Nigel Raymond Latta (born 1967) is a New Zealand clinical psychologist, author, and broadcaster. 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'', among others. In 2016, Latta co-found Ruckus Films, a production company which produced several award-winning feature documentaries including ''Born This Way: Awa’s Story'' and ''Stan''. In addition to his broadcast work, Latta is a bestselling author and has written eight books. Latta has worked as a consultant in his field for private companies and government social service agencies, including

Department of Corrections In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and su ...

, the New Zealand Police and Child Youth and Family. He was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

in the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, for services as a psychologist.

Personal life

Latta was born and raised in

Oamaru Oamaru (; ) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast; State Highway 1 (New Zealand), Sta ...

, New Zealand. He attended

Waitaki Boys' High School Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The ...

and earned a MSc in marine science at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

. He revealed on ''The Hard Stuff with Nigel Latta'' that he had three stints at university from 1986 to 1995, two at the

in philosophy and zoology, finishing at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in psychology and postgraduate diploma. Latta has two children from his first marriage (1991-2020). He met his current wife in 2018, when they began working together on his Parentland app. They married in 2023. In September 2024, Latta revealed that he had been diagnosed with "inoperable and incurable" terminal cancer, and that he is undergoing chemotherapy that had shrunk the tumour by about 60 percent. Latta was told that he had six to 12 months to live.

Filmography

Publications

* (updated edition) * * * * * *

References

External links

* * * 1967 births Living people New Zealand crime fiction writers University of Otago alumni Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit University of Auckland alumni 20th-century New Zealand psychologists 21st-century New Zealand psychologists People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School {{NewZealand-writer-stub