Sixty Years of Business
Limited edition
Sixty Years of Business
Sixty Years of Business is the story of NBR, written by Dr Poppie Johnson.
The deals. The collapses. The people who built the economy. Recorded as it happened, by the reporters who broke the stories.
Final specification, including extent and binding, will be confirmed before print. Cover imagery shown is representative only and the finished cover may differ.
You are reserving a copy, not buying one in stock.
The book publishes on 26 August 2030, NBR's 60th anniversary.
You can cancel any time before dispatch, for any reason, for a full refund including shipping.
If we have not reached enough reservations by 1 February 2027, the book will not proceed and everyone is refunded in full.
You are not just waiting
The book is years in the making. Reserve a copy and you see it being made.
Dispatches from the research
As the research turns things up, copy-holders see it first. Documents from the archive. Photographs nobody has published. Interviews nobody has read.
Reserve early, lower number
Copies are numbered in the order reserved, so the earlier you reserve the lower your number. We confirm your number when the book ships.
The launch, 26 August 2030
The book is released on NBR's sixtieth anniversary, with the journalists who made it in the room. Copy-holders hear the plans first.
The people behind the stories
Anyone could write a history of NBR. This is the part only NBR can tell: what it took to keep printing.
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1970
Started by a group one founder calls 'wrong-side-of-the-tracks young troublemakers'. Henry Newrick was 23. He refused the advertorial model of the day and posted advertisers' puff pieces back to them.
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The first issue
The lead story asked which companies were manoeuvring to run a second television channel. The centre spread was a long interview with Robert Muldoon, then leader of the opposition.
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The first year
By the end of 1970 the paper had sold 900 copies in total and was nearly out of money.
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The writs
Millions of dollars in defamation writs across eighteen years. Under $10,000 ever paid out.
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The Rich List
In 1997 a tribunal ruled that naming the country's wealthiest was news, not a breach of privacy. Five years later the List named Graeme Hart New Zealand's first billionaire.
We managed to push through and create careers for a lot of really able people ... and many of those people are still around the media today.
Hugh Rennie QC, a founder
Who is writing it
From the archive
Six decades of reporting, and the material behind it.
Before you reserve
When will I get the book?
Sixty Years of Business publishes on 26 August 2030, NBR's sixtieth anniversary. Copies are dispatched after publication.
You are reserving one of 1500 numbered copies and paying at the time of reservation.
You can cancel at any point before dispatch, for any reason, and get every cent back including shipping. That right stands for the whole period.
Has the book been written yet?
No. Poppie Johnson is writing it, and it will be published to mark the anniversary in 2030.
That is why we describe this as a reservation rather than a purchase. You are securing a numbered copy of the print run, not buying stock we are holding in a warehouse.
What happens if it doesn't go ahead?
The book proceeds only if enough copies are reserved by 1 February 2027.
If we do not reach that point, the project does not go ahead and every reservation is refunded in full, automatically. You will not need to ask.
Can I change my mind?
Any time before your copy is dispatched. Email customerservices@nbr.co.nz with your order number, and we will refund you in full including shipping. No explanation required.
After delivery we do not accept change-of-mind returns, because each copy is numbered and produced to order.
What if my address changes before 2030?
Tell us at customerservices@nbr.co.nz and we will update your reservation. We will also contact you before dispatch to confirm where the book is going.
What does shipping cost?
$10 within New Zealand, $33 international. Charged when you reserve.
If our shipping costs rise before 2030, we absorb the difference. You will not be asked for more.
International customers are responsible for any import duties or customs charges in the destination country.
What will the book actually be like?
Final specification, including extent and binding, is confirmed before print. If anything material changes from what is described when you reserved, we will tell you, and you can cancel for a full refund.
What if it arrives damaged?
Contact us within 30 days of delivery and we will replace it or refund you in full, including return shipping.
Nothing in our policies limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986.
