Simon Bridges on his new job
Meet Simon Bridges. He’s 41, a dad to three beautiful children, and the new Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of months since Simon took over from Bill English as Leader of the National Party and he’s getting straight on to the job of holding this Ardern-Peters Government to account.
“It’s a tough job. My focus is on earning the trust and confidence of New Zealanders and to convince them we have the ideas to take New Zealand forward.
“I’m committed to National being a new form of Opposition, fighting hard against the Labour-NZ First Government’s flawed ideas, but supporting the good stuff when it comes along.”
With his wife Natalie, who runs her own successful PR business in Tauranga, they are proud parents to three young children – Emlyn (6), Harry (4) and Jemima (5 months).
“I’m ambitious for New Zealanders. I back New Zealanders to succeed on their own two feet.”
“I back enterprise, and I think that people who take a risk and do well, and those who work hard, and who contribute to their communities, should be celebrated.“
A self-professed ‘Westie’, Simon grew up in Te Atatu as the youngest of six children. He studied law —first, in Auckland, then at Oxford University, in England before he became a Crown Prosecutor in Tauranga.
“During my time as a prosecutor,
I was in charge of hundreds of trials, sometimes dealing with the worst things one person can do to another. It was a role of huge contrasts. Many days I was depressed by the dark side of human behaviour.
“But other times I was inspired by the resilience of victims, and sometimes by previous offenders who were gradually putting their lives back together.
“That’s why as Leader of the Opposition, one of my priorities is law and order. I don’t apologise for that. The lives of Kiwis depend on it.
“My values are the values of the National Party and, I think, the values of many New Zealanders.”
A proud Tauranga local, Simon has been the MP there since he was elected in 2008, beating Winston Peters for the seat.
Four years after first entering Parliament, Simon became a Minister and has since held portfolios focusing on the economy, infrastructure, transport, broadband and the Government’s finances.
“My top priority, because it affects everything else, is to ensure that New Zealand has a strong economy. A strong economy means more jobs and higher wages for New Zealanders.
“By managing the books right and driving economic growth, we can lift wages, create jobs, invest in worldclass health and education, deliver better infrastructure and protect our environment for our children - without raising taxes.
“New Zealand is a great country. It’s taken a lot of hard work by all New Zealanders to create the opportunities we now have and we need to make the most of these.”
“Mine is a story about the benefits of strong families, hard work, education and giving people opportunities.” Funded by Parliamentary Service. Authorised by S Bridges, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.