Scott Anthony Simpson (born 4 November 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He is a member of the National Party.

Early life and career

Simpson's ancestors settled in Kūaotunu, on the

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula ( mi, Te Tara-O-Te-Ika-A-Māui) on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the ...

, in the 1800s. He grew up in Auckland and was educated at the University of Auckland, graduating with a law degree. He was chief executive of the New Zealand Make-a-Wish Foundation from 2008 to 2011, and previously a member of the National Party board of directors. He also managed a safety equipment company. He was married to Desley Simpson, but the couple separated ca. 2004/2005. She is now married to Peter Goodfellow. The former couple has two children.

Political career

Member of Parliament

Simpson has been MP for Coromandel since 2011, and served as Minister of Statistics, Associate Minister of Immigration and Associate Minister for the Environment at the close of the Fifth National Government. Prior to his election to Parliament, Simpson held senior positions in the National Party. He was National Party Northern Regional Chair and a member of the National Party's Board of Directors in the 2010s. He stood for the National Party presidency in 2009 but lost to Peter Goodfellow. He previously stood for selection as the National Party candidate for Tamaki in 2004, but lost to

Allan Peachey Allan Peachey (18 October 1949 – 6 November 2011) was a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament for Tamaki. School principal Before his election to Parliament, Peachey was employed as the principal of Rangitoto College, the largest ...

. Simpson was selected as the National Party's

Coromandel Coromandel may refer to: Places India *Coromandel Coast, India **Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements ** Dutch Coromandel *Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India New Zealand *Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula *Coro ...

candidate in April 2011. He was elected at the 2011 general election with a majority of 12,740. From 2013 to 2014, Simpson was chair of the Justice and Electoral select committee. During the

2014 New Zealand general election The 2014 New Zealand general election took place on Saturday 20 September 2014 to determine the membership of the 51st New Zealand Parliament. Voters elected 121 members to the House of Representatives, with 71 from single-member electorates ( ...

, Simpson was re-elected in Coromandel by a margin of 15,801, defeating the

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's candidate

Catherine Delahunty Catherine Delahunty (born 1953) is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. From until 2017 she was a member of parliament in the House of Representatives representing the Green Party A green party is a formally organized political p ...

. Simpson chaired the Local Government and Electoral select committee until his appointment in May 2017 as Minister of Statistics, Associate Minister of Immigration and Associate Minister for the Environment. During the

2017 New Zealand general election The 2017 New Zealand general election took place on Saturday 23 September 2017 to determine the membership of the 52nd New Zealand Parliament. The previous parliament was elected on 20 September 2014 and was officially dissolved on 22 August 20 ...

, Simpson was re-elected in Coromandel by a margin of 14,326 votes over Labour's Nathaniel James Blomfield. The National Party was not in Government and Simpson served as his party's spokesperson for the environment, workplace relations and safety, and climate change. During the

2020 New Zealand general election The 2020 New Zealand general election was held on Saturday 17 October 2020 to determine the composition of the 53rd parliament. Voters elected 120 members to the House of Representatives, 72 from single-member electorates and 48 from closed ...

, Simpson retained Coromandel for a fourth term by a final margin of 3,505 votes over Labour's Nathaniel James Blomfield.

Views

In the National Party caucus, Simpson is a liberal. He voted in favour of the

Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013 The Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand, which since 19 August 2013, allows same-sex couples to legally marry. The Act was proposed as a member's bill by MP Louisa Wall in May 2012, and ...

, the

End of Life Choice Act 2019 The End of Life Choice Act 2019 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand that seeks to give people with a terminal illness the option of receiving assisted dying. The Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health confirmed that, "The Bill uses “a ...

and the Abortion Legislation Act 2020. He has led the National Party's advisory group on environmental issues, the Bluegreens.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Scott Place of birth missing (living people) Living people New Zealand National Party MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates 1959 births 21st-century New Zealand politicians Candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election