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.
'The risk of death is higher': What Cabinet knew when it raised speed limits on our roads
Cabinet knows higher speeds are dangerous but it's had no advice on the economic benefits.
Simon Wilson: Donald Trump's triumph of the will
OPINION: Trump is king now, but will his courtiers get what they want?
Simon Wilson: Why don't we get to vote? How the US election result will affect us all
OPINION: Four ways for President Kamala Harris to make a difference to climate change.
Simon Wilson: Why did John Key endorse Donald Trump?
OPINION: Sixty billionaires are supporting Donald Trump. So is Sir John Key.
Auckland Council snubs Government, makes own decisions on transport spending
Auckland Council has spread transport cuts far more widely than the Government wanted.
Simon Wilson: What's the difference between Wayne Brown and Tory Whanau?
OPINION: The Auckland and Wellington mayors have more in common than you might think.
Simon Wilson: The shockers for Govt hiding in the Mood of the Boardroom
OPINION: To politicians and business leaders growth is seductive but so are other things.
It’s not every day a European river cruise moves you to tears
Visiting the horror sites of the Balkan wars is a moving and deeply rewarding experience.
Simon Wilson: Auckland election - here's $350, will you vote for us?
OPINION: It may be legal to pay voters but that doesn't make it right, says Simon Wilson.
Big cuts coming to AT: 'Blame the Govt', says mayor
The Government cut $550 million from Auckland transport but the council has another plan.
Simon Wilson: Time's running out for Labour leader Chris Hipkins
OPINION: It's time for Labour leader Chris Hipkins to stand up - or stand aside.
From dictators to dry-humoured storytellers, Bucharest draws visitors in
Expect to be enraptured in the Romanian capital.
Simon Wilson: Introducing Infra Boy Chris Bishop, the man with a big bold, not entirely coherent plan
An interview with the serious, if slightly shambolic, new Minister of Everything
Simon Wilson: Will Simeon Brown's need for speed really help the economy?
Opinion: Here's what the data says about speed limits, economic growth and road safety.
Simon Wilson: Wait, what, Watts? The Climate Minister talks to business
Opinion: “Harder and faster,” says Climate Minister Simon Watts, but what does he mean?
Simon Wilson: It's Luxon's choice – kotahitanga or a destructive race debate
OPINION: The PM showed humanity and leadership at Tūrangawaewae, but now what?
Simon Wilson: Wayne Brown calls out construction sector and Govt
OPINION: 'Do you just sign up and take the money?', Auckland Mayor said.
Simon Wilson: Sorry Luxon, cheap shots at cycleways won't solve our council woes
OPINION: The PM has a bigger job than attacking councils for speed bumps and cycleways.
Sorry Minister, congestion charges not the key to freeing up roads – Simon Wilson
Opinion: Charging motorists more is not the way to get them to drive less.
Green buildings make money for landlords and tenants - landmark new report
The rents are higher and vacancy rates are lower than ordinary buildings.
Simon Wilson: Mayor makes flogging jokes while Minister hints Wgtn could control Auckland's transport
OPINION: The mayor and the minister do not agree on how to fix Auckland.
Simon Wilson: Aucklanders live in a great city, but things are far from sweet
OPINION: Oh great, another report that says what we already know.
Auckland needs 'fit-for-purpose urban vision', says big new report
Auckland is slipping behind similar cities.
Simon Wilson: Nats conference hugs and kisses, silly statements and plan for better maths
OPINION: It was happy days for National over the weekend but is the party subtly changing?
Simon Wilson: Climate lessons from the Titanic
OPINION: Titanic is back, with lessons about billionaires and climate change.
Simon Wilson: Tracing the links from abuse in care to crime on Queen St
OPINION: The links between violence in public and private and how the state acts.
Simon Wilson: We were there and we looked away – lessons from the Abuse in Care report
OPINION: We're all implicated in the Abuse in Care inquiry report. So what will we do now?
Are we ready for this? The Treaty debate in 2024
ANALYSIS: The Treaty of Waitangi debate is about conflicting values. Can we line them up?
Simon Wilson: The problem with the Government’s science and innovation policies
OPINION: Why does the Government care so little about innovation's economic potential?
Simon Wilson: Why are we losing our minds over 15 free bicycles?
OPINION: Spurious 'economic necessity' claims undermine environment and efficiency goals.
Simon Wilson: Trackless trams in Auckland
OPINION: High-tech solutions offer Auckland a great chance to fix its transport woes.
'Butt out, Wellington': Auckland Council votes against higher speed limits
Auckland Council will oppose the Government plan to raise speed limits, but can't stop it.
"Being brave is the deep breath you take before doing something you’ve never imagined before" - Moana Jackson
Moana Jackson had a dream and he wanted everyone to be brave enough to help realise it.
Simon Wilson: Stanford vs Reti vs Brown - who's doing good government?
OPINION: How much does the National Party care about principles of good government?
Simon Wilson: Seven ways we could be like Scandinavia
OPINION: Seven things that work well in Scandinavia that we could do too.
Simon Wilson: Act, Paul Henry, Shane Jones and the March for Nature
OPINION: Good governance requires more than preaching to the choir.
Simon Wilson: The Budget promises that are destroying us
OPINION: Sugar hits for floating voters are holding back almost all meaningful progress.
Auckland stadium debate: And now there are two, but why?
OPINION: Auckland Council's stadium decision is wrong in so many ways.
Simon Wilson: Five ways for Nicola Willis to make the Budget look good
OPINION: Some of the biggest things the Finance Minister could do would cost very little.
Simon Wilson: Conflicts of interest invite corruption, so why do politicians pretend they don't?
OPINION: Political conflicts of interest are dragging the Government down. Does it care?
