Paul Jesson of Christchurch was the first New Zealand cyclist to win a stage on a "Grand Tour" - Stage 10 of La Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) in May, 1980. Two weeks later, just before he was to ride the Tour de France for a second time, the 25-year-old suffered a horrific crash, requiring amputation of his left leg at the knee. In 1998 he won two gold medals at the Paralympic world championships in Colorado Springs. At the Athens Paralympic Games in 2004 he won a a bronze medal in the combined road race and individual time trial. This is a story of human spirit conquering the worst that life can dish out. The Paul Jesson Story.
The New Zealand political scene has undergone some major changes in the 1980s. Traditional allegiances have been disrupted and there has been a wide-spread revival of right-wing politics. This book explores the origins of the 'new right' and examines its three major strands: economic, social and moral.
Biography of Alan Gibbs, one of New Zealand's most influential and controversial businessmen and Aquada amphibious car developer. When Sir Richard Branson drove the Aquada high speed amphibious car across the English Channel it was a watershed moment. At last, had the holy grail of amphibious transport been achieved? The developer of the car, New Zealander Alan Gibbs, has since gone on to unveil a range of amphibious vehicles, including the Quadski, Humdinga and Phibian. Businessman, inventor, merchant banker, philanthropist, art collector, adventurer and inveterate traveller, Gibbs’ life has been far from ordinary. The one-time socialist became a very active participant and free-market champion when New Zealand’s economy was transformed in the mid to late 1980s. These days he is also focussed on developing Gibbs Farm, his remarkable sculpture park on the Kaipara Harbour, in New Zealand. The Farm, which has works by Richard Serra, Bernar Venet, Anish Kapoor, Tony Oursler and Andy Goldsworthy, among others, is of international stature. Gibbs lives in London and has factories in the UK, Detroit and New Zealand. It’s a life, as biographer Paul Goldsmith engagingly conveys, that’s been a lot of serious fun.
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