Patti McGill Peterson Elected Independent Chair of John Hancock Funds Board

BOSTON, April 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Patti McGill Peterson has been
elected independent Chair of the Board of Trustees for John Hancock Funds. Ms.
Peterson, 65, succeeds James F. Carlin, who will continue as a trustee. She
will serve a two-year term as Chair.

"We are very pleased to have Patti leading our Board," said Keith F.
Hartstein, President and CEO of John Hancock Funds. "Her financial acumen,
executive management skill, and varied experience in public policy and academe
will serve our shareholders well."

Ms. Peterson is currently with PMP Globalinc, a consulting firm and is a
senior associate at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP). Prior to
that, she served as executive director of the Council for International
Exchange of Scholars (CIES) and vice president of the Institute of
International Education (IIE) from 1997 to 2007. CIES, a division of IIE,
coordinates international educational exchange with 150 nations and assists
the U.S. government with the administration of the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Previously, Ms. Peterson was senior fellow at Cornell University's Institute
for Public Affairs where her work focused on the nonprofit sector and its role
in shaping public policy. Ms. Peterson holds the title of president emerita at
Wells College and St. Lawrence University where she held presidencies from
1980 to 1996. She has served as chair of the U.S. - Canada Commission for
Educational Exchange, National Women's College Coalition, American Council on
Education's Commission on Governmental Affairs, Public Leadership Education
Network, and is a past president of the Association of Colleges and
Universities of the State of New York.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Pennsylvania State University, a
Master of Arts and doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin, and did
post-graduate study at Harvard University. Her memberships include the Board
of Trustees of the Roth Endowment, University of Wisconsin's Board of
Visitors, and the Council of International Education Exchange.

About John Hancock Funds
The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John
Hancock Funds manages more than $38.8 billion in open-end funds, closed-end
funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for
individual and institutional investors at December 31, 2008. John Hancock
Funds are distributed by John Hancock Funds, LLC, member FINRA | SIPC. For
more information, please visit www.jhfunds.com.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation
John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation (the
Company), a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions
of customers in 19 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife
Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the
United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial
protection products and wealth management services through its extensive
network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management
by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$405 billion (US$330
billion) as at December 31, 2008.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and
under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at
www.manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the
largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad range
of financial products and services, including life insurance, fixed and
variable annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care
insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional
information about John Hancock may be found at www.johnhancock.com.

SOURCE John Hancock Funds

Beth McGoldrick of John Hancock, +1-617-663-4751, bmcgoldrick@jhancock.com