Dr Siouxsie’s cringeworthy crowdfunded cry for cash
Most Kiwis will have heard of Dr Siouxsie Wiles, the pink-haired microbiologist weirdo turned propagandist who helped make “flatten the curve” a household catchphrase during the pandemic. Her latest PledgeMe campaign exposes something far less admirable - an embarrassing grift disguised as a plea for support.
Titled Support Dr Siouxsie After She Supported Us, the crowdfunding pitch paints a picture of a beleaguered scientist, fighting against harassment, death threats, and an uncaring university. And while no one should trivialise threats of violence, it is impossible to ignore the timing and framing here. Wiles is asking ordinary New Zealanders to fund what is essentially her personal legal tab, a staggering $400,000, after she was already paid handsomely by the Ardern regime to broadcast pandemic propaganda. Over $100,000 has already been pledged to this campaign, underscoring the appetite of some for supporting what is ultimately a personal windfall.
The campaign reads more like a glossy self-help memoir than a legitimate call for help. It details every stressful moment of her four-year legal saga with the University of Auckland, every dollar spent, and every sleepless night endured. Despite being awarded over $225,000 in costs and damages, Wiles claims she is “out of pocket” and needs the public to bail her out. This is where the narrative strains credibility - when you were paid to inform and influence the nation, and when your work was lauded and publicly funded, the idea of turning to crowdfunding smacks of opportunism.
Then there are the “rewards” for pledgers, an invitation to celebrate the microbes in their belly buttons. Cute, perhaps, but utterly trivial when set against the backdrop of a nation facing housing crises, rising cost-of-living pressures, and a healthcare system in disarray. It reads as performative rather than necessary: a gimmick to sweeten the ask and distract from the fact that this is largely a vanity project.
What makes this campaign truly galling is the underlying hypocrisy. While Wiles was spreading pandemic messaging paid for by the state, she routinely amplified fear and misinformation. Ordinary Kiwis were forced to comply, lockdown, and trust her guidance, all while she now turns to those same people to settle her personal finances. It is a shameless self-promotion exercise masquerading as a noble appeal for support.
In short, this is not a scientist in need. It is a marketing exercise in personal branding, dressed up as a crowdfunding campaign. Dr Siouxsie Wiles may have been a household name once, but this latest stunt does little to earn her the trust of the public who funded her prominence in the first place.
Science should inform and enlighten. This campaign does neither. It panders, it preys, and above all, it embarrasses.
