Introduction

Hi,

I am Joe Hendren. I grew up in Christchurch and have been living in Auckland since 2006.

I write about New Zealand and international politics, with particular interests in political economy, history, philosophy, transport, and workers' rights. I also think war is very overrated.

A couple of years ago, I completed a PhD at the University of Auckland that examined the impact of civil society groups on economic debates in New Zealand. I have over 20 years of experience as a researcher, including work in the New Zealand Parliament, for trade unions, and on various research projects.

I have published articles in magazines such as Foreign Control Watchdog, Peace Researcher, and The Commonweal (NZ). Some older articles are available on my ResearchGate page.

Writing has always been something I’ve done, even if it sometimes feels like a constant battle with my perfectionistic hangups! This has included using a few platforms over the years, such as LiveJournal (early 2000s), Blogspot (2004-2010), and Twitter (2017+). Lately, I’ve felt less at home on Twitter, constantly battling the character limit as my posts turn into mini-threads. I feel like I have more to say.

I thought I’d give Substack a try for a few reasons. I find myself at a potential crossroads in my career. While I love the academic environment and teaching, the mass casualization of the workforce at universities has made this a challenging environment for a single dad with two boys.

I’ve wondered if I could earn a bit as a writer. I can certainly do the introverted bit, but I also know I gain energy from discussion and hearing the ideas of others. A bit of a contradiction, perhaps. To badly apply it to German philosophy, introversion might be the thesis, extroversion the antithesis, but I’m left wondering where the hell the synthesis got to.

Outside of universities, there don’t seem to be many avenues to discuss ideas in Auckland, and even the universities have their limitations in this regard.

I think this reflects a wider problem. I sometimes feel like people don’t know how to discuss ideas anymore, and those of us who enjoy doing so end up feeling lonely. Even meetings on political topics are often dominated by those who feel more comfortable addressing matters of process and personal character, and this is often how questions requiring content are deflected. In many cases, “I don’t know” or “I am not sure” would be more productive. I would also note that such deflections can maintain political stasis, at a time when the status quo is no longer working for an increasing number of people.

To be honest, I’m still finding my way around this platform, and I’m not sure when or how to take the leap to “paid.” I welcome input and advice from those who have been around here a bit longer.