Simon Bridges is one of the National Party's bright young hopes, and his boss – Prime Minister John Key – has high hopes.
Background
Simon was born in Auckland, October,1976. He grew up in Te Atatu, going to Rutherford College where he was taught by future Labour MP Chris Carter and named Head Boy.
He became a member of the Young Nationals while still at school, rising to deputy chair of the organisation in 1997. He attended the University of Auckland, where he earned qualifications in political science and law.
Simon's began his legal career began at Kensington Swan in Auckland. In 2001 he moved to Tauranga and became a Crown prosecutor.
In the years before moving into politics, he spent time in the UK, studying at the London School of Economics and completing a bachelor of civil law at Oxford. He also worked as an intern at the British House of Commons.
Career in politics:
In 2005, National MP Bob Clarkson took the Tauranga seat off Winston Peters, but after numerous gaffes (eg. regularly talking about his "left testicle", saying men should "take back their rightful place as leaders") declined to stand in 2008. This opened the door for Simon, who swept in with a majority of 11,742, about 11,000 more than Mr Clarkson had managed.
In the process, he also prevented Mr Peters and New Zealand First getting into Parliament.
The young, part-Maori MP has his eyes on a Cabinet role, a goal that looks certain to be achieved should National triumph in November. He's been promoted from #51 to #30 on National's list, and is a shoe-in to retain the Tauranga seat.
"Like all backbench MPs, he knows attaining a Cabinet position means putting in a lot of spade work and I believe he's got the energy, diligence and intelligence to achieve highly," Mr Key told the Bay of Plenty Times. "I think Simon's put in a sterling performance."
Simon says the economy is the biggest issue facing the country at the moment.
"National’s policies provide a platform for growth that will address the issue of employment, particularly with our youth. Continuing on our pathway to surplus and debt reduction is critical. At the same time we’ll invest in skills and knowledge and build infrastructure that will create a stronger economy."
Notable actions:
Spearheaded an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act which toughened up punishments for people who abuse animals
What you might not know:
Simon was at the Matterhorn bar and restaurant with Labour's Darren Hughes the night of his career-ending "incident". Simon says he did not see anything inappropriate happen.
Heroes and idols:
William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King, Apirana Ngata
Quote:
"[Life as an MP] is better than I thought it would be. When I was deciding whether to really go for it and take over Bob Clarkson… I prepared myself for the worst and it's a lot more fulfilling than I thought it would be."
Gaffes and blunders:
According to Labour MP Trevor Mallard, Simon is known around Parliament as "cougar bait" after he allegedly said former WINZ head Christine Rankin gave him "the hots".
In a sentence:
Prime Minister John Key's confidence in Simon Bridges is well-placed, and his down-to-earth persona, coupled with natural ability and charisma means we should get used to seeing him in Parliament for a long time.
source: newshub archive
