Simon Wilson is a senior writer for the New Zealand Herald.
Simon has been with the Herald since the start of 2018. He writes mainly about Auckland with a focus on politics, the climate crisis, transport, housing, urban design and social issues, and sometimes the arts, books and sport. His work includes weekly columns, features and news reporting and he has also written a well-known series about prostate cancer. Wilson started in journalism in the mid-1980s, as a subeditor at the Listener, and has spent most of his career in magazines, as an editor and writer. He’s won many awards, including Qantas/Canon/Voyager Media Awards: twice as editor of the magazine of the year (Cuisine and Metro), twice as feature writer of the year, and for first-person essay of the year, opinion writer of the year, reviewer of the year, and in several categories including politics, the arts and the environment. He was the first non-fiction writer to win the Nigel Cox Unity Books Award for “exceptional writing” and he has also been awarded the Auckland Cup and a President’s Award by the Institute of Architects. Wilson provides frequent commentary in other media, especially RNZ National and Newstalk ZB. He has written two books: Homeground: The story of a building that changes lives, about the new home of the Auckland City Mission (2022), and The Age of Light, a novel (1994). He was also the editor of The Journal of Urgent Writing (2017). You can contact Simon at simon.wilson@nzme.co.nz.
Simon Wilson: Phil Goff's spring awakening
Phil Goff is happy to have won a mandate to continue, but will he make much progress?
Simon Wilson: What's Goff going to do now?
Goff has a mandate to push on with his programme. But will he get the help he needs?
Quay St road rage: The street causing most grief to Aucklanders
What's causing all that disruption on Quay St and where will it all end?
Simon Wilson: Why does the Auckland Transport safety plan ignore cyclists?
Auckland Transport's new road safety plan makes no extra budget allocation for cyclists.
Simon Wilson: How to make sense of Auckland Council election candidates
COMMENT: Many upstanding people are standing for Council. But which ones have good ideas?
Simon Wilson: Auckland Council, climate change and the new denialism
Auckland Council declared a climate emergency but some councillors don't seem to know why.
Revealed: New image of Auckland's waterfront stadium - and next steps
A new image of the proposed stadium has been released.
Simon Wilson: Time for pedestrians to take over High St
High St now has too many pedestrians so when are they going to do something about it?
What now for the Auckland Art Gallery?
Auckland Art Gallery has lost its director - will we be able to get another good one?
Most Aucklanders now support cycling
Annual survey shows strong growth in support for cycling and cycle lanes throughout city.
New hope for Auckland's rough sleepers
There's a multi-storey plan under way in Auckland to end rough sleeping.
Welcome to Auckland Plan 2050: But where will 700,000 people live?
Auckland Council has reinvented its vision for the city over the next 30 years.
Auckland's new visitor plan: Fix the problems
Auckland's new visitor plan aims to create a better city to visit by fixing the problems.
Bold vision for Auckland's waterfront
A new plan throws down a challenge to council and the port itself.
Simon Wilson: A very good day for Waitakere Ranges
COMMENT: Council has made a brave decision on kauri dieback. Now it has to make it work.
Simon Wilson: Is Auckland losing its trees?
Critics claim Auckland has lost a third of its trees. But can that be true?
Simon Wilson: America's Cup base plan is a triumph
COMMENT:Now we have a new outcome that's better than what anybody had previously proposed.
Simon Wilson: Why is council short changing the arts and sport?
Why is Auckland Council downplaying the importance of the arts and sport in its new plans?
Simon Wilson: 6 reasons this America's Cup plan is a winner for Auckland
The new plan for siting the America's Cup bases is great, but what is the mayor doing?
Auckland Council set to close Waitakere Ranges
Measures to control kauri dieback haven't worked and now entry to the bush will be barred.