TradeMe lifts two year ban on sales of controversial Kahui book

Shopping website Trade Me has today lifted a ban on sales of Ian Wishart’s critically-acclaimed book on the Kahui case, Breaking Silence.

The ban was imposed in June 2011 at the height of the Facebook boycott campaign against Wishart’s then-upcoming book. TradeMe invited its 2.4 million members to vote on whether sales of the book should be permitted on TradeMe, and of the 5,000 members who bothered to vote, just over 80% supported a ban.

Members who have since tried to sell Breaking Silence on TradeMe have found their auctions de-listed, most recently just last week.

However, after being alerted to a recent precedent-setting defamation judgement in the High Court in the case of Wishart v Murray, TradeMe officials acknowledged a claim from Howling At The Moon Publishing Ltd that the ban was no longer tenable.

TradeMe reviewed their ban in light of both the Wishart v Murray court verdict, and also last year’s verdict from Coroner Garry Evans backing up the key findings of the Breaking Silence book, and agreed to lift the book sale ban from 11am this morning.

The ending of restrictions means TradeMe members can now buy and sell the critically acclaimed book on New Zealand’s biggest auction site.

Author Ian Wishart welcomed the move, and kicked off the new era with a charity auction of Breaking Silence.

“It’s a sensible decision by Trade Me management. More than one large company got swayed by the mob hysteria during the Facebook boycott, but in the wake of the court ruling most are coming to realise that the bans should end.”

Wishart said a massive defamation case against a number of defendants was now underway.