New Zealand to many is 'Middle Earth', home of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but it was also the last major land mass on the planet to be settled by humans. The country was catapulted kicking and screaming from the stone age to the space age within 200 years of Captain Cook setting foot there... Who really got to New Zealand first? Which version of the Treaty of Waitangi is the most accurate? What impact did a massive asteroid strike in the 15th century have on human settlement in the South Pacific? IT'S A STORY THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU The biggest known earthquake-caused tsunami can create 60 metre walls of water - around six times larger than the Japan tsunami. This New Zealand one created by what is now known as the Mahuika comet strike - after the Maori god of fire - was what scientists call a "mega-tsunami," 220 metres tall, 22 times higher than the Japanese tsunami, as it thundered up the South Island's east coast. Waves that high have been known to penetrate up to 45km inland in other parts of the world. To put this in perspective, if you were dining in the revolving restaurant at Auckland's Sky Tower, 190 metres off the ground, you would still be 30 metres (100ft) underwater. A STORY TOLD WITH HUMOUR: When dawn broke the following morning, more canoes pulled alongside and translator Tupaea remarked to Cook the overnight guests were yelling over the rails to their friends, "It's OK to come on board, the white men don't eat people " "From which," Cook wryly and cautiously noted in his journal, "it should seem that these people have such a Custom among them." IN THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO WERE THERE: "About dinner time three canoes came alongside of much the most simple construction of any we have seen, being no more than the trunks of trees hollowed out by fire without the least carving or even the addition of a washboard on their gunnels. "The people in them were almost naked and blacker than any we had seen - only 21 in all - yet these few despicable gentry sang their song of defiance and promised us as heartily as the most respectable of their countrymen that they would kill us all." A STORY OF MISPLACED TRUST: Turning to Lieutenant Roux, du Fresne added: "How can you expect me to have a bad opinion of a people who show me so much friendship? As I only do good to them, assuredly they will do me no evil." AND THE CLASH OF CULTURES: By seven pm, word came through from the ships that "a great many more canoes, full of natives, had landed on the island." This was an all-out war involving, on one side, a battalion-strength team of Maori warriors drawn apparently from numerous tribes (about as many warriors as the current New Zealand Army can comfortably muster for any single military tour at the moment), and on the other 50 armed Frenchmen, most of them sailors. One side, of course, had gunpowder. The other side desperately wanted gunpowder. AND LESSONS LEARNED THE HARD WAY: Northland Maori in particular were beginning to amass quite a collection of captured weaponry, from the tempered steel of cutlasses and swords to the power of the mighty musket. The cardinal rule - never bang a casket of gunpowder - had been tested and learnt by the Ngati Uru of Whangaroa - and Maoridom's inevitable catch-up with European technology and power was well underway. There was, however, an even more potent force sailing over the horizon: missionaries. IN SHORT, IT'S OUR STORY...a story of migrants, the people they met, the future they forged.

In Our Stories, author and journalist Ian Wishart brings out the most fascinating forgotten tales of our past, told through the eyes of the people who were there. Read about the tsunamis that washed away the homes and lives of our early European immigrants, or the earthquakes that toppled Christchurch buildings more than a century ago and lifted Wellington out of the sea. Read the real story about the search for gold, or the visiting circuses whose lions and leopards escaped, or the dinosaur found on a Taranaki riverbank (it's still there because it was too big to move ) Discover the heroes and villains of our past through long forgotten news stories from New Zealand, the USA, UK and Australia, and find out how life really was in pioneer days. These, and many more, are our stories...

