The following is a list of prime ministers of New Zealand by education . The list includes all recognised heads of government, the title of which has included colonial secretary, premier, first minister and prime minister, since the establishment of a responsible government in New Zealand in 1856. James FitzGerald and Thomas Forsaith , who led unofficial ministries in 1854, are not included.[ 1] [ 2]
Historically it was not uncommon for New Zealand prime ministers to have little tertiary education, however university attendance has become more common since the 1970s. The most frequently attended university is Victoria University of Wellington with four alumni (Jack Marshall , Geoffrey Palmer , Bill English and Chris Hipkins ) having held the office of prime minister, followed by the University of Canterbury with three alumni. However, if Jenny Shipley , who attended the Christchurch Teachers' College , now part of the University of Canterbury, is included, the total rises to four. The universities of Auckland , Cambridge , and Otago follow two alumni each. Only two prime ministers have held doctoral level education (Daniel Pollen and Geoffrey Palmer).
List of New Zealand prime ministers by education [ edit ]
Prime Minister
Term(s) of office
Secondary School
University
Professional training
Henry Sewell [ 3]
1856
Hyde Abbey School
William Fox [ 4]
1856 1861–1862 1869–1872 1873
Durham School
Wadham College , Oxford (MA [ note 1] )
Inns of Court : Inner Temple
Edward Stafford [ 5] [ 6]
1856–1861 1865–1869 1872
Royal School Dungannon
Trinity College Dublin (no degree)
Alfred Domett [ 7]
1862–1863
Stockwell Park House
St John's College , Cambridge (no degree)
Inns of Court : Middle Temple
Frederick Whitaker [ 8]
1863–1864 1882–1883
unknown[ note 2]
Frederick Weld [ 9]
1864–1865
Stonyhurst College
University of Fribourg
George Waterhouse [ 10]
1872–1873
Kingswood School
Julius Vogel [ 11]
1873–1875 1876
University College School
Royal School of Mines
Daniel Pollen [ 12]
1875–1876
unknown[ note 3]
unknown (MD ) [ note 4]
Harry Atkinson [ 13]
1876–1877 1883–1884 1884 1887–1891
George Grey [ 14] [ 15]
1877–1879
Royal Grammar School
Royal Military College, Sandhurst
John Hall [ 16]
1879–1882
unknown[ note 5]
Robert Stout [ 17] [ 18]
1884 1884–1887
Lerwick Academy
University of Otago (no degree)
John Ballance [ 19]
1891–1893
Wilson's Academy
Birmingham and Midland Institute
Richard Seddon [ 20]
1893–1906
Eccleston Hill Grammar School
William Hall-Jones [ 21]
1906
Joseph Ward [ 22]
1906–1912 1928–1930
Thomas Mackenzie [ 23]
1912
North Dunedin District School
William Massey [ 24]
1912–1925
unknown[ note 6]
Francis Bell [ 25]
1925
Auckland Grammar School Otago Boys' High School
St John's College , Cambridge (MA [ note 1] , mathematics)
Gordon Coates [ 26]
1925–1928
George Forbes [ 27]
1930–1935
Christchurch Boys' High School
Michael Joseph Savage [ 28]
1935–1940
Peter Fraser [ 29]
1940–1949
Sidney Holland [ 30]
1949–1957
Christchurch West District High School
Keith Holyoake [ 31]
1957 1960–1972
Walter Nash [ 32]
1957–1960
King Charles I Grammar School
Jack Marshall [ 33]
1972
Otago Boys' High School Whangarei Boys' High School
Victoria University College (LLB , LLM )
Norman Kirk [ 34]
1972–1974
Bill Rowling [ 35]
1974–1975
Nelson College
Canterbury University College (BA , economics)
Christchurch College of Education
Robert Muldoon [ 36]
1975–1984
Mount Albert Grammar School
David Lange [ 37]
1984–1989
Otahuhu College
University of Auckland (LLB , LLM )
Geoffrey Palmer [ 38] [ 39]
1989–1990
Nelson College
Victoria University of Wellington (BA , political science; LLB ) University of Chicago Law School (JD )
Mike Moore [ 40]
1990
Bay of Islands College Dilworth School
Jim Bolger [ 41]
1990–1997
Opunake High School
Jenny Shipley [ 42]
1997–1999
Marlborough Girls' College
Christchurch College of Education
Helen Clark [ 43] [ 44]
1999–2008
Epsom Girls' Grammar School
University of Auckland (BA , MA (Hons) , political studies)
John Key [ 45] [ 46]
2008–2016
Burnside High School
University of Canterbury (BCom , accounting) Harvard University (no degree, management)
Bill English [ 47] [ 48] [ 49]
2016–2017
St Patrick's College, Silverstream
University of Otago (BA , BCom ) Victoria University of Wellington (BA (Hons) , English literature)
Jacinda Ardern [ 50] [ 51]
2017–2023
Morrinsville College
University of Waikato (BCS , public relations and political science)
Chris Hipkins [ 52]
2023
Hutt Valley Memorial College
Victoria University of Wellington (BA , politics and criminology)
Christopher Luxon [ 53] [ 54]
2023–present
Saint Kentigern College Howick College Christchurch Boys' High School
University of Canterbury (BCom , MCom , business administration)
^ a b Master of Arts by seniority
^ Details of Whitaker's education are unclear
^ Little is known of Pollen's early life, but he likely received secondary education before his medical studies
^ Pollen claimed to have a MD , although it is not known where he studied
^ Between the ages of 10 and 16, Hall attended schools in St. Gallen , Paris and Hamburg
^ Massey attended a "private secondary school" in Derry
^ "Prime Ministers of New Zealand since 1856" . New Zealand Parliament . 25 January 2023.
