Somehow, somewhere, parenting has become far too complicated and serious. Battlefield Wisdom is the perfect antidote. Somehow, somewhere, parenting has become far too complicated and serious. BAttLEFIELD WISDOM is the perfect antidote.As a gift for newbie parents, or a soothing balm for the bumps and bruises of the seasoned veteran, this handy little pocket-sized book is for all those who've been worn down by the dreary, politically correct, guilt-inducing Dr Fudgebuffers telling us all what a rotten job we're doing. Bestselling author and clinical psychologist Nigel Latta takes you on an entertaining, irreverent, and utterly unapologetic ride through the realities of parenting in this brave new child-centred world. Be warned - this is not a book for the weak-kneed. You'll find pearls of wisdom on everything from the horrors of bath poo to what we can learn about parenting from cannibals, and even tips on how to give your children away (not all of them, just enough to make an example to the rest). If they still burned people at the stake for heresy, right now someone would be looking for a match.
Nigel Raymond Latta ONZM was a New Zealand clinical psychologist, author and broadcaster. He has been described as "New Zealand's best-known psychologist".
Nigel Raymond Latta was born and raised in Oamaru, New Zealand. He attended Waitaki Boys' High School & he studied Marine Science and Zoology at the University of Otago, and completed a Master of Philosophy with First Class Honours in Psychology at the University of Auckland, along with a postgraduate diploma in clinical psychology.
Latta worked as a consultant in his field for private companies and government social service agencies, including Department of Corrections, the New Zealand Police and Child Youth and Family.
In the 2010s, he became known for his true crime documentaries and psychology-based television series, as the host of Beyond The Darklands, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Teenagers and The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show, and a science show called Nigel Latta Blows Stuff Up, among others. In 2016, Latta co-found Ruckus Films, a production company which produced several feature documentaries including Born This Way: Awa’s Story and Stan. He also began presenting general interest television shows, such as The Hard Stuff with Nigel Latta, which approached social and political issues,and You've Been Scammed by Nigel Latta which examines common types of scams.
Latta was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, for services to psychology.
In September 2024, Latta revealed that he had been diagnosed with "inoperable and incurable" terminal stomach cancer, and that he was undergoing chemotherapy that had shrunk the tumour by about 60 percent. Latta was told that he had 6 to 12 months to live. In February 2025, the prognosis was reduced to four weeks after a scan indicated that the cancer had spread to his lungs. However, Latta later said that, because of the treatment he was receiving, he believed he would continue to live for "years and years". In March 2025, he stated that he was no longer terminally ill. Latta died on 30 September 2025, at the age of 58 at the Mercy Hospice in Ponsonby, Auckland.
Abridged from Wikipedia, information about his death from the Stuff website.