The battle for control of your life: the rise of democratic totalitarianism For the first time in history, governments are on the brink of being able to totally control your life. This is where The Truman Show meets The Omen. Be very afraid The story of human history has always been one of power and control. From Alexander the Great through the massive Roman Empire, and even Adolf Hitler's global imperial plans, leaders have repeatedly lunged at the opportunity to take control of as much of the planet as they could hold by force. They say that those who don't learn from the mistakes of history are condemned to repeat them. A new generation of intelligent totalitariacrats have no intention of repeating past errors. Using state of the art technology, and state of the art bureaucracy, the new totalitariacrats have realised that if they wrap people up in enough red tape, fuelled by social manipulation and carefully engineered crises, they can seize control incrementally. In this must read book, investigative journalist and #1 bestselling author Ian Wishart reveals just how close they now are to achieving their goal of a new, globalist empire, and how they've 'educated' the public to not just accept it, but beg for it. This is not a battle between Left and Right. This is a battle between Citizens and the State... They say turkeys won't vote for an early Christmas. The evidence strongly suggests otherwise...

In 1989, two young Swedish tourists, 21 year old Heidi Paakkonen and 23 year old Urban Hoglin disappeared into thin air during their dream holiday in New Zealand. Missing Pieces retraces their steps as investigative journalist and bestselling author Ian Wishart unravels the story in the first-ever book published about this enduring murder mystery. Was convicted killer and sex offender David Tamihere really responsible for their deaths, or was he a quick and easy solution to a difficult and politically-charged case that captured headlines across Australia, New Zealand and Sweden? Discover the new evidence for yourself in this gripping page-turner.

The most controversial book on family violence published this year, BREAKING SILENCE was initially banned from major book chains after a 50,000 strong Facebook boycott campaign ripped across New Zealand, Australia, the United States and the UK protesting its publication.The boycott campaign had been based on false information, however, and designed to deliberately whip up public hysteria during a Coroner's Court hearing into the deaths of two twins. Now that the book has been published the critics are praising it.Breaking Silence uses the life story of mother Macsyna King as the narrative to explore the problem of intergenerational child abuse and its impact on modern society. Herself the victim of terrible abuse and abandonment as a child, King's life falls apart when her premature identical twin sons are murdered and the father is charged with the crime.Although we frequently hear "about" such cases, it is rare to hear "from" one of the key participants in her own words. Breaking Silence is the story of a mother's journey to hell and back, and the search for justice for her twins in the face of a backlash from a society that turned its back on her. It explores and sheds light not just on child abuse and violence in the home, but analyses society's attitude to women in child abuse cases.The latest forensic debates about child abuse injuries are explored, as are the social choices many of us face every day that can lead to disaster.REVIEWS: "This mammoth book is a top achievement & should be a school text.." - Rachael Ford, psychiatric nurse*****"The book so many maligned before it came out reveals a mother we haven't met. When I last wrote about Macsyna King, I said I didn't think I'd like her. I've changed my mind. I certainly think she outclasses the Wellington radio announcer who posted on Facebook that after receiving her advance copy of "Breaking Silence," she had "spat on it, wiped my ass on it, and ripped it up.""Imagine your life reduced to sound bites of everything you've ever done wrong -and many things you haven't."Oh, how we've loved to hate her. But the woman who emerges from the book is a far more complex human being. There isn't the space here to list the ways in which she's been unfairly maligned. Yes, she made incredibly dumb choices. But she's smart, hard-working, big on cleanliness and loved her kids." - Tapu Misa, NZ HERALD*****"I feel sad that we seem to have entered a time in society where for many it is acceptable to attempt to ban the sale of a book before knowing its contents and I wonder at the motives of those who have joined efforts to stop bookstores stocking it. Could it be we have reached a point where to make ourselves feel better we have to find someone to hate, to direct our fear and uncertainty about the future of our world towards, and that for now, at least, Macsyna King is that person? Could it be that underlying the public discussions about the need to stop the book being read is a deep-seated fear that reading it will in some way leave us all with the question of what part we as members of society played in the death of these babies? Not in the sense of "Who was in the room?" but in "Have we really reached this level of disconnection in our communities?""Ian Wishart's Breaking Silence: The Kahui Case...is not a book to ban, but one to read for whatever it can add to our understanding of child abuse." - Celia Lashlie, NZ LISTENER MAGAZINE *****"We are very glad to have read it and thankful that Wishart (and King) have written it. Wishart has done the entire body politic a great deal of good. We would, accordingly, encourage everyone to read it...Breaking Silence will likely enhance Wishart's reputation considerably." - CONTRA CELSUM

