Hon Penny Simmonds is the National Party Member of Parliament for Invercargill, first elected to that seat in 2020 [29][39].
Prior to entering Parliament, Simmonds served as Chief Executive of the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) from 1997 [2], a role she is reported to have held for 23 years according to a single secondary source [3]. During that period she was also awarded the Woolf Fisher Fellowship in 2000 [38]. She served as a Director of both the Southern Lakes English College [23] and the Southland Museum and Art Gallery [24].
Simmonds held a range of civic and community roles in the Southland region. She was a Board Member of Southland Disabilities Services [7] and, according to single secondary sources, a Board Member of the Southland District Health Board [9]. She served as an advisory board member of Venture Southland [15] and as a Shareholders Advisory Board member of the Economic Development Agency for Southland [13]. She was a Trustee of Community Trust South from 2012 [14] and Chair of Community Trust South from 2018 [10]. In hockey administration, she served as Chair of Hockey Southland [11] and as President of New Zealand Hockey [12].
Simmonds was elected to Parliament as the National Party MP for Invercargill in 2020 [29]. She is reported by a single secondary source to have served as National's tertiary education spokesperson prior to entering government [4]. Following the formation of government in 2023, she was appointed Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment [25]. Single secondary sources indicate she was also appointed Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills [32], Minister for Disability Issues [30], and Minister for the Environment [34] from 2023, as well as Minister for Vocational Education [33] and Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology [35]. She is also reported, from a single secondary source, to have become a Cabinet Minister from 2 April 2026 [26]. Single secondary sources further indicate she is a member of the Cabinet Economic Policy Committee [19], the Cabinet Social Outcomes Committee [20], and the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee [18].
Simmonds is reported by single secondary sources to have been awarded a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) [37].