Simon Bridges

 ( 1976 Births ) 

In February 2018, Bill English resigned as the leader of the National Party, paving way for a leadership contest. In a press conference held the day after English's resignation, Bridges announced his candidacy for the leadership of the party. On 27 February 2018, he was elected as National Party leader, thus also becoming Leader of the Opposition. He is the first person with Māori ancestry to serve as leader of the National Party. Bridges announced his Shadow Cabinet appointments on 11 March 2018. Paula Bennett served as his deputy.

On 24 August 2018 RNZ reported that a person claiming to be the National Party leaker had sent separate anonymous text messages to Bridges and to Mallard calling for the inquiry into the leaking of Bridges's expenses to be called off. The author of the text alleged that they had suffered from mental health problems and claimed that the publicity would endanger their health and life. In response, Mallard subsequently called off the inquiry, prompting criticism from both Bridges and Shadow leader of the House Gerry Brownlee, who demanded that the investigation into the identity of the leaker continue. Bridges claimed that the New Zealand Police were reportedly aware of the leaker's identity.

At a press conference on 15 October 2018, Bridges implied that National MP Jami-Lee Ross had leaked his (Bridges's) expenses. Bridges cited a PwC report which strongly suggested that Ross had been the leaker, based on text messages sent to a Radio New Zealand reporter, the Speaker of the House, and a police officer in the Botany electorate during the leak. Bridges also rejected claims made by Ross in a series of tweets alleging that Bridges had been trying to pin the blame on him for questioning his leadership decisions. Bridges also indicated that National would seek disciplinary action against Ross.

On 16 October 2018, Ross alleged that Bridges had violated election law several times, including accepting an illegal NZ$100,000 donation in May 2018, which Ross claimed that Bridges had told him to cover up. The donation came from a businessman, Yikun Zhang, connected to the Chinese Communist Party. In addition, Ross alleged that Bridges and Deputy Leader Paula Bennett had tried to smear him with allegations that he had sexually harassed several women. Bridges publicly denied Ross' allegations as baseless and said it was a matter for the police. That same day, the National Party caucus voted to expel Ross for disloyalty. Ross announced his intention to stay in parliament as an independent MP.

On 29 January 2020, the Serious Fraud Office filed criminal charges against four people in relation to an alleged NZ$100,000 donation paid into a National Party electorate bank account. Bridges stated neither he nor anyone from National Party are among those who have been charged in relation to the donation allegations. The Serious Fraud Office launched an investigation on 12 March 2019, after police referred on a complaint made by Ross.

On 6 April, Bridges drew media attention when he admitted that despite the advice against long road trips during the pandemic lockdown he was commuting back and forth between Tauranga and Wellington to chair the committee, even though its proceedings were being conducted by video conference. He said that he had not considered basing his family in Wellington, as Jacinda Ardern had done, and that his actions were "absolutely an appropriate way of doing things." Later that day he also said that his internet was unreliable, and that he needed to be close to the Press Gallery and other media. The next day, he downplayed the issue of his internet connection after it was reported that his home has fibre and ultra-fast broadband. He also said that the "resources and focus" available from his physical presence in Wellington were of use, and that it was not practicable for him to relocate there completely. Bridges's actions were defended by both the left-wing blogger Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury and right-wing blogger David Farrar, who compared him favourably to Health Minister David Clark's lapses during the lockdown.

On 16 April, Simon Bridges called upon the New Zealand Government to lift the level 4 lockdown the following week to help struggling businesses that were affected by the lockdown. Bridges's disagreement with the decision to extend the lockdown was poorly received, prompting Deputy Leader Paula Bennett to issue a statement claiming that Bridges had the support of National's caucus. On 23 April, a man was charged in court for threatening to kill Bridges and his family in a Facebook post.

During the 2020 general election, Bridges retained his seat in Tauranga by a final margin of 1,856 votes. National was returned for a second term in opposition; in the post-election portfolio reshuffle, Bridges was named spokesperson for justice, water, Pike River Mine re-entry and Māori–Crown relations.

On 19 February 2021 Bridges attracted media attention when he criticised Police Commissioner Andrew Coster's efforts to combat gang and gun violence in New Zealand. Bridges described Coster as a "wokester commissioner" in a Twitter post. On 25 February, Bridges clashed with Coster during a select committee hearing, criticising the New Zealand Police's "policing by consent" policies and asking whether the Police still conducted arrests.

Bridges criticised Coster again in June 2021, claiming on Twitter that he witnessed a gang fight in the car park of a Tauranga hospital and adding "Just another day in the Bay of Plenty". Police confirmed that an altercation took place but denied any gang involvement. Further investigation revealed that a patched Mongrel Mob member had helped jump start a vehicle in the parking lot shortly before an unrelated incident took place over a parking space.

In August 2021 Bridges published a book National Identity: Confessions of an Outsider.

On 24 November 2021, amid speculations Bridges was considering challenging Collins for the leadership, he was unexpectedly demoted from Collins' shadow cabinet due to allegations of "serious misconduct" relating to an interaction with fellow National Party MP Jacqui Dean in 2017. Collins, however, was accused of using the allegation to smear him so he could not succeed her, as she was seen to believe a leadership spill was inevitable due to severe unpopularity. This claim was justified by espousers because Bridges was always seen to pose a significant threat to her leadership, as the figurehead of the party's moderate faction. Bridges responded by calling his sacking "desperate" on Collins' part, while acknowledging that he had "engaged in some old wives' tales about my and how to have a girl" around Dean, and called some of his statements "clearly inappropriate".

Collins' demotion of Bridges led members of the National Party's parliamentary caucus to call for a vote of no confidence in her leadership on 25 November. Deputy leader Shane Reti assumed the role of interim leader, with a leadership vote scheduled for 30 November.

Bridges was one of only eight MPs to vote against the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022 in mid-February 2022.