IF YOU STILL HAVE A HEARTBEAT, THIS BOOK IS DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO YOU Vitamin D is the hottest development in medical science, and in this compelling new book, award-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author Ian Wishart brings together the most up to date science on vitamin D and how it could well save your life. Cancer? Up to a 77% reduction in risk of developing it if you take this vitamin. Heart disease? The same kind of reduction. Did you know that autism, mental illness and multiple sclerosis all appear to be caused by a lack of vitamin D during pregnancy? Did you know that ADHD and asthma appear to result from that same deficiency? The lives of every single person, including you, will be affected by the information in this book. With more than 300 scientific trials and studies cited, this book is a reference guide not just for the general reader but for medical professionals alike. CONDITIONS COVERED: Asthma, Autism, Allergies, Alzheimer's, Breast Cancer, Bowel Cancer, Skin Cancer, Melanoma, Heart Disease, Stroke, Colds, Flu Pandemics, Crohn's Disease, Mental Illness, Diabetes, Tuberculosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Depression, ADHD, Pregnancy, Infertility, Hospital Superbugs and more...

Award-winning investigative journalist Wishart breaks open the global warming debate into easily understood chapters that first explain the latest scientific discoveries, and then explain the agenda behind the climate scare.

Helen Clark has become one of the most powerful women in the world, rising as head of the UN Development Program to the number-three ranked position in that organisation, and a serious candidate as the replacement for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. So what drives Helen Clark? In this #1 bestselling unauthorised biography, investigative journalist and author Ian Wishart unearths the real Clark, the one who turned around her own nation New Zealand but always had her gaze fixed on a higher goal. Does she have a lust for absolute power? What's her vision for the planet? These questions and more are answered in Absolute Power.

Air Con is the new #1 bestseller from international award-winning investigative journalist Ian Wishart, breaking open the global warming debate into easily understood chapters that first explain the latest scientific discoveries and then explain the agenda behind the climate scare. Skeptical environmentalist recently described the groups pushing for action on global warming as "the climate industrial complex," and Wishart's investigations back that up - big business and big Green stand to make billions from climate change by sucking taxes and fees from ordinary householders in the biggest transfer of wealth in world history. FROM THE BACK COVER: What you are about to read is the most up to date and easy to understand write-up on the global warming debate, and arguably the most important new book you'll read this year. That's because proposed new carbon cuts to be finalised this December are expected to eventually cost each household thousands in extra taxes and fees every year This is your money - don't you want to be sure the problem is real? Whether you currently believe global warming is caused by humans, or whether you have nagging doubts, you'll find Air Con is a compelling read.. EARLY REVIEW COMMENTS: "I started reading this book with an intensely critical eye, expecting that a mere journalist could not possibly cope with the complexities of climate science.. But] the book is brilliant. The best I have seen which deals with the news item side of it as well as the science. He has done a very thorough job and I have no hesitation in unreserved commendation." - Dr Vincent Gray, UN IPCC expert reviewer "Wishart delves into the science and statistics of anthropogenic climate change, only to discover the not-so-hidden agenda underlying the global warming scare. Air Con is a thorough summary of the current state of the debate, the science and the politics; it will be an important reference in any AGW skeptic's arsenal." - Vox Day, columnist, WorldNetDaily "Air Con demonstrates, with hundreds of scientific references, that 'global warming' was not, is not and will not be a global crisis...The 'global warming' debate is not really a debate about climatology - it is a debate about freedom...I commend this timely book, which makes the scientific arguments comprehensible to the layman." - Christopher Monckton, Viscount of Brenchley, former adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

