Simon Bridges

For weeks our political news has centred on the fight against Coronavirus. But this week pre-Covid concerns emerged in the media to create political headaches for Winston Peters and Simon Bridges Audio

The National Party says small to medium businesses are paying the price for the extension of Alert Level 4 restrictions to next week.

It's been calling for more of the economy to be opened up sooner… Audio

Simon Bridges has heavily criticised the Government's response to Covid-19, saying it didn't do enough groundwork to get the country out of Alert Level 4 restrictions this week.

He says work has only… Audio

Government ministers arrived all but empty-handed when they fronted the country's online equivalent of Question Time yesterday.

Small Business Minister Stuart Nash, Employment Minister Willie Jackson… Audio

Opposition leader Simon Bridges says the Government's decision to extend lockdown shows it hasn't done the groundwork required to have the country ready.

The national lockdown has been extended until… Audio

Opposition leader Simon Bridges says the government's decision to extend lockdown shows it has not done the groundwork required to have New Zealand ready for loosening restrictions.

Posting on his… Video, Audio

The Government is due to make a decision on whether New Zealand can move out of Alert Level 4 next week, and the country will find out exactly what a drop to Level 3 that would entail soon.

But some… Audio

More Government ministers will come under the scrutiny of Parliament's Epidemic Response Committee today where the Finance Minister will spell how just how badly Covid-19 has affected the economy.

As… Audio

The Prime Minister will announce today that every person arriving in New Zealand will have to go into supervised quarantine.

Academics and opposition MPs have been demanding such action, saying… Audio

Simon Bridges says there's no comparison between his weekly commute between Wellington and Tauranga, and the Health Minister's breach of lockdown rules.

David Clark has been demoted, and stripped of… Audio

The Leader of the Opposition says it's not too early to start talking about an exit plan, but the focus has to remain on heightened levels of testing and contact tracing, and tougher border… Audio

There's no sign the Government will tighten quarantine controls for those arriving at the border, in response to calls from the opposition to quarantine and test everyone.

The police have admitted… Audio

Parliament's Epidemic Response Committee met for the first time yesterday and are meeting again today to scrutinise the government's handling of Covid 19.

National Party leader Simon Bridges chairs… Audio

New Zealand is waking up to a morning like no other in its history - people are confined to their homes, everything but essential services are shut.

The Prime Minister's expectation of what people… Audio

New Zealanders are waking up to a new reality - the country in isolation, to protect tens of thousands of New Zealanders from an invisible enemy - Covid-19.

As of midnight, everyone apart from… Audio

Parliament is being suspended for almost five weeks after urgent business is dealt with today.

A new cross-party committee has been set up to allow for continued scrutiny of the government's Covid-19… Audio

Parliament will urgently convene one last time this afternoon to put the country in a State of Emergency before shutting up shop over the four-week lockdown.

MPs will then head into self-isolation -… Audio

Comments on the latest covid-19 measures from Simon Bridges, leader of the Opposition. Audio