Simon Bridges

**Simon Joseph Bridges** (born October 1976) is a New Zealand politician and lawyer. He was the Leader of the New Zealand National Party and Leader of the Opposition from 27 February 2018 to 22 May 2020. He was the Member of Parliament for Tauranga from 2008 until 2022.

Bridges has served in several Cabinet portfolios, including  Minister of Transport (2014–2017), Minister of Economic Development (2016–2017) and Leader of the House (2017).

He is the first person with Māori ancestry to serve as leader of the National Party, and the first to lead a major party in New Zealand.

On 22 May 2020, following poor polling for the party, Bridges was challenged for the party leadership and replaced by Todd Muller. He would go onto retiring from the leadership of the party less than two months later.

On 24 November 2021, Bridges was removed from the shadow cabinet of Judith Collins, because of a rude comment he made to fellow MP Jacqui Dean in 2016. After removing Bridges from her shadow cabinet, a motion of no confidence was passed against Collins and removed her as party leader. Bridges ran to replace her as party leader, but withdrew on the day of the vote and supported the eventual winner Christopher Luxon.

Bridges announced his retirement from politics in March 2022 and resigned as MP two months later in May.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **honorific-prefix**: The Honourable
- **name**: Simon Bridges
- **image**: Simon-Bridges-Free-Crop.jpg
- **office**: 37th Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), Leader of the Opposition
- **monarch**: Elizabeth II
- **primeminister**: Jacinda Ardern
Winston Peters
- **deputy**: Paula Bennett
- **term start**: 27 February 2018
- **term end**: 22 May 2020
- **predecessor**: Bill English
- **successor**: Todd Muller
- **office1**: 12th Leader of the New Zealand National Party, Leader of the National Party
- **deputy1**: Paula Bennett
- **term start1**: 27 February 2018
- **term end1**: 22 May 2020
- **predecessor1**: Bill English
- **successor1**: Todd Muller
- **office2**: 10th Leader of the House (New Zealand), Leader of the House
- **primeminister2**: Bill English
- **deputy2**: Michael Woodhouse
- **term start2**: 2 May 2017
- **term end2**: 26 October 2017
- **predecessor2**: Gerry Brownlee
- **successor2**: Chris Hipkins
- **office3**: Minister of Economic Development (New Zealand), Minister of Economic Development
- **primeminister3**: Bill English
- **term start3**: 20 December 2016
- **term end3**: 26 October 2017
- **predecessor3**: Steven Joyce
- **successor3**: David Parker (New Zealand politician), David Parker
- **office4**: 26th Ministry of Transport (New Zealand), Minister of Transport
- **primeminister4**: John Key
Bill English
- **term start4**: 6 October 2014
- **term end4**: 26 October 2017
- **predecessor4**: Gerry Brownlee
- **successor4**: Phil Twyford
- **office5**: Minister for Communications
- **primeminister5**: Bill English
- **term start5**: 20 December 2016
- **term end5**: 26 October 2017
- **predecessor5**: Amy Adams (politician), Amy Adams
- **successor5**: Clare Curran
- **constituency mp6**: Tauranga (New Zealand electorate), Tauranga
- **parliament6**: New Zealand
- **term start6**: 8 December 2008
- **term end6**: 6 May 2022
- **predecessor6**: Bob Clarkson
- **majority6**: 11,742 (31.69%)
- **birth name**: Simon Joseph Bridges
- **birth place**: Auckland, New Zealand
- **party**: New Zealand National Party, National
- **spouse**: Natalie Bridges
- **relations**: Simon O'Connor
- **education**: University of Auckland
London School of Economics
St Catherine's College, Oxford