Simon O'Connor (musician)
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Simon David O'Connor (born 25 February 1976) is a New Zealand politician and a former member of the
New Zealand House of Representatives The House of Representatives () is the Unicameral, sole chamber of the New Zealand Parliament. The House passes Law of New Zealand, laws, provides Ministers in the New Zealand Government, ministers to form the Cabinet of New Zealand, Cabinet, ...
for the
National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...
. He represented the Tāmaki electorate from 2011 to 2023.


Early life

O'Connor was raised in Whangārei, the eldest of three children, where he attended St Mary's Primary School and Pompallier College. He was a keen fencer and was president of the Auckland University Fencing Club. O'Connor completed training to be a
Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...
, which involved working on the island of
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in Fiji for two years at a vocational training centre, prison chaplaincy at Mount Eden Prison, military chaplaincy at Waiouru Army Base, and spending time with people in hospitals and
hospices Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliative care, palliation of a Terminal illness, terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioriti ...
. He did not seek ordination, deciding instead to study and pursue a career in politics. O'Connor graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Political Studies (his Political Studies Honours dissertation looked at the works of
René Girard René Noël Théophile Girard (; ; 25 December 1923 – 4 November 2015) was a French-American historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science whose work belongs to the tradition of philosophical anthropology. Girard was the a ...
), a Bachelor of Theology, and a Master of Arts with First Class Honours (Political Studies). He has also worked as a contracts manager for Southern Cross Insurance. O'Connor was the chairperson of
Monarchy New Zealand Monarchy New Zealand is a national, non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote, support and defend the constitutional monarchy, constitutional monarchy of New Zealand. In addition to the general public, the organisat ...
between 2010 and 2012 and remains a board member.


Political career

O'Connor has been involved in the
National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...
since 2005. He was deputy chair of the party's Northern Region before seeking the National nomination for the Maungakiekie electorate in 2008. He lost the selection contest to
Sam Lotu-Iiga Peseta Samuelu Masunu "Sam" Lotu-Iiga (born 2 November 1970) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament for the Maungakiekie electorate, having been elected in the 2008 election. Lotu-Iiga was one of two National Party Pasifika MPs. L ...
, who went on to win the seat, but O'Connor was appointed as a list candidate for the 2008 general election, ranked 72nd. He was selected as the party's candidate in the electorate following the withdrawal of sitting MP
Allan Peachey Allan Frederick Peachey (18 October 1949 – 6 November 2011) was a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament for Tamaki. School principal Peachey completed a Master's degree in history at the University of Canterbury in 1972, supervised ...
shortly before the 2011 election and was elected to Parliament. In his first term, he was a member of the Education and Science committee and the Transport and Industrial Relations committee, and the deputy chair of the
Finance and Expenditure committee The Finance and Expenditure Committee (known as the Public Accounts Committee until 1962, and as the Public Expenditure Committee, from 1962) is a select committee of the House of Representatives, the unicameral chamber of the New Zealand Parliame ...
. O'Connor held his electorate at the 2014 general election. In his second term, he chaired the Health committee. During his tenure as chair, the committee ran an inquiry into
euthanasia Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
which did not propose any changes to the law. O'Connor was re-elected at both the 2017 general election and the 2020 general election. National was in opposition after these two elections. O'Connor held various National Party spokesperson roles during this period, including corrections (2017 to 2023), customs (2018 to 2023), arts, culture and heritage (2020 to 2023) and internal affairs (two separate periods in 2021 and 2023). He briefly resigned his portfolios in late 2021 when his brother-in-law,
Simon Bridges Simon Joseph Bridges (born 12 October 1976) is a New Zealand retired politician, broadcaster and lawyer. He served as Leader of the New Zealand National Party, Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), Leader of t ...
, was demoted by National leader
Judith Collins Judith Anne Collins (born 24 February 1959) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the attorney-general and minister of defence since 27 November 2023. She served as the leader of the Opposition and leader of the New Zealand National P ...
. He chaired the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade committee from 2017 to 2020 and was a member of the Justice committee from 2021 to 2023.


