Brent Simpson

Ko wai au?

Who am I?

I'm Brent Simpson. I'm an educator, technologist, and communicator, based on Waiheke Island.

For thirty years I've been turning up early to technologies that matter, and helping people make sense of them before the hype cycle hits. I built some of the first websites in the early nineties, and I was running blogs and wikis inside universities before most institutions knew what they were. I suggested podcasting at my community radio station before the word had really landed. I've been working with AI in classrooms since most schools were still debating whether to mention it in their policy documents.

I'm not a specialist in one area. I compose solutions that draw on instructional design, web development, media production, AI integration, and a genuine commitment to working across cultural and linguistic diversity — backed by thirty years of doing it for real organisations in real contexts.

My background is primarily in education and tertiary institutions — but the problems I'm good at solving show up in NGOs, community organisations, and businesses too.

Taku mahi

My work

I've spent thirty years at the intersection of education, technology, and communication. The work that interests me most tends to live where those things overlap — where an organisation needs someone who can think across the whole problem rather than just one corner of it.

Some of the things I'm particularly good at:

Making sense of AI for real organisations.: Not the hype, not the fear — the practical reality of what these tools can and can't do, and how to use them thoughtfully in educational and organisational contexts.
Turning expertise into learning.: Designing courses, programmes, and resources that people actually engage with — whether that's online, in person, or somewhere in between.
Building digital things that work.: Websites, tools, media infrastructure. I've been building for the web since the early nineties and I still find it interesting.
Media and podcast production.: From concept to ongoing presence. I understand community media from the inside — I've lived it on Waiheke for years.
Bilingual and bicultural communication.: Working in English and te reo Māori, alongside Māori cultural leads, for organisations doing genuine bicultural work. I am Pākehā. I don't offer cultural advisory — I collaborate with people who do.
Curriculum and learning design.: Pedagogically sound, actually teachable. Designed for the NZ Curriculum and NCEA contexts I've worked in for over a decade.
Social media and communications strategy.: A coherent voice across platforms. Strategy first, content second.

Ngā pūkenga

Skills

The real value isn't in any single capability — it's in what happens when they combine. Here are some of the ways organisations have found that useful:

The AI Transition Partner

A school, iwi, or NGO needs to navigate AI — ethically, practically, and in a bicultural context. I bring AI integration, instructional design, and bilingual capability together in a single engagement, without the cost of three separate consultants.

The Community Media Studio

A marae, school, or community organisation wants to build a podcast or radio presence. I can handle production, training, web infrastructure, and social strategy — end to end, from concept to ongoing presence.

The Digital Learning Package

A business or NGO needs staff training that lives online. I design the course, build the LMS, create the content, and help promote it — start to finish.

The Bicultural Digital Presence

An organisation wants thoughtful bilingual content across their website and communications — not a translation job, but genuinely readable te reo Māori alongside strong English. I bring the language and digital skills; I work alongside your Māori cultural leads.

Whakatauira

Examples

Kohinga Kupu · kohingakupu.nz

A te reo Māori vocabulary tool I designed and built — find words by topic rather than looking them up one at a time. A small example of what happens when language commitment meets web development.
Waiheke Radio · waihekeradio.org.nz

I'm a trustee, web developer, trainer, and show presenter at Waiheke's community radio station. I wrote my MA thesis on it. I suggested we start podcasting before most people knew what podcasting was.
SXSW Interactive 1999 — Best Educational Site · University of Texas at Austin

The Texas Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT), which I led the design of at the University of Texas at Austin. Recognised at South by Southwest before most people had heard of South by Southwest.

Whakapā

Get in touch

If something here sounds like what you need, I'd like to hear about it.

I'm based on Waiheke Island, Auckland. I work with organisations across New Zealand.

Email: smpbrent@gmail.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brentasimpson

I'm currently moving toward project-based work alongside teaching. I'm selective about what I take on — which means I give full attention to what I do take on.