Tributes to psychologist and broadcaster Nigel Latta, who died after a battle with cancer yesterday, have steadily flowed in.
Latta’s death was confirmed through a post on his Facebook page this morning, which said he died “with the same dignity and positivity that he carried through life”.
The 58-year-old had been battling stomach cancer since 2024.
Since the announcement, Kiwis across the country have offered their condolences to Latta’s family, as well as paying tribute to him.
In the post announcing he had died, Latta’s wife Natalie Flynn said: “You were never dying, just living until the moment you weren’t. You fought cancer with enormous bravery. You’ve spent your life helping others in need. And now it’s your turn to rest.”
In a post to X, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Latta’s death.
“Like so many Kiwis, Amanda and I read his books on parenting when our kids were younger.
“He had a remarkable ability to connect with people through his writing and broadcasting with empathy, humour, and insight.
“Our thoughts are with his family and all who knew and loved him.”
Gut Cancer Foundation, which had previously said Latta’s decision to reveal his diagnosis would help some patients feel less alone, called Latta’s approach to his illness “inspirational.
“Spending any time with Nigel you were struck by positivity and enthusiasm for life, none of which were diminished by his diagnosis.
“Nigel’s approach to his illness was inspirational. He spoke passionately about resilience and remaining positive in spite of the challenges he faced, and remained incredibly generous with his time and energy, supporting GCF and others even whilst going through treatment.
“Nigel was a true advocate for our community and friend to GCF. Our thoughts are with Natalie and Nigel’s family.”
Family spokesperson Bridgette Tapsell told RNZ: “You’ve never seen anyone fight as hard as Nigel fought.
“But he pivoted from being really optimistic last Wednesday to just being accepting, which would be incredibly difficult to do. He said he had had the most wonderful life. He was happy and he was at peace.”
See more on TVNZ+: Psychologist Nigel Latta dies aged 58
Dr Lucy Hone, a psychologist specialising in grief and resilience, who worked with Latta, said he was a “big character” and a “delight” to work with.
“He was all passion, enthusiasm, and had this incredible ability to communicate the best of science in actionable, relevant, bite-sized chunks, and to distil the complexity of these really sophisticated concepts into nuggets that we could take on and understand and bring into our own lives.
HarperCollins, which published several of his books, said Latta was an “incredible person”
His most recent book, Lessons on Living, was released yesterday.
“He leaves the nation with a beautiful gift in the shape of a new book, a marvellous insight into his life well-lived with joy and consideration to what matters most, published very coincidentally on the same day as his passing.”
Author Nic Russell, who created a charity for her daughter after she died of cancer, which Latta was an ambassador for, said he was “a legend and a changemaker”.
“I think all we can take is [that we are] grateful that we had Nigel in our lives, the difference he made. We’ve all loved him, and we’ve all enjoyed him and benefited from him, his wit, his knowledge, his courage, all of it. He’s been an amazing man.”
Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad told RNZ Latta’s legacy would be “lasting”.
“I had the privilege of meeting Nigel a few times, and what always struck me was his deep commitment, energy and expertise in relation to children and psychology. Through his work, he shared ideas for how we can weave stronger families and whānau in our country.
TVNZ said it was “deeply saddened” to hear of Latta’s passing, calling him a “trusted voice” for nearly two decades.
“He dedicated his life to helping others through their toughest challenges and we hear from our viewers regularly about the impact Nigel’s programmes have had on them.
“Nigel’s life was spent giving, guiding, and caring – he will be profoundly missed and our thoughts are with this loved ones.”