Imagine if one day, a la 'The Truman Show', you woke up to find that everything you believed was the result of a careful manipulation of your life by someone else? What if much of what you believed was a lie? Well, for you, that day has arrived. In an age dominated by 'Spin', you're about to discover that the best spin campaigns of all are the ones you never even knew about. In the most politically incorrect book ever published in this country, journalist Ian Wishart rounds up a herd of sacred cows, skewering the social engineers and exposing the elites who want your taxes and your children while they laugh all the way to the bank like perverse Pied Pipers... Eve's Bite: Read it before they pass a law against it... WHAT THE CRITICS SAID: "Wishart is not afraid in the choice of his subjects: Karl Marx, Nazi propaganda techniques, Charles Darwin & intelligent design, Richard Dawkins, the gay rights movement, the "safe sex" campaign, abortion & trade in body parts, the anti-smacking campaign, liberal education, the mainstream media eugenics and islam and the threat to the west. He managed to bring them all together and identifies the relationships between them in a more than just compelling way. Having enjoyed a rather liberal approach to life and society this book was most certainly an eye-opener that made me rethink certain positions. "The direct way in which propositions are presented helps in creating effect. Not necessarily to convince you. But to open your eyes to other perspectives so carefully hidden. The book reminds me most of one of Michael Pokocky's remarks after closing SophisticaWorld: "think for yourself." As far as I can see it is what this book is all about: thinking for yourself and trying to make you think for yourself again. For the sake of yourselves and your children." - John Dierckx, The Renaissance Man "Wishart has taken his time compiling a frighteningly well-researched book. "His study calls to account some of the less-than-savoury elements of not just New Zealand but the entire Western world's increasingly liberal morals and politics. He covers abortion, teenage sexual education, the impact of radical Islam at our doorstep, homosexuality, genetic testing and more. "One of his concerns is the Government's use of state education to nurture and encourage tolerance of some of the abovementioned topics. He also muses whether today's sexual freedom is actually as liberating as one might think. Perhaps muse is not the right word; before you get ready to write him off as one man with bigoted opinions, take the time to digest the facts he presents. "His research is deep and thorough. How many times has anyone caught themselves before making a comment in public that may be construed as racist, sexist, conservative or homophobic? There is an apparent undercurrent of fear in this country but Wishart dares to speak out and speak loudly. "As a fairly liberal thinker myself (apparently this is to be expected as I am a Gen-Xer who has gone through the aforementioned education system), I was shocked to find myself not only agreeing with a lot of what Wishart says, but felt a new sense of awakening - the fire in the belly sort of stuff - protesting, opining and the rest. I have been compelled to mention this book at every social occasion I have been to recently because Eve's Bite is so deliciously full of juicy conversation starters." - Times-Age, NZ

This is not just another 'God' book. This is the definitive slap-down, slam-dunk, no-holds-barred prize title fight between the Divine and Richard Dawkins. Take a ringside seat as investigative journalist Ian Wishart presents the explosive scientific and historical evidence of a divinity code - an "inconvenient truth" that Dawkins and others have no credible explanation for, evidence that is turning both science and religion on their heads. Is there a rational explanation for the existence of the Universe, given the latest data? How did life arise? What about the evolution/intelligent design controversy? Aren't all religions equal? Did Jesus Christ even exist? Written in Wishart's acclaimed page-turner style, The Divinity Code is punchy, informative and easy to read... Watch as one of the country's hardest-hitting journalists turns his guns on a Zoologist (Dawkins), a Bishop (John Spong), a fellow journalist (Christopher Hitchens) and a former nun (Karen Armstrong), this is the ultimate shoot-out of the 'God' books...

From the author of two #1 bestsellers - The Paradise Conspiracy and Lawyers, Guns & Money - comes the final piece of the jigsaw... In the eighties and nineties, a small coterie of business tycoons stumbled on an incredible get-rich-quick scheme, using dodgy tax havens, fake documents and political connections that reached all the way to the top. Why did politicians interfere in criminal investigations? Who authorised covert surveillance of a rising political star threatening to expose corruption? Why did a director of state-owned TV New Zealand resign in a scandal? Were bribes paid to prevent an inquiry into the billion dollar BNZ collapse? Is there evidence that the Winebox Royal Commission of Inquiry's anti-corruption investigation became 'compromised'?