About Simon Bridges
Simon Joseph Bridges (born 12 October 1976) is a New Zealand former politician, broadcaster and lawyer. He served as Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition between 2018 and 2020, and as the Member of Parliament for Tauranga from the 2008 election to May 2022, when he resigned. Bridges is the first and currently the only Māori person to serve as leader of a major political party in New Zealand. A self-described "compassionate conservative", Bridges served in several Cabinet positions, including Minister of Transport (2014–2017) and Minister of Economic Development (2016–2017). He took the role of Leader of the House from May to October 2017. Bridges was elected as National Party leader on 27 February 2018, succeeding former Prime Minister Bill English, who resigned. On 22 May 2020, following poor polling for the party, Bridges was challenged for the party leadership and replaced by Todd Muller, who would relinquish the leadership less than two months later. On 24 November 2021, Bridges was sacked from the shadow cabinet of Judith Collins, who cited a crude comment he made in 2016 to fellow MP Jacqui Dean. Collins's actions triggered a successful vote of no-confidence in her leadership the following day. Bridges announced his retirement from politics in March 2022 to spend more time with his family, triggering a by-election. He subsequently became CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber. He also began a career in broadcasting, launching his podcast Generally Famous with Stuff in 2022, and in 2024 became Chairperson of Waka Kotahi.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.