Simon Wilson

So much noise and so much confusion, and yet what a time for hope this is. Hope and hard work, that is, because despite appearances this election is not about gangs and race. New Hopetown post on Substack #nzpol simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/the-age-of...

This 👇

I’m interviewing Nicky Hager about Dirty Work and stuff at an Akl Fabians event, Tues 6pm at Trades Hall on Great North Rd. Register to attend here or watch online www.fabians.org.nz/index.php?op... Here’s my piece in Dirty Work from last month simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/dirty-work...

@publicaddress.bsky.social reminds us what hell the fossil fuels junkie Simeon Browne unleashed upon us before he turned his focus to destroying our health system and lying about the impact of his [in]actions on children undergoing cancer treatment www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener...

simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/politician...

Who remembers this? New Substack post at Hopetown: Politicians and gangs, Tāmaki kids, pay equity and Chloe v Q simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/politician...

“The answer to ‘Where’s the money coming from?’, that neoliberal catchcry raised against every demand to improve the welfare state - not to mention paying for infrastructure or addressing climate change - is pretty obvious. It comes from ending poverty.” A great read from @simonbwilson.bsky.social

This election, the issue of child poverty has been swallowed up by "no new taxes". How did that happen and what should we do about it? New Substack post at Hopetown substack.com/home/post/p-...

New Listener column.

This election, the issue of child poverty has been swallowed up by "no new taxes". How did that happen and what should we do about it? New Substack post at Hopetown substack.com/home/post/p-...

'This culture manifests in many ways: fiscal irresponsibility, crony capitalism, “petromasculinity” (hat tip to George Monbiot for the phrase), climate denial, culture wars, performative nonsense.' @simonbwilson.bsky.social #NzPol

The Prefu’s defective, Opp’s got bottom lines and Luxon’s got “balls”, but Chloe doesn’t know finance? ICYMI my Hopetown post on Substack over the weekend simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/theyre-los...

Next up in the city centre that residents will be interested in for the general elections debate - Foreign Policy - something we haven't heard much about yet. 6.30pm Sat 18 October Ellen Melville Centre MC @simonbwilson.bsky.social

National's culture of not caring + what Luxon's "we've got the balls” really means, Opp's bottom lines, the defective Prefu, super-intelligent Trump and why is everyone losing their shit about Chloe Swarbrick wanting to be finance minister? New Substack post at Hopetown substack.com/home/post/p-...

I love how the world keeps finding ways to say fuck you to Trump while asserting the values of generosity and inclusiveness

My Listener column on rough sleepers, move-on orders and the wonderful Helen Robinson at the Akl City Mission is now online ($) but you can also read it in the magazine in shops this week www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener...

Along with others, I've had a bit to say about Simeon Brown's deranged 2024 Transport GPS. But this is actually shocking. It was altered *after the consultation period* to make the books look better – in a way that wrecks the National Land Transport Fund. www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2026/09/29/t...

How Paris, New York and Tokyo are all moving away from car-centric urban planning

At the heart of Nicky Hager’s book is a tale of how a group of cynical hard-right ideologues made racism a winning political platform, not because they’re white supremacists, but because it suited their interests. My Hopetown post is here #nzpol simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/dirty-work...

At the heart of Nicky Hager’s book is a tale of how a group of cynical hard-right ideologues made racism a winning political platform, not because they’re white supremacists, but because it suited their interests. My Hopetown post is here #nzpol simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/dirty-work...

The best sign in the history of everything.

simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/dirty-work...

“Ruby Tui belted out Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi at Eden Park, and 40,000 fans sang with her. Four months later, Harry Styles sang the first line of the song at his concert in Auckland and the crowd sang the rest back to him. This was who we were. And this is what Jordan Williams set out to destroy.” #nzpol

The new book #DirtyWork by #NickyHager is the story of how Jordan Williams and the Taxpayers' Union orchestrated the use of racism in the 2023 election. Here's my take on what we lost as a result, free to all on my Hopetown substack now simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/dirty-work...

