Our political aspirants need to cut out the silly business, it’s serious economic times – Simon Bridges

Opinion byNZ Herald·30 Jul, 2026 05:00 PM6 mins to readSimon Bridges is the chief executive of the Auckland Business Chamber and was the leader of the National Party from 2018 to 2020. He has also served as the Minister for Transport, Economic Development and Communications. He has also worked as a senior Crown prosecutor in the Tauranga District and High Courts.‌NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones. Photo / Mark Mitchell There has been a lot of political silly business in recent weeks: the leaked Stuart Nash text, Shane Jones and the kneepads, Paul Henry playing “shoot, shag, or marry”. Dog whistling was followed by virtue signalling across the political spectrum. Yet these stories are near meaningless. Voters don’t vote based