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.
!["Being brave is the deep breath you take before doing something you’ve never imagined before" - Moana Jackson](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
"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?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
'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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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’](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
'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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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'](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
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](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
'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.
![Why 2023 wasn't as bad as you think - 12 things that made the world better](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Why 2023 wasn't as bad as you think - 12 things that made the world better
Some really good things happened this year. Simon Wilson selects a few.
![Simon Wilson: When Auckland needed him most, where was Wayne?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: When Auckland needed him most, where was Wayne?
OPINION: Five of the top columns of the year from Simon Wilson.
![The heart of everything: Fiordland from the sea](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
The heart of everything: Fiordland from the sea
Cruising in Fiordland is one of this country's great travel experiences.
![Why almost everything we know about road safety has changed](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Why almost everything we know about road safety has changed
Road safety in New Zealand is among the worst in the developed world. Is that okay?
![Simon Wilson: The Toyota Corolla principle of planning](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: The Toyota Corolla principle of planning
OPINION: After the ferry cancellation, how will we plan better infrastructure?
![Simon Wilson: Is the Government trying to start a culture war over te reo Māori?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: Is the Government trying to start a culture war over te reo Māori?
OPINION: Why is the Government so out of touch with its inflammatory te reo policies?
![AT vows to fix 550km of potholed roads, but road deaths forecast from funding cuts](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
AT vows to fix 550km of potholed roads, but road deaths forecast from funding cuts
There'll be a blitz on road maintenance this summer, but safety funding could be cut.
!['Wakey wakey Auckland Council!': Climate group disrupt Auckland Council meeting](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
'Wakey wakey Auckland Council!': Climate group disrupt Auckland Council meeting
The council was accused of not recognising the seriousness of the January floods.
![Simon Wilson: Wayne Brown's big day - will 'radical' budget draft see light of day?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: Wayne Brown's big day - will 'radical' budget draft see light of day?
OPINION: In Auckland's new budget debate, will some councillors just say no to everything?
![Simon Wilson: Parking panic and the oddly obstructive Heart of the City](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: Parking panic and the oddly obstructive Heart of the City
OPINION: Why is there such a desperate campaign to save the underused Downtown car park?
!['Most expensive country in the world': Rail boss slams NZ infrastructure costs](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
'Most expensive country in the world': Rail boss slams NZ infrastructure costs
Industry leader says we need 'a complete reset' to overcome the infrastructure deficit.
![Mayor's new transport plans: Never pay more than $50 a week for buses, trains and ferries](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Mayor's new transport plans: Never pay more than $50 a week for buses, trains and ferries
Mayor Wayne Brown reveals new plans and tough budget cuts for transport in Auckland.
![Aerial cable cars: Is this the fast, affordable transport solution Auckland is waiting for?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Aerial cable cars: Is this the fast, affordable transport solution Auckland is waiting for?
Company behind some of our ski lifts wants to help keep people moving in main centres.
![Auckland Transport defends public transport price hike as 'very light'](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Auckland Transport defends public transport price hike as 'very light'
Bus, train and ferry fares will rise by 6.2 per cent in February next year.
![Simon Wilson: The good and the bad in Govt's 'war on woke'](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: The good and the bad in Govt's 'war on woke'
OPINION: Now it's climate denial, race-baiting, partisan politics and an end to smokefree.
![AT boss on three hour waits at carparks; future of cycleways and bus lanes](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
AT boss on three hour waits at carparks; future of cycleways and bus lanes
Dean Kimpton talks car park mayhem, missing cyclists, tough budgets and customer delight.
![Chaos and abuse in Auckland Council’s Downtown Car Park debate](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Chaos and abuse in Auckland Council’s Downtown Car Park debate
Mayor Wayne Brown locks horns with opponents over the future of a prime waterfront asset.
![Simon Wilson: What Wayne Brown got right - and wrong - about congestion on Auckland roads](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: What Wayne Brown got right - and wrong - about congestion on Auckland roads
OPINION: Wayne Brown's ideas about traffic congestion are good but could be far better.
![Simon Wilson: Ready for the Steven Joyce and Wayne Brown Roadshow?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: Ready for the Steven Joyce and Wayne Brown Roadshow?
OPINION: Some suggestions for the new Government on fixing Auckland, including car parks.
![Simon Wilson: What's the real reason Labour did so little?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: What's the real reason Labour did so little?
OPINION: Was Labour scared of what would happen if it achieved more in Government?
![The snow globe of Gustav Klimt: It ended with a kiss](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
The snow globe of Gustav Klimt: It ended with a kiss
A snow globe is not a work of art, or is it?
![Simon Wilson: Welcome to Auckland - it’s not what you may have thought](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: Welcome to Auckland - it’s not what you may have thought
OPINION: The election has thrown some new realities of Auckland into sharp relief.
![Simon Wilson: The Labour collapse - fit for the war but not for the peace](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: The Labour collapse - fit for the war but not for the peace
OPINION: Labour won the pandemic war, but did not know how to win the peace that followed.
![Auckland port’s boss tells councillors of 'premium import' future](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Auckland port’s boss tells councillors of 'premium import' future
Port of Auckland wants to be the "premium" port but it won't be halving its emissions.
![Simon Wilson: Political panic and the co-governance debate](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: Political panic and the co-governance debate
OPINION: Co-governance doesn't work the way fear-mongering politicians want us to believe.
![Wayne’s world: Simon Wilson and Bernard Orsman rate Mayor Brown’s first year](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Wayne’s world: Simon Wilson and Bernard Orsman rate Mayor Brown’s first year
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown gets an annual ratecard from Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson.
!['It’s like watching a fight between Voldemort and a Dalek': Nats and Act face-off in Auckland](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
'It’s like watching a fight between Voldemort and a Dalek': Nats and Act face-off in Auckland
At Epsom and Tāmaki election debates centre-right MPs are arguing for lower house prices.
![Simon Wilson: The parties of the right are selling farmers short](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: The parties of the right are selling farmers short
OPINION: The best way to help the rural sector is to green the rural economy, fast.
![Simon Wilson: 5 takeaways from the big climate change and business conference](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson: 5 takeaways from the big climate change and business conference
When it comes to climate action, will we become the little country that could?
!['Are you high right now?': The bar room debate for Auckland Central](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
'Are you high right now?': The bar room debate for Auckland Central
"Are you stoned right now?" Auckland Central candidates go head to head on Karangahape Rd.
![Simon Wilson on the political contest of style, substance and saving lives](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Simon Wilson on the political contest of style, substance and saving lives
OPINION: From Viaduct lunches to saving lives, this election has it all.
![Trams, plans and parking fines: Wayne Brown has some new ideas for Auckland](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Trams, plans and parking fines: Wayne Brown has some new ideas for Auckland
In an exclusive interview, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown unveils some new plans for the city.