First term ACT MP and spokesperson for Environment, Climate, Transport and Local Government, Simon is a Civil and Environmental Engineer with 20 plus years’ experience in roles for the private sector and local government. This includes 10 years leading engineering, planning, tendering, and leading construction teams primarily in Auckland, Wellington, and Fiji. Simon has three teenagers, the youngest with Down Syndrome which influences his perspective on accessibility.
In local government Simon managed a portfolio of 200 closed landfills, many in the coastal area, with aging and failing infrastructure. This experience led to a change of direction, and eventually to Parliament with ACT, where Simon sits on Environment Committee and Transport Committee. Simon believes that Transport policy should focus on improving network efficiency, relieving congestion and building capacity before the roads are gridlocked, not fixing climate change. That is because the cap on emissions under the ETS and a carbon price already sets the right incentive.