Simon Wilson: Politicians must agree to agree if we're going to get things built
OPINION: The big challenge for long-term planning: politicians must agree to agree.
Simon Wilson: Luxon and Swarbrick - a tale of two speeches
OPINION: The PM and the Greens co-leader gave very different climate speeches last week.
Simon Wilson: Parking fees, port plans, speed bumps and the Wynyard bridge
Opinion: Why doesn't Wayne Brown defend the policies he demanded in the first place?
The Shaw bank redemption: Simon Wilson on the former Greens leader and the Fast-Track Bill
OPINION: Everyone likes to call James Shaw a Blue-Green, but what does that mean?
'Let those who have seen evil speak of good': The debate about Māori and museums
Commemorating the wartime contributions of Māori - in museums and schools.
Wayne Brown’s massive Auckland budget problems - Simon Wilson
Opinion: Does the Auckland mayor have enough council support for his spending plans?
Simon Wilson: 'Strong leaders', a 'rigged' economy and the survey of doom
OPINION: Most of us think the country is 'broken' and need a 'strong leader'. Now what?
Low housing density and $50 road tolls: Wayne Brown v the Govt - Simon Wilson
OPINION: Auckland Council Nimbys and a $50 toll on the big new roads. What's going on?
Simon Wilson: Trust down, jobs gone, what’s the media going to do now?
OPINION: Trust in media is falling and news programmes are closing. Now what?
Simon Wilson: Grammar v Kings is the wrong debate
OPINION: The 'elite schools' obsession dangerously skews our understanding of schools.
Simon Wilson: What people really think of cycleways - and other transport revelations
OPINION: In memory of Rod Oram, inspired by Janette Sadik-Khan and Sir Peter Gluckman.
Simon Wilson: Gridlock is coming - Why Auckland's transport network is close to collapse
Eleven reasons why Auckland transport plans will cause the thing they're supposed to cure.
The sobering yet sublime experience of an Eastern European river cruise
Where conquest and survival are on full show and history flows as freely as the river.
Not safe for women, inconvenient: Survey reveals reasons Aucklanders don't use public transport
A new survey brings some sobering news for transport planners in Auckland.
Simon Wilson: What David Seymour's bike crash should mean for Transport Minister's plans
OPINION: While David Seymour crashed his bike, Simeon Brown is crashing transport.
Simon Wilson: The questions we're not asking about a new Auckland stadium - and that new test cricket plan
Opinion: Seven questions in the stadium debate no one has answered yet.
Simon Wilson: 10 questions for Simeon Brown
OPINION: Productivity, safety, potholes: will the new transport plan deliver any of them?
The cycleways of Auckland: Why do some cost so much more than others?
Not all cycleways are created equal. Here's what they cost and why.
Simon Wilson: Wayne Brown, the Auckland port and his questionable ‘future fund’
Opinion: The Auckland mayor has a lot of work to do to make his plans for the city stick.
Simon Wilson: The dreams Efeso Collins made real
Don't say he was just getting started: celebrating the long record of Fa’anānā.
Watch: 'Our eternal Valentine' - Wife's heartbreaking tribute to Efeso Collins
Traffic management will be in place around Due Drop Events Centre this afternoon.
Simon Wilson: 'Back on track' with the Daughter of the Mother of All Budgets
OPINION: "Back on track", the National Party says, as we head back to the early 1990s.
Farewell, Efeso Collins - a politician of heart and soul, dead at 49
Simon Wilson reflects on the life and political integrity of Green MP Efeso Collins.
Simon Wilson: The straight talking we really need to hear from Luxon
OPINION: National Party faithful love hearing that other people will be doing it tough.
The inside story of Wellington's subversive 70s theatre group
Introducing the great, romantic tragedy of New Zealand's Red Mole theatre group.
Simon Wilson: Summer stupidity, Nimbys and Simeon Brown
OPINION: Officials, residents and politicians have all said stupid things this summer.
No cycleways, no light rail - Simeon Brown outlines plans for new Auckland harbour crossing
Auckland and Transport Minister Simeon Brown opens up on plans for the big city.
Simon Wilson at Waitangi: A decent chunk of the nation has come together. This is us
OPINION: We came together in great numbers on Waitangi Day. For what?
Simon Wilson: Christopher Luxon’s outrageous Waitangi speech
OPINION: The PM failed to rise to an historic occasion at Waitangi yesterday.
Tension, tolerance and protests greet Govt at Waitangi
Thousands gather to watch the arrival of the Prime Minister and politicians at Waitangi
'Stop selling us out' - tense scenes as Jones fronts up to Govt criticism
300 people slowly approached the marae in silence, holding up white flags.
Simon Wilson: The spirit of Waitangi - unity, righteous anger, jokes and music
OPINION: There's a common purpose at Waitangi this year but the Government isn't here yet.
Rawiri Waititi calls for Māori Parliament amid teasing of NZ First's Peters and Jones
Thousands filled the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to watch the Kīngitanga-led group walk on.
Peeni Henare at Waitangi: 'I lift my gun, I let the shots do the talking'
Fighting talk was the order of the day at Waitangi on Saturday.
Simon Wilson: Meet you on the bridge? Luxon heads to Waitangi
Opinion: The PM heads to Waitangi this weekend needing to take charge of the race debate.
Simon Wilson: Empathy, accountability and abuse in shoplifting accusations
OPINION: Some rules for good behaviour in the bad world of politics.
Simon Wilson: Light rail is dead, but Auckland still needs better transport and revenue reform
OPINION: Light rail is dead but Auckland needs a transport plan and funds to pay for it.
'More sex and violence than a Tarantino movie': A wild expedition cruise full of natural wonders
Giant birds, giant plants and the big crashing sea: welcome to the Subantarctic Islands.