Simon Power (politician)

Simon Power
Born	(1969-12-05) December 5, 1969 Palmerston North, New Zealand
Occupation(s)	Businessman, former politician
Years active	1999–2011 (politics), 2011–present (business)
Known for	Member of Parliament for Rangitīkei; Minister of Justice; CEO of TVNZ; CEO of Fisher Funds

Simon James Power (born 5 December 1969) is a New Zealand businessman and former politician.

Power entered the New Zealand House of Representatives in 1999, representing the Rangitīkei electorate as a Member of Parliament. Affiliated with the National Party, he held several ministerial portfolios during the initial term of the Fifth National Government from 2008 to 2011, including Minister of Justice, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Minister for State Owned Enterprises. His departure from political life was regarded as unforeseen.

Following his parliamentary career, Power spent a decade at Westpac, where he also served as acting chief executive. Between 2022 and 2023, he was chief executive at TVNZ, a period marked by deliberations over a possible merger with Radio New Zealand. Since 2024, he has held the position of chief executive at investment company Fisher Funds.

Early life

Power received his education in Palmerston North, attending St Peter's College from 1981 to 1987. During his time there, he captained two senior sports teams and led the School Council as chair. He pursued higher education at Victoria University of Wellington, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1992, followed by a Bachelor of Laws in 1993. Power also served two terms as president of the Victoria University Law Students' Society.

After graduating, Power practiced law with Fitzherbert Rowe in Palmerston North and had a brief tenure at Kensington Swan in Auckland. Having been involved with the National Party since his university years, he entered national politics in 1998. He won the party’s nomination for the largely rural Rangitikei electorate near Palmerston North after the sitting National MP, Denis Marshall, retired in 1999.

Parliamentary career

In the 1999 general election, Power secured the Rangitikei seat by narrowly defeating Labour candidate Craig Walsham by fewer than three hundred votes. He initially served as National’s spokesperson on Labour, Industrial Relations, and Youth Affairs. After successfully defending his seat in 2002, his responsibilities shifted to include Justice, Tertiary Education, and Workplace Skills. In 2003, under leader Don Brash, his portfolio expanded to Defence, Veterans' Affairs, and Youth Affairs.

Power attracted controversy in May 2004 when he suggested that New Zealand would align its defence and foreign policies with those of Britain, the United States, and Australia. He later expressed regret over how his remarks were perceived, with Brash emphasizing that this stance was not official party policy. In August 2004, Power was reassigned from Defence Minister to serve as chief whip.

From 2005 until 2008, Power acted as Opposition Spokesperson on Law and Order and persistently advocated for an investigation into the management practices within the Corrections Department. This culminated in Parliament agreeing to a comprehensive inquiry ahead of the 2008 election. Following National’s electoral success that year, Power was appointed Minister of Justice, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, and Deputy Leader of the House.

In recognition of his political work, Power was awarded Politician of the Year in 2010 by the Trans Tasman political newsletter.

Life after Parliament

On 2 March 2011, Power declared his intention to retire at the conclusion of that year's parliamentary term. The following month, his responsibilities as Minister for State-Owned Enterprises were reassigned to Tony Ryall to prevent any potential conflicts of interest as Power transitioned into the private sector.

In December 2011, Power received permission to retain the honorific The Honourable in recognition of his service on the Executive Council. By January 2012, he had assumed leadership of Westpac New Zealand's Private Bank. Later that year, during the Queen's Birthday Honours, he was named a Companion of the Queen's Service Order (QSO) for his contributions in Parliament.

Power took on the role of chairman for the King's College Board of Governors, where he addressed matters such as bullying allegations connected to National Party MP Sam Uffindell’s tenure at the institution.

In 2019, he earned a master's degree in political science from Victoria University of Wellington, concentrating his research on United States elections.

December 2021 saw Power appointed as chief executive officer of public broadcaster TVNZ, with his tenure beginning in March 2022 after he stepped down from his position as acting chief at Westpac following Catherine McGrath’s appointment as CEO. On 4 April 2023, Power announced his resignation from TVNZ, effective at the end of June.

By July 2023, Power disclosed that his departure from TVNZ was motivated by a desire to pursue doctoral research in American politics, focusing on archival studies related to four U.S. Presidents. He reentered the finance sector in February 2024 when he became chief executive of Fisher Funds.

External links

• Profile at National Party
• Profile at New Zealand Parliament
• Releases and speeches at Beehive.govt.nz
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.co.nz