Robert Malcolm Simcock (born 1947) is a New Zealand politician. He was a Member of Parliament for the National Party from 1996 to 2002 and

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

from 2007 to 2010.

Early career

Simcock attended St John's College before graduating from the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), is a Public university, public research university in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand established in 1964. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university perfo ...

with a M Soc Sci (Hons). Before entering politics, Simcock worked both as a

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

farmer and as a clinical

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

Member of Parliament

Simcock was an MP from 1996 to 2002, representing the National Party. He was first elected in the 1996 election as MP for Hamilton West, defeating the incumbent,

Martin Gallagher Martin Owen Gallagher (born 11 February 1952) is a New Zealand politician and was Labour member of Parliament representing the Hamilton West electorate until November 2008. Currently, he is councillor on the Hamilton City Council West Ward a ...

of the Labour Party. In the 1999 election, Gallagher retook the seat from Simcock, who returned to Parliament as a

list MP A list MP is a member of parliament (MP) elected from a party list rather than from by a geographical constituency. The place in Parliament is due to the number of votes that the party won, not to votes received by the MP personally. This occurs ...

. In the 2002 election, Simcock again trailed Gallagher in Hamilton West, and National Party votes nationwide dropped enough that Simcock was not re-elected as a list MP.

Local government

Simcock was elected to the Hamilton City Council for the West Ward in the 2004 election and appointed

Deputy Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

that year. Following Michael Redman's resignation, he was appointed Mayor of Hamilton in May 2007. He was elected mayor in the October 2007 election with over 50% of the votes cast. He lost the 2010 mayoral election to Julie Hardaker. Simcock was elected to the Waikato Regional Council in 2013 and re-elected in 2016.

Other activities

Simcock was appointed as the chair of the

Waikato District Health Board The Waikato District Health Board (Waikato DHB) is a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Waikato region of New Zealand. History The Waikato District Health Board, like most other district health boards, came into ...

by the

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

in 2013. He resigned as chair and board member on 28 November 2017, following the resignation of Waikato DHB chief executive Nigel Murray, amidst a

State Services Commission The Public Service Commission (PSC; Māori: ''Te Kawa Mataaho''), called the State Services Commission until 2020, is the central public service department of New Zealand charged with overseeing, managing, and improving the performance of the ...

investigation into allegations of wrongful expenditure of public money by Murray. Murray was seen as Simcock's appointment by former CEO Craig Climo; Climo and former Labour MP Sue Moroney said they advised against hiring Dr Murray.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simcock, Bob 1947 births Living people Mayors of Hamilton, New Zealand Deputy mayors of places in New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand farmers New Zealand National Party MPs University of Waikato alumni New Zealand list MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 2002 New Zealand general election People educated at St John's College, Hamilton 21st-century New Zealand politicians Waikato District Health Board members