The new book #DirtyWork by #NickyHager is the story of how Jordan Williams and the Taxpayers' Union orchestrated the use of racism in the 2023 election. Here's my take on what we lost as a result, free to all on my Hopetown substack now simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/dirty-work...

This is some super impressive investigative writing

Is it panicky? Yep. Is it the AI companies boosting their own interests at our expense? Yep. But those things don’t mean the threat to humanity isn’t real. Here’s my analysis of the dangers of AI + what it suggests for NZ, at my Hopetown substack now simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/why-arent-...

Techbros, fossil fuels, investment banking and the military: “Thanks to recursive self-improvement, the four horsemen of the apocalypse now ride among us.” My explainer and analysis of the big fuss about AI, up now on Substack at Hopetown simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/why-arent-...

Techbros, fossil fuels, investment banking and the military: “Thanks to recursive self-improvement, the four horsemen of the apocalypse now ride among us.” My explainer and analysis of the big fuss about AI, up now on Substack at Hopetown simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/why-arent-...

Up to speed on recursive self-improvement and exponential growth? Even if it isn't the end of the world, AI demands a lot more attention than we give it in this country. Explainer and analysis: new Substack post at Hopetown up now simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/why-arent-...

Up to speed on recursive self-improvement and exponential growth? Even if it isn't the end of the world, AI demands a lot more attention than we give it in this country. Explainer and analysis: new Substack post at Hopetown up now simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/why-arent-...

Chris Luxon seemed genuinely to recognise the value of better public transport last week, despite everything else his party gets wrong, while Labour remain frozen by its lack of policy. New Hopetown post on Substack up now simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/cheering-t...

Simon Wilson's article is excellent, as always. His question to Quilae Wong is one I would also like an answer to #nzpol

Luxon’s performative “support” for the Paris Accord, the horror of Nepal, the data-centre fightback sweeping America, a question for Qiulae and musical hope on a train. Different ways to look at the climate: my Substack post this weekend #nzpol simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/well-alway...

Horror in Nepal, the astonishing fightback against AI data centres and performative climate action nonsense from Luxon: new Hopetown post on Substack today simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/well-alway...

Horror in Nepal, the astonishing fightback against AI data centres and performative climate action nonsense from Luxon: new Hopetown post on Substack today simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/well-alway...

If you’re a Kiwi, read this. It’s just bloody common sense.

Credit where it’s due. Political leadership of a kind we don’t see so often. My feature in this week’s Listener on Len Brown, channelling Robbie, in his campaign to bring us the CRL. www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener...

Love this article - great insight into the short term thinking that seems to permeate NZ politics right now.

My Listener column on the govt/NZTA’s ridiculous thinking about a new Akl harbour crossing (and the mayor’s own crazy plan), and a much better, cheaper, easier and faster to buildi and more beautiful alternative, is online now www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener...

“No new taxes” means our health system will collapse and public assets will be turned into profit centres for private operators. It’s happening now. New Substack post on the war on Auckland, which is a war on the whole country but in Akl it bites deep simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/the-war-ag...

Go for the politics, stay for the people and absolutely stay for the food! I posted at my substack Hopetown today on the fabulous Ōtaki Summer Camp simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/happy-camp...

Go for the politics, stay for the people and absolutely stay for the food! I posted at my substack Hopetown today on the fabulous Ōtaki Summer Camp simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/happy-camp...

@simonbwilson.bsky.social "I’m not unhappy at the prospect of Opportunity entering parliament, although I really hope it’s Labour they work with. But they might not. If you want a change of government, it’s crazy to vote Opportunity because they are not committed to that."

@simonbwilson.bsky.social on fire. Suggest you subscribe simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/opportunit...

The farcical inability of the National caucus to organise a coup was only one of two very consequential things to happen in our politics this week. The other was the Opportunity Party climbing to 8% in the 1News-Verian poll… new post today at Hopetown simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/opportunit...

Now the coup is dead and the scapegoat has walked the plank (Friday afternoon metaphor mixup!), let’s get back to real politics. Here’s my post from last weekend on why this is the worst govt of my lifetime, and what we can do about it substack.com/@simonbwilso...