Defeat at the 2023 general election

On 30 September 2022, it was reported that three unknown people had launched campaigns to replace O'Connor as the National party's Tāmaki candidate at the
2023 New Zealand general election The 2023 New Zealand general election was held on 14 October 2023 to determine the composition of the 54th New Zealand Parliament, 54th Parliament of New Zealand. Voters elected 122 members to the unicameral New Zealand House of Representatives ...
. On 21 October, O'Connor's challengers were identified as lawyer Andrew Grant and restaurant proprietor Sang Cho. Grant had publicly opposed "tough on crime" rhetoric. Ultimately, the challenge was unsuccessful and O'Connor was confirmed as the National Party candidate for Tāmaki at a party meeting in November 2022. In late April 2023,
ACT New Zealand ACT New Zealand (; ), also known as the ACT Party or simply ACT, is a Right-wing politics, right-wing, Classical liberalism, classical liberal, Right-libertarianism, right-libertarian, and Conservatism, conservative List of political parties i ...
confirmed that its deputy leader Brooke van Velden would be contesting O'Connor's Tāmaki electorate in a "two ticks" campaign during the 2023 general election. ACT leader
David Seymour David Breen Seymour (born 24 June 1983) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the 21st deputy prime minister of New Zealand since 2025 and as the 1st minister for regulation since 2023. A member of the ACT Party, he has served as its ...
cited O'Connor's socially conservative views on abortion and euthanasia as factors in ACT's decision to seriously contest O'Connor's' seat. In August 2023, the National Party announced its party list for the election. O'Connor's position was 54th, down from 35th in 2020. An opinion poll released on 2 October showed van Velden tied with O'Connor. In the final result, van Velden was ahead by 4,158 votes. Due to O'Connor's low list ranking, he was not eligible to return to Parliament.


Post-politics


Claims of PRC hacking

In April 2024, the New Zealand signals intelligence agency the
Government Communications Security Bureau The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) () is the public service, public-service department of New Zealand charged with promoting New Zealand's national security by collecting and analysing information of an intelligence nature. Th ...
(GCSB) conceded that they had been aware that O'Connor had been targeted by China in an attempted computer hacking campaign - along with fellow former MP Loiusa Wall, and academic Professor
Anne-Marie Brady Anne-Marie Sharon Brady (born 1966) is a New Zealand academic and Professor of Political Science at the University of Canterbury. She specialises in Chinese domestic and foreign politics, Antarctic and Arctic politics, Pacific politics, and ...
- but had failed to brief any of the targets. O'Connor said he was disappointed that the GCSB had not told him and the other potential victims, as: "...I would have thought letting me know would have been a rather basic step in preventing any further incursions." O'Connor also expressed concern "...that much of this information eventually became public via the
U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...
... yet New Zealand agencies still did not make contact with us
hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...
begs even further questions.” The Minister Responsible for the GCSB, Hon
Judith Collins Judith Anne Collins (born 24 February 1959) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the attorney-general and minister of defence since 27 November 2023. She served as the leader of the Opposition and leader of the New Zealand National P ...
KC, had earlier in March issued a statement attributing the compromise of Parliamentary Service and Parliamentary Counsel Office systems to the Chinese government-affiliated group APT40, describing the use of cyber espionage to "interfere with democratic and institutions..." as "unacceptable". Collins did not, however, name O'Connor, Wall, or Brady as intended targets at that time.


Conservative commentator and podcaster

In an interview on internet broadcaster Reality Check Radio with former MP and minister
Rodney Hide Rodney Philip Hide (born 16 December 1956) is a former New Zealand politician of the ACT New Zealand party. Hide was a Member of Parliament for ACT from 1996 until 2011, was ACT's leader between 2004 and 2011, and represented the constituency ...
, O'Connor announced that he was affiliating with the conservative Christian lobby group Family First. Family First released on 14 May 2024 news that O'Connor would host a weekly, live podcast across multiple streaming platforms, entitled ''Solid Ground''. In a promotional trailer for the programme, O'Connor said it was to enable a discussion based on: "good values, good ethics, good principles." ''
The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...
'' subsequently reported that O'Connor was scheduled to speak at the upcoming "UNSILENCED: Middle New Zealand on ideology" at
Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
's Tākina Convention Centre on 18 May alongside Family First Founder and National Director Bob McCoskrie and Destiny Church leader
Brian Tamaki Brian Raymond Tamaki (born 2 February 1958) is a New Zealand Christian fundamentalist religious leader, and politician. He is the leader of Destiny Church, a Pentecostal Christian organisation which advocates strict adherence to fundamentalis ...
. The Convention Centre is owned and operated by
Te Papa Museum The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa (Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand an ...
and the
Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and List of cities in New Zealand#City councils, third-largest city by popul ...
. Protest groups Queer Endurance In Defiance and the Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition denounced the conference for allegedly promoting
transphobia Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender or transsexual people, or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to socia ...
and said it was contacting the Council in order to cancel the event on safety grounds. While Wellington City Council Māori Ward Councillor Nīkau Wi Neera called for the event's cancellation,
New Zealand Free Speech Union The New Zealand Free Speech Union (FSU) is an organisation that advocates for freedom of speech. It was formed as the Free Speech Coalition in 2018, and relaunched as the Free Speech Union in May 2021. Organisation and goals The Free Speech U ...
chief executive Jonathan Ayling defended the conference on free speech grounds. Following a safety review, Te Papa allowed the event to proceed, but said it would monitor the situation and expressed support for the LGBT community. O'Connor spoke at the Unsilenced conference alongside Tamaki and British activist
Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull Kellie-Jay Nyishie Keen-Minshull ( Keen; born June 1974), also known as Posie Parker, is a British anti-transgender and gender-critical activist. She is the leader of the political party Party of Women. She describes herself as a woman's ...
(who participated via video-link). 360 people attended the Unsilenced conference while a protest organised by Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition and Queer Endurance in Defiance attracted 500 people.


