There was a long pause and then came a soft, "Hello". I felt dreadful for him and asked him why on earth he was in politics. He had a family, other options - why would you put yourself though it?
He chatted amiably enough but was probably relieved to hang up the phone. He was forced to hang up his hat as leader of the National Party a short time afterwards, but he stuck with politics and that's a jolly good thing. Because I think he's going to make a good prime minister.
Oh, he doesn't have the pizazz of his predecessor but then doing great jazz hands isn't necessarily what being a prime minister is all about. He's the true definition of a caring conservative and he has the opportunity to deliver what John Key was unable to do.
When asked if he had any regrets about his time in government, Key said he wished he could have done more for vulnerable children. English may be able to rectify that.
In a post Budget breakfast speech last year, he introduced the concept of social investment. He said spending more upfront on at-risk families could cut the cost to the country years later - which is undoubtedly true if executed properly.
By phrasing it in financial terms, he was able to appeal to even the most hard-hearted of New Zealanders - those who believe that people are poor because they choose to be or because of a lack of moral fibre.
He cited the case of 600 high risk children who would cost the government/taxpayer a million dollars a year by the time they were 35 and said investing in them, and their families, earlier would help reduce the cost to society.
And this week, more results from the famous Otago University longitudinal study of 1000 Kiwis backed that up. The analysis revealed that it's possible to show who'll go on to be a burden on society.
Researchers from the United States found that just 20 per cent of the group made up 80 per cent of the economic burden as adults - accounting for things like criminal convictions, welfare support and prescription refills.
Otago University's Dunedin Study director Richie Poulton says children as young as a few years old can show problems, and children need help earlier than that for good brain development.
Anecdotally, I've heard this from a number of police commanders around the country. They know which families are likely to have committed most of the crime in their regions and they know it's intergenerational.
It's not rocket science. We could all predict that a child born to a mother who has used drugs and alcohol throughout her pregnancy; who grows up in a house where there is economic poverty and poverty of hope and ambition; who grows up amid violence - chances are they're going to struggle to achieve their potential.
But when you're making policy and allocating millions, you need the data to justify the spending. English has that data. He has a stated desire to improve the lot of the most vulnerable children.
And now he's in a position to do something about it. Enjoy the Christmas break, Prime Minister - then on your return, let's see you roll up your sleeves and make a real difference.