^ McLintock, Alexander (1966). "Prime Ministers of New Zealand" . An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand .
^ McIntyre, David. "Sewell, Henry" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Sinclair, Keith; Dalziel, Raewyn Dalziel. "Fox, William" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ "30 years landmark achievement at the Ballance House!" , Ulster New Zealand Trust , 10 September 2021
^ Morrell, William (1966). "STAFFORD, Sir Edward William, G.C.M.G." . An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand .
^ Graham, Jeanine. "Domett, Alfred" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Stone, Russel. "Whitaker, Frederick" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Williams, Jeanine (1973). Frederick Weld: A Political Biography (Thesis). University of Auckland.
^ Tregenza, Jean (1976). "Waterhouse, George Marsden (1824–1906)" . Australian Dictionary of Biography .
^ Dalziel, Raewyn. "Vogel, Julius" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Gluckman, Laurie (2000). Touching on Deaths: a medical history of early Auckland based on the first 384 inquests . Auckland: Doppelganger.
^ Bassett, Judith (1966). Sir Harry Atkinson: A Political Biography, 1872–1892 (Thesis). University of Auckland.
^ "Distinguished Old Guildfordians – Sir George Grey" . Royal Grammar School Guildford Website . Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ Sinclair, Keith. "Grey, George" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Garner, Jean (1993). Sir John Hall: Pioneer, Pastoralist and Politician (Thesis). University of Canterbury.
^ Coleridge, Kathleen (1987). "Sir Robert Stout" . The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout : A Catalogue with Indexes . Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. p. v.
^ "150 Alumni Heroes" (PDF) . University of Otago Magazine . No. 48. 2019. p. 34.
^ McIvor, Tim. "Ballance, John" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Hamer, David. "Seddon, Richard John" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Hall-Jones, John. "Hall-Jones, William" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Bassett, Michael. "Ward, Joseph George" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Brooking, Tom. "Mackenzie, Thomas" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Gustafson, Barry. "Massey, William Ferguson" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Gardner, Jim. "Bell, Francis Henry Dillon" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Bassett, Michael. "Coates, Joseph Gordon" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Gardner, Jim. "Forbes, George William" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Gustafson, Barry. "Savage, Michael Joseph" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Beaglehole, Tim. "Fraser, Peter" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Wood, Gilbert. "Holland, Sidney George" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Wood, Gilbert. "Holyoake, Keith Jack" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Gustafson, Barry. "Nash, Walter" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Gustafson, Barry. "Marshall, John Ross" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Bassett, Michael. "Kirk, Norman Eric" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Henderson, John. "Rowling, Wallace Edward" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Gustafson, Barry. "Muldoon, Robert David" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ Gustafson, Barry. "Lange, David Russell" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage .
^ "School stories: Sir Geoffrey Palmer" . Stuff . 29 January 2016.
^ "Sir Geoffrey Palmer: constitutional reformer determined to make a difference" . Victoria University of Wellington . 7 December 2022.
^ Smellie, Pattrick (2 February 2020). "Obituary: Mike Moore, NZ's 'most promising Prime Minister' " . BusinessDesk .
^ Mcilraith, Brianna. "Four schools, two top jobs: Why Opunake could be the best little town to be a principal in" . Stuff .
^ "Young People Must Train And Study For The Future" . New Zealand Government . 10 March 1999.
^ "Helen Clark Biography" . Helen Clark .
^ "Worldview with Helen Clark" . NAFSA . 8 August 2017.
^ Jones, Nicholas (11 February 2014). "Teacher: Key a 'good kid' " . Stuff .
^ "Hon doc – Rt Hon Sir John Key" . University of Canterbury . December 2017.
^ "Bill English from 1979 Head Prefect to Prime Minister" (PDF) . The Streamer . No. 9. 2016. p. 1.
^ "150 Alumni Heroes" (PDF) . University of Otago Magazine . No. 48. 2019. p. 30.
^ "Sir Bill English to be honoured by Victoria University of Wellington" . 29 November 2018.
^ Blommerde, Chloe (11 March 2021). "As school reunion looms, Jacinda Ardern recalls the nickname that stuck" .
^ "Jacinda Adern" . University of Waikato .
^ "Rt Hon Chris Hipkins" . New Zealand Government .
^ "Air New Zealand Announces New Chief Executive Officer" . Scoop . 19 June 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2023 .
^ "Christopher Luxon: 'We've let standards slip' in education" . 1news . 20 December 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2023 .
Lists related to prime ministers of New Zealand
Premiership
Personal life