A SunLive opinion poll has shown that Tauranga MP Simon Bridges is a popular choice for Prime Minister; picked from a group of politicians that converged in the Bay of Plenty on Friday, August 21.
It was on this day that Tauranga got the opportunity to ‘play' capital city with Tony Ryall, the then acting Prime Minister and Nick Smith, acting Deputy Prime Minister, both in town.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges and Prime Minister John Key.

The other SunLive poll preferred Prime Minister choices were Environment Bay of Plenty councillor Andrew von Dadelszen and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges.
Simon Bridges was the clear winner in the poll, receiving 44 per cent of the vote. Simon was very happy to get such a result, 'Just quietly I'm pretty happy that I came out on top.”
When asked if this result may encourage him to accelerate his political career, he laughed, 'I might slip it under the Prime Minister's door to send him the message.
'The problem is that I would just end up decelerating my career as he will be there a long time yet.”
The surprise outcome from the poll was that regional councillor Andrew von Dadelszen scored 25 per cent of the vote. This was far more than MP for Nelson, Nick Smith, who won just three per cent of the vote.
Andrew says he was just surprised his name was on the list. He says he is quite comfortable in his current job at the regional council, 'I get to sleep in my own bed at night.”
Simon would not comment on whether Andrew should try to enter the political arena in Wellington, but says, 'He should take heart from this result.”
Bay of Plenty MP Tony Ryall finished second in the poll with 29 per cent.