Simon Power
|
The Honourable Simon Power QSO |
|
|---|---|
| 46th Minister of Justice | |
|
In office 19 November 2008 – 12 December 2011 |
|
| Prime Minister | John Key |
| Preceded by | Annette King |
| Succeeded by | Judith Collins |
| Minister for State-Owned Enterprises | |
|
In office 19 November 2008 – April 2011 |
|
| Prime Minister | John Key |
| Preceded by | Trevor Mallard |
| Succeeded by | Tony Ryall |
| Minister of Commerce | |
|
In office 19 November 2008 – 12 December 2011 |
|
| Prime Minister | John Key |
| Preceded by | Lianne Dalziel |
| Succeeded by | Craig Foss |
| Deputy Leader of the House | |
|
In office 19 November 2008 – December 2011 |
|
| Prime Minister | John Key |
| Preceded by | Darren Hughes |
| Succeeded by | Anne Tolley |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Rangitikei |
|
|
In office 1999 – December 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Denis Marshall |
| Succeeded by | Ian McKelvie |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
5 December 1969 New Zealand |
| Political party | National |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Simon James Power QSO (born 5 December 1969) is a former New Zealand politician. He was a member of the National Party and became Minister of Justice in the 2008–2011 National-led Government. He had previously served as the National Party's chief whip, and as its justice and corrections spokesman.
Power was educated in Palmerston North, attending St Peter's College. He was prominent in the life of St Peter's, captaining two senior sports teams and chairing the School Council. He later studied at Victoria University in Wellington, gaining first a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and then a Bachelor of Laws degree. For two years, he was President of the Victoria University Law Students' Society. He completed his university study in 1993.
After leaving university, Power worked as a lawyer in Palmerston North. For a brief period, he also worked in Auckland. In 1998, he decided to enter national politics. Having been a member of the National Party since the year he left university, he secured the party's nomination for Rangitikei, a predominantly rural area just outside Palmerston North. The incumbent, National MP Denis Marshall, retired from Parliament in 1999.
In the 1999 election, Power won Rangitikei. He defeated his opponent, the Labour Party's Craig Walsham, by slightly under three hundred votes. Once in parliament, Power became his party's spokesman on Labour, Industrial Relations, and Youth Affairs. After he retained his seat in the 2002 elections, these roles were swapped for Justice, Tertiary Education, and Workplace Skills. In 2003, when Don Brash became leader of the National Party, Power's responsibilities were once again reshuffled, giving him the portfolios of Defence, Veterans' Affairs, and Youth Affairs.
...
Wikipedia