature at Victoria University of Wellington.

Married to Dr. Mary English, a general practitioner. They have six adult children.

Says his Catholic faith is an influence but doesn’t define him. Opposes abortion and euthanasia. Voted against same-sex marriage but says he now supports it.

First elected to the Parliament in 1990 as the member for the Wallace electorate, later renamed Clutha-Southland.

Leader of the National Party from October 2001 to October 2003. Led the party to its worst-ever defeat in the 2002 election.

Became finance minister and deputy prime minister in 2008, when Key became prime minister.

Has pledged to use budget surpluses to cut taxes, spend more on infrastructure and pay down government debt.

Says he’s not bound by Key’s pledge to keep the age at which people can receive a government pension at 65. Some people say the age should be raised to reflect an aging population which is working longer.

Says he supports the British monarchy and has no timetable for New Zealand to become a republic. Says any constitutional change would need to be driven by the people.</s>WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The conservative caucus in New Zealand's Parliament has chosen Bill English to be the next prime minister.

English emerged victorious Monday following a meeting of the National Party caucus. Two other candidates for the job withdrew last week after English gained more support. He is to be officially sworn in later Monday.

His ascension from deputy prime minister follows the surprise resignation last week of John Key after eight years as prime minister.

Key was a popular leader and was expected to contest a fourth straight election next year. But he said he wanted to leave while he was on top and to spend more time with his wife and two children.

The 54-year-old English is a former farmer and practicing Roman Catholic who has degrees in commerce and literature.</s>Bill English sworn in as New Zealand PM after Key exit

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand's socially conservative finance chief Bill English was sworn in as the country's new prime minister on Monday following last week's shock resignation of his popular predecessor John Key.

The centre-right National Party caucus unanimously backed English at a meeting on Monday morning and he travelled to Government House in Wellington a few hours later to officially take over.

English, 54, said he was "excited and humbled" to take the top job after eight years as Key's deputy and finance minister.

"This will be a government supporting economic growth and ensuring that the benefits of growth are widely shared," he told reporters.

National Party president Peter Goodfellow said English and Bennett offered "a good mixture of experience and fresh thinking".

"Under 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," he said.

A former farmer with degrees in commerce and literature, English has been in parliament since 1990 and was previously leader of the National Party in 2002 when it suffered its worst election defeat.

"You learn more from losing than you do from winning," said English, who will seek National's fourth straight election win in late 2017.

He was Key's preferred successor after returning New Zealand's budget to surplus and keeping the economy ticking over at about three percent.</s>Nothing comes out of thin air; everything has a core root, which it can be traced back to. The same applies to languages. A language is a process that passes through many channels to become the language spoken today. This process of change is vital, because a language that undergoes changes is alive.

Just as we have the Bantu language family where African languages, such as Oshiwambo, evolved from, the English language has a family history too. It derives from the Proto-Indo-European language group.

Most of us associate English with England, which is not necessarily wrong, but English was not born there (and did not originate there). In this article I will briefly discuss the origins of English and why English is the official language in Namibia today.

The English language traces its original roots back to Neolithic (late Stone Age) people, known as Indo-Europeans or Proto-Indo-Europeans, who lived in Eastern Europe and Central Asia around 5000 BC.

This is however not the precise time, as different hypotheses suggest different dates. The Indo-European language family is actually a large, widespread family of languages that contains about 140 languages, classified into 11 groups. One of these languages is Germanic, where from English developed

That is not to say it jumped from Germanic right into English, as there were other languages in between. One branch was the West-Germanic strand, which evolved into Anglo-Frisian, that in turn flowed into Old English.

If this article was written in Old English most people would not be able to read or understand it, as in the 21st century we use modern English.

Did you know the word “stān” is what we now know as “stone” today? Archaic sentences would read like “my life is run his compass”, whereas today one should say: “my life has run its compass.”

To give an example, would you really understand this sentence? “… And that it prouffyte to alle them that shal rede or here redde, and may increase in them virtue and expelle uyce and synne that by the ensanmple of the holy sayntes amend theyr lyuyng here in thys shorte lyf that by their merytes they and I may come to everllastyng and blysse in heuen.”

The obstacles and influences that the language and its speakers were subject to brought about all these transitions in English. They may be considered as internal factors that changed the language lexicon, phonology, morphology and syntax, as well as external factors, including social, political, technological and cultural factors.

To avoid confusion with the English family, think of a normal family (it started with your great grandparents and forefathers and the channel goes on until it reaches you). Language is also a process!

One may wonder why this sudden interest in its origins, but remember English is widely used in Namibia, and it is widely known that “a language may be important as a lingua franca in a country or region whose diverse populations would otherwise be unable to communicate.”

This statement holds critical importance in the Namibian context.

 Hook up two people in Windhoek for the first time; one from the north (Oshiwambo and monolingual) and one hailing from the south (Afrikaans and monolingual). You can foretell the disaster!

The crucial role of the English language in Namibia is in the education sector. In Namibia with its great diversity of indigenous languages, English has made tertiary education a smooth ride.

Equally significant, English has made communication possible in our multilingual society. In terms of business English is also the language of commerce that connects Namibia to the rest of the world.

Of course, this introduction to the origins of English is just the tip of the iceberg. Readers interested should consider registering with the University of Namibia to delve more deeply into these questions.

* Monika Nakale is a Master of Arts in English student at the University of Namibia. Email: monikapraise@gmail.com
Bill English is elected as the leader of the New Zealand National Party and is now the country's Prime Minister. Paula Bennett is elected as English's deputy.