A Review of Freedom Village by Sue Grey and Alan Simmons

Review by Aly Cook - 19th Sept, 2025. 

Freedom Village, authored by Sue Grey and Alan Simmons, serves as a significant document for those seeking to understand the inner workings and motivations behind the 2022 parliamentary protest in Wellington, New Zealand. Rather than a detached, academic analysis, the book presents a first-hand account and a collection of essays from a perspective firmly rooted within the protest movement itself. It is less of a journalistic report and more of a narrative crafted by participants, for participants,  for both those who share a similar worldview and for a side of this protest and occupation that the public never saw in media reports. 

The book is structured to provide an insider's view, capturing the sense of community, purpose, and struggle that the authors and other protesters experienced. It delves into the daily life within the 'village' that occupied Parliament grounds, describing the communal kitchens, the shared hardships, and the moments of camaraderie. This approach gives the reader a strong sense of the emotional and social environment of the protest, often highlighting the resilience and unity that the protesters felt in the face of public and institutional opposition. The authors' voice is clear throughout, reflecting their legal and advocacy backgrounds, as they frame the events as a principled stand against what they describe as government overreach and the erosion of fundamental freedoms.

For those aligned with the book's core message, Freedom Village acts as a validation of their beliefs and experiences. It offers a counter-narrative to the mainstream media reports of the time, painting the protest as a peaceful, grassroots, and legitimate expression of dissent. A different perspective without the details was given in media reports. The book's strength, its uncompromised perspective makes it a powerful resource for an audience that was fed a less than honest or balanced, comprehensive historical record by the mainstream narrative and media, who were heavily funded through grants and advertising money during this historic period * see footnote 

In conclusion, Freedom Village is a powerful, self-contained account of a pivotal event in recent New Zealand history, told from the perspective of its participants. It is a work of advocacy as much as it is a memoir, and its value lies in its ability to give voice to a narrative that was marginalized. It will likely resonate deeply with those who were part of the movement and serve as an important primary source for understanding the subjective experience of the protests for years to come.

The book is available on www.freedomvillagebook.com 

*Later after the book was published it would be revealed that New Zealand’s Labour government spent 66 Billion on the Covid response against the advice of the country’s treasury. This was  20.4% of New Zealand Gross domestic product. Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) spent approximately $87.7 million on public information campaigns, Media Support Package: In April 2020, the government announced a separate $50 million package between March 2021 and February 2022, about $35 million was spent specifically on the vaccine campaign.