Political positions


Chinese Communist Party influence

In 2020, O'Connor became a co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international group of legislators working towards reform on how democratic countries approach China, and specifically, the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
(CCP). In December 2020, he and fellow IPAC member
Louisa Wall Louisa Hareruia Wall (born 17 February 1972) is a New Zealand former double international sportswoman, former politician, and human rights advocate. She represented New Zealand in both netball as a Silver Fern from 1989 to 1992 and in rugby uni ...
urged New Zealand to speak out against China's alleged "coercive diplomacy" and support Australia in the face of diplomatic and economic pressure from China. In August 2022, O'Connor, fellow IPAC member Labour MP
Ingrid Leary Ingrid Marieke Leary (born ) is a New Zealand politician. In 2020 she was elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party. Early life and career Leary completed secondary schooling at Macleans College i ...
, and other members from Australia, India and Japan launched a new local
Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
chapter to focus on increased Chinese militarisation in that region. O’Connor, while Chair of New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade Committee joined with his counterpart committee chair counterparts from the United Kingdom (
Tom Tugendhat Thomas Georg John Tugendhat (born 27 June 1973) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (UK), Member of Parliament (MP) for Tonbridge (UK Parliament constituency), Tonbridge, previously Tonbridge and Malling (UK Parliamen ...
), Canada ( Michael Levitt), and Australia (
David Fawcett David Julian Fawcett (born 23 October 1963) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has been a Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicame ...
) in writing a joint letter to
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António Guterres António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat who is serving as the ninth and current secretary-general of the United Nations since 2017. A member of the Socialist Party (Portugal), ...
asking that he appoint a special human rights envoy to monitor Hong Kong in light of the imposition of China’s new National Security Law. During 2022, as IPAC co-chairs, O'Connor and Leary obtained information about the Solomon Islands-China Security Pact and raised concerns about Chinese military expansion in the Pacific. In 2023, O’Connor asked Parliamentary Written Questions seeking information on the deployment of Chinese made cameras in New Zealand government offices. Subsequent reporting of the results indicated 120 cameras made by companies with links to the CCP, which had already been banned from British government buildings, were installed in New Zealand government premises – including in the home of an unnamed MP. O’Connor wrote to representatives of
Bytedance ByteDance Ltd. is a Chinese internet technology company headquartered in Haidian, Beijing, and incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Founded by Zhang Yiming, Liang Rubo, and a team of others in 2012, ByteDance developed the video-sharing ap ...
, owners of social media platform
TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
, asking about the privacy of New Zealanders' data. He subsequently welcomed the decision of the
New Zealand Parliamentary Service New Zealand Parliamentary Service is an agency established in 1985 to provide support services to the New Zealand's elected Member of parliament, Members of Parliament (MPs). Their services are outlined in the Parliamentary Services Act 2000. Par ...
to ban Tiktok on any devices connected to the parliamentary network over the risk of compromise the platform posed to sensitive data. Media reported that O’Connor was involved with assisting a defector from the Chinese Consulate-General in Auckland, reportedly the first such defector to New Zealand since the end of the Cold War. While co-chairing IPAC, O'Connor called for the government to rule out the extradition of New Zealand nationals to China; to set up a special visa scheme for Hong Kongers; and to initiate investigations into the treatment of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province of China.


Taiwan

O’Connor has been a vocal supporter of Taiwan. In March 2023, he set up the first All Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan within the New Zealand Parliament, being inaugural co-chair along with Labour's Ingrid Leary and involving around 15 other MPs. In November 2023, O'Connor was invited by the Taiwanese government to visit Taipei and meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, and other senior political representatives as part of the Indo-Pacific Formosa Club initiative.


