Episode 163: Siouxsie Wiles

Laura and Harita talk to Dr Siouxsie Wiles, a microbiologist by training and a passionate science communicator with decades of experience working with the media and collaborating with artists, designers, and illustrators. In 2019, she was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to microbiology and science communication. Siouxsie became a household name in New Zealand for her COVID-19 communication work, being named Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year in 2021. But this work also made her a target for harassment, abuse, and death threats, and in 2021, she began legal proceedings against her employer, the University of Auckland, over their lack of support. After a gruelling legal battle that finally ended earlier this year, the Employment Court ruled that the University had breached its contractual obligations to protect Siouxsie’s health and safety, as well as its good employer obligation, by failing to act in good faith, and awarded her $225,000 in costs and damages.