Michael Bassett

I enjoyed this book. Although Bassett is a historian he wrote this from a more personal perspective. It is important because its one of the most reflective and detailed 'inside stories' that I have read. Its also a valuable resource in researching and understanding the impact of the 1980s in New Zealand, a period that will almost certainly garner considerable interest from historians over the years. It is difficult not to be partisan in assessing the value and impact of what happened during those years, and although I initially resisted the term I think revolutionary is appropriate.
My only caution is that readers should probably explore other accounts of the period to gain different perspectives on aspects such as the rise of the financial sector (not all healthy for New Zealand), differing assessments of the merits and methods of asset sales (telecommunications for example handed a monopoly to a private operator which has done a lot of damage over the years) and to gain a broader understanding of the benefits and costs of this process of reform which continued after the end of this book.
The family history at the beginning may not be interesting to all readers, but overall the detail, personality assessments and even the photographs make this a good read.… (meer)