SW
Simon Watts
Sitting MP · North ShoreCurrent electorate MP — North Shore (54th Parliament)
North Shore MP and minister responsible for climate change, revenue, local government and building.
Stated priorities: Climate policy, local government, revenue, Auckland and construction.
Party candidate listParliament member profile
Latest party-vote polling
Polls measure nationwide support for National, not this candidate or this electorate — no electorate-level figures are published in these releases.
Latest poll
29.1%
RNZ–Reid Research, 21 Aug 2026
Average, last 3 months
29.6%
10 polls
Change on previous poll
+0.1
Percentage points
National manifesto promises
57 policy commitments on file for the party this candidate stands for.
Economy & Cost of Living
- • Home Energy Fund offering low-interest, long-term loans for solar, batteries, insulation and other home-energy upgrades to help lower power billsnational.org.nz
- • No new taxes if re-electednational.org.nz
- • [Stuff news source] Delay the scheduled January 2027 fuel-excise increase; positions on the planned 2028 and 2029 increases were still to be announcedstuff.co.nz
- • [1News source] Make cervical screening free for all women aged 25–69 from March 2027, removing the screening charge for about 786,000 more women1news.co.nz
- • Three Budget Responsibility Rules: prioritise surplus in 2028/29, reduce debt below 40% of GDP, and lower core Crown spending towards 30% of GDPnational.org.nz
+6 more in this area
Education & Children
- • Extend paid parental leave from 26 to 30 weeks and automatically enrol newborns in KiwiSaver with a $1,500 Baby Boostnational.org.nz
- • Automatically enrol every newborn in KiwiSaver and provide a $1,500 Baby Boost from 1 July 2027national.org.nz
- • Extend paid parental leave from 26 to 30 weeks by 2029, allow parents to share or overlap leave, and protect full holiday pay after parental leavenational.org.nz
- • [Stuff news source] Introduce legislation banning social-media access for children under 16stuff.co.nz
- • Reduce the compulsory student-loan repayment rate from 12% to 10% from 1 April 2027 and strengthen recovery from overseas borrowersnational.org.nz
+4 more in this area
Tax & Fiscal Policy
- • No new taxes if re-electednational.org.nz
- • Bend debt below 40% of GDP and maintain it below that level over timenational.org.nz
- • [Stuff news source] Cancel the scheduled 12-cent-per-litre fuel-excise rise in January 2027, then introduce four 5-cent increases at six-month intervals from January 2028stuff.co.nz
- • Continue transitioning petrol vehicles from fuel excise duty to electronic road-user charges based on distance and vehicle weightnational.org.nz
- • Oppose new land taxes under National’s no-new-taxes commitment; pursue housing affordability through land supply, planning and infrastructure reform insteadnational.org.nz
+4 more in this area
Health & Care
- • [Stuff news source] Fit out Christchurch Hospital’s third tower to provide 96 additional bedsstuff.co.nz
- • Continue expanding frontline healthcare through more medicines, palliative-care centres for seriously ill children, three-day postnatal stays and a lower bowel-screening age of 56national.org.nz
- • [1News source] Make cervical screening free for all women aged 25–69 from March 2027, extending free access to about 786,000 more women1news.co.nz
- • Temporarily increase mileage reimbursement for home and community support workers by 30%, from 63.5 cents to 82.5 cents per kilometre, while high fuel prices persistnational.org.nz
- • Provide a government KiwiSaver contribution during paid parental leave even when the parent is not contributingnational.org.nz
+3 more in this area
Energy, Climate & Environment
- • [RNZ news source] Continue a practical National Adaptation Framework focused on clear risk information, planning certainty and lower societal costs; develop national standards for river-gravel extraction and on-farm quarrying for resilience projectsrnz.co.nz
- • Accelerate renewable-energy and backup-generation projects to improve energy security and lower billsnational.org.nz
- • Launch a Home Energy Fund for low-interest loans repaid through rates for solar, batteries, insulation and other energy-resilience upgradesnational.org.nz
- • Make small-scale solar, batteries and micro-hydro largely permitted without resource consentnational.org.nz
- • Accelerate renewable generation and backup-energy projects to strengthen energy security and lower billsnational.org.nz
+2 more in this area
Employment, Welfare & Retirement
- • Use a traffic-light compliance system, sanctions, money management and community work requirements for beneficiaries who do not meet work obligationsnational.org.nz
- • Contract community providers and job coaches to help young Jobseekers into sustained work, with a $1,000 incentive for eligible under-25s who remain off benefit for 12 monthsnational.org.nz
- • Make KiwiSaver compulsory for all workers from 1 July 2028 and lift combined default contributions to 12% by 2032national.org.nz
- • Add a $1,500 Baby Boost, parental-leave contributions and employer contributions for workers over 65national.org.nz
- • Retain a revised pay-equity regime focused on demonstrated sex-based undervaluation, preserve the twelve completed settlements and allow new claims under a clearer and more affordable processnational.org.nz
Speeches and coverage
Stories and statements that name Simon Watts, updated automatically as they are published.
- 15 Jul 2026RNZCoalition scrutinyNational minister labels Opportunity left wing
Simon Watts criticised the Citizen's Income and land tax, while neither National nor Labour initially ruled the party out.
Recent National speeches and statements
- 3 Sept 2026ScoopPolitical releaseLand Tax On The Table Under Labour
National argued Labour had left open the possibility of a land-value tax; this is party criticism, not a confirmed Labour policy.
- 2 Sept 2026ScoopPolitical releaseLabour's CGT Will Hit Small Businesses
National argued Labour’s property CGT would affect owner-operated commercial premises.
- 23 Aug 2026StuffCampaign launchNational launches campaign on no-new-taxes message
Luxon framed the election choice around National’s tax restraint versus tax increases proposed across the opposition bloc.
- 21 Jun 2026YouTubeSocial media — Conference speechNZ National Party / Christopher Luxon: Conference speech
National's conference address set out its campaign case on fiscal discipline, energy security, growth, education and compulsory KiwiSaver reforms. Evidence: Official party video
- 19 Jun 2026StuffCampaign conferenceNational kicks off 2026 campaign at party conference
Coverage of National's annual conference and campaign positioning.