International human rights

O’Connor repeatedly called for New Zealand to introduce a Magnitsky-style sanctions regime in New Zealand. He worked closely with
Bill Browder Sir William Felix Browder, (born 23 April 1964) is an American-born English financier and political activist. He is the CEO and co-founder of Hermitage Capital Management, the investment advisor to the Hermitage Fund, which was formerly the l ...
– Head of the Global Magnitsky Justice campaign – and was acknowledged for his efforts by Browder in his book ''Freezing Order.'' O’Connor also joined with Labour MP Louisa Wall in calling for New Zealand to introduce
modern slavery Contemporary slavery, also sometimes known as modern slavery or neo-slavery, refers to institutional slavery that continues to exist in the 21st century. Estimates of the number of enslaved people range from around 38 million to 49.6 million, d ...
legislation. During the 53rd Parliament O'Connor tabled, as a member bill, his Modern Slavery Reporting Bill. This measure was not drawn from the ballot. In 2022, O'Connor joined other elected representatives from around the world in
Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
as part of the Interparliamentary Task Force to Combat Online
Antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
. At hearings, he and other representatives questioned
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,
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,
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and TikTok about removing antisemitic content from their digital platforms. In June 2023, O’Connor welcomed the
Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
Sikyong The () is the political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, a Tibetan exile organisation in India also known as the Tibetan government-in-exile based on the 2011 Charter of Tibetans-in-exile. The title was created in 2012 after the ...
(democratically elected leader-in-exile),
Penpa Tsering Penpa Tsering (; born 1967) is a Tibetan politician based in India. He is the second democratically elected Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration in India. He succeeded the last Sikyong Lobsang Sangay on 27 May 2021. Penpa Tsering was the ...
, to the New Zealand Parliament and hosted a lunch for him with several other Members of Parliament. Tsering expressed disappointment that Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta had refused to meet him. Later in 2023, O’Connor challenged the
Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
Ambassador to New Zealand Reza Nazarahari over the violent repression of protests when the Ambassador attended a select committee hearing at Parliament. O'Connor criticised Iran's detention of two New Zealanders, Topher Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray, who were held for nearly four months without charge before being released. O'Connor also joined several protests against the regime's brutal crackdowns organised by Iranians in New Zealand.


Conscience votes

O'Connor voted conservatively on most conscience issues, although he opposed raising the drinking age back to 20 in 2012 and he supported the introduction of Easter Sunday trading. His votes on significant conscience matters were: * against raising the drinking age from 18 in 2012; * against the
Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill 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 ...
in 2013, a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand; * against changing the
flag of New Zealand The flag of New Zealand (), also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensigna blue field with the Union Jack in the ''canton (flag), canton'' or upper hoist corneraugmented or ''Defacement (flag), defaced'' wit ...
during the
2015–2016 New Zealand flag referendums Two referendums were held by the New Zealand Government in November/December 2015 and March 2016 to determine the nation's flag. The voting resulted in the retention of the existing flag of New Zealand. Shortly after the referendum announceme ...
; * in support of a bill to allow Easter Sunday trading in 2016; * against the End of Life Choice Bill in 2017 and 2019; * against the Abortion Legislation Bill in 2019 and 2020; and * against the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill in 2022. On 10 September 2017, two weeks before the general election and on World Suicide Prevention Day, O'Connor criticised then-Labour leader
Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...
for being "concerned about youth suicide" but being "happy to encourage the suicide of the elderly, disabled, and sick" by way of her support of the End of Life Choice Bill. In March 2020, he attracted attention for a statement he made as part of his speech in opposition to the third reading of the Abortion Legislation Bill, where he repeated a quotation from the Bible in Latin: "Mihi vindicta: ego retribuam, dicit Dominus," which is translated as "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” In late June 2022, O'Connor published a
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post welcoming the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
's overtuning of
Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...
. He subsequently removed the post after National Party leader
Christopher Luxon Christopher Mark Luxon (; born 19 July 1970) is a New Zealand politician and former business executive who has served as the 42nd prime minister of New Zealand since 2023 and as leader of the National Party since 2021. He previously served ...
stated that the post was "causing distress" and did not represent the party's position on abortion. In response to the controversy around O'Connor's post, several Tāmaki residents called for O'Connor to resign as their Member of Parliament. By contrast, former National MP Alfred Ngaro defended O'Connor's freedom of expression and accused Luxon of silencing National MPs. On 28 June, O'Connor apologised to his National Party colleagues for the hurt and distress that his Facebook post had caused. He denied that he had been "gagged" by Luxon and explained that he had offered to taken down the post because it had attracted " toxic and unhealthy" comments.


Personal life

On 10 December 2016, O'Connor married Rachel Trimble, the sister of fellow National MP
Simon Bridges Simon Joseph Bridges (born 12 October 1976) is a New Zealand retired politician, broadcaster and lawyer. He served as Leader of the New Zealand National Party, Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), Leader of t ...
, and has five stepchildren.


References


External links

*
Profile
at the New Zealand Parliament website
On Point
podcast {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Simon 1976 births Living people New Zealand National Party MPs New Zealand Roman Catholics New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates New Zealand monarchists Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 2008 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 2011 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 2014 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2023 New Zealand general election