25 Facts About Penny Simmonds

Penny Simmonds previously served as the chief executive of the Southern Institute of Technology.

Penny Simmonds was born in Southland and grew up in Riversdale and Te Tipua.

Penny Simmonds attended Gore High School and received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago.

Penny Simmonds served in the New Zealand Territorial Force for several years.

Penny Simmonds was the chief executive of the Southern Institute of Technology from 1997 to October 2020.

Penny Simmonds took leave from 29 June 2020 in order to focus on her political campaign, with deputy chief executive Maree Howden acting in her place.

Penny Simmonds has had a close working relationship with Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt, as evidenced by him consulting with her during the 2010 Invercargill mayoral election.

Penny Simmonds has been a director of the Southland Museum and Art Gallery and a board member of the Southland District Health Board.

Penny Simmonds was selected as the National Party candidate for Invercargill in May 2020 following Sarah Dowie's decision to retire.

Penny Simmonds had been rumoured as a potential candidate for about fifteen years prior.

Key points of Penny Simmonds' campaign were opposing the merging of New Zealand's polytechnics and keeping the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter open.

Penny Simmonds defeated Labour list MP Liz Craig in the 2020 election, retaining the Invercargill seat for National by a margin of 224 votes.

Penny Simmonds opposed the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Amendment Act 2022, which established "safe zones" around abortion providers.

Penny Simmonds criticised the creation of 180 administrative jobs at Te Pukenga's Hamilton headquarters in the light of 600 projected redundancies resulting from the polytechnic merger process.

Penny Simmonds claimed that Te Pukenga's CEO Stephen Town's departure on "special leave" signaled significant problems with the new education provider.

In mid-August 2022, Penny Simmonds alleged that Town had been "shoulder-tapped" for the position of CEO of Te Pukenga and lodged an Official Information Act request to identify the person who recommended Town for the executive job.

On 19 January 2023, Penny Simmonds became the National Party's Workforce Planning spokesperson during a reshuffle of Party leader Christopher Luxon's shadow cabinet.

Penny Simmonds said that the Government would introduce legislation entrenching the dissolution of Te Pukenga into law over the next six to eight months.

Penny Simmonds has aimed for this revamp of the tertiary and vocational sector to be completed by 1 January 2025.

Penny Simmonds said the Government was not going to increase funding to maintain support for disabled people and their families "because the Government's coffers are not an endless open pit".

Penny Simmonds was replaced as Disability Issues Minister by Minister for Social Development Louise Upston, whose Ministry has oversight over the Ministry for Disabled People.

On 20 December, Penny Simmonds confirmed that the Government would proceed with plans to dismantle Te Pukenga in 2024 and would decide which polytechnics could be independent by 2026 or would join a national federation of polytechnics.

Penny Simmonds confirmed that the Government would replace Workforce Development Councils with government-funded Industry Skills Boards as the regulatory bodies for different industries.

Penny Simmonds is married with three daughters, the youngest of whom has Down's syndrome.

Penny Simmonds received a Woolf Fisher Fellowship in 2000, and was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to education, sport and the community, in the 2016 New Year Honours.