In the National-led Government, Simon's Caucus responsibilities include roles as:
• (2008-current) Deputy-Chairperson, Justice and Electoral Committee
• (2010-current) Member, Maori Affairs Committee
• (2008-current) Member, House Committee
• (2009-2010) Member, Auckland Governance Legislation Committee
• (2008-2010) Member, Law and Order Select Committee
Simon was selected as National’s candidate for Tauranga in June 2008. Until then he was a Senior Crown Prosecutor in the District and High Courts of New Zealand.
He had been a prosecutor in Tauranga since 2001, working largely on jury trials. He moved to Tauranga from a role as litigation lawyer at a major legal firm. He has worked as a volunteer in local organisations and on neighbourhood projects. He enjoys being active in the community and the great lifestyle that Tauranga has to offer.
Simon was educated at the University of Auckland, completing a B.A (Political Science and History) and a LLB (Hons). He received the Senior Law Prize. He later completed a Bachelor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. He also went to the London School of Economics and worked as an intern at the British House of Commons, after receiving the Chevening - Hansard Society Fellowship.
Since being elected, Simon has been a member of the Law and Order Committee and the specially appointed Auckland Governance Committee. Currently, he is a member of the Maori Affairs Committee and is Deputy-Chairperson of the Justice and Electoral Committee. At the beginning of 2010 Simon initiated a members bill to amend the Animal Welfare Act so that animal cruelty is better dealt with by the Courts. This bill quickly developed grassroots support and the Government picked up Simon's bill. The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill toughened the regime for offending against animals in a comprehensive way and passed into law in mid-2010.
Simon is married to Natalie and lives in Mount Maunganui. His interests include running, reading and being with his family.
Top 5 Issues
- Building a stronger economy
• Balance the books sooner.
• Borrow less so we can have lower interest rates for longer.
• Keep personal taxes lower to encourage hard work.
• Make New Zealand more competitive so our exporters can sell more overseas and create more real jobs.
• Encourage savings and investments.
• Use the mixed-Ownership model to fund infrastructure to help us grow faster.
• Invest in skills training and tertiary education that gets results. - Building world-class infrastructure
• Ultra-fast broadband for greater innovation.
• More, and better, roads to ease congestion.
• Investing in more rail and public transport. - Building a safer New Zealand
• Staying strong on crime – tougher sentencing, stronger bail laws, and a focus on victims.
• Keep working to lower the crime rate further so our families are safer.
• Making our roads safer, so we can keep the road toll lower. - Rebuilding Christchurch
• $5.5 billion recovery fund
• Re-establishing essential infrastructure
• More construction-related training - Building better public services
• Better Schools – identifying and helping children falling behind, school reports in plain English.
• World-class healthcare –more doctors and nurses, more operations, shorter waiting times.
• Effective welfare- more people back into work, more incentives to work, payment cards for teens on benefits.
Personal Profile
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