Retailers boycott Kahui twins book

A book co-written by Macsyna King - the mother of the Kahui twins - will not be available from some retailers. File photo / Dean Purcell.

At least two major retailers have decided to boycott a book written in collaboration with the mother of the murdered Kahui twins.

The Warehouse and Paper Plus this afternoon confirmed they will not stock 'Breaking Silence' by Ian Wishart.

A spokesman for Whitcoulls said the company had not ordered the book but it was considering all points of view.

"We have been monitoring comment on this issue today and acknowledge the public sentiment about the book on various social media sites.

"We want to take into account all points of view in order to make a balanced decision and will let people know the outcome as soon as possible."

About 26,000 people have signed up to a Facebook group opposing the book, which gives Macsyna King's account of the circumstances surrounding the murder of her three-month-old sons Chris and Cru Kahui.

The boys' father Chris Kahui was accused and acquitted of inflicting fatal injuries on the twins in 2008. His legal team contended Ms King carried out the murders.

The Warehouse merchandise manager Nick Tuck said the company had decided not to stock Breaking Silence in any of its 89 stores or online after receiving "significant" comment from customers.

"Overwhelmingly, they have told us that they do not wish to buy it or see it on the shelves. We have listened to our customers, and The Warehouse has chosen not to stock the book."

Paper Plus CEO Rob Smith said the retailer had decided not to stock the book after receiving a deluge of feedback from customers over the last 24 hours.

He said the amount of concern over the "highly emotive content" in the book was the main reason for not stocking it.

Paper Plus has a strong heritage as a family friendly store and its decisions were always made with the wellbeing of children at the front of their mind, he said.

"The prevailing opinion is that our stores do not feel comfortable selling this book and our customers do not want to buy it. This is certainly not about censorship or Paper Plus taking the moral high ground. We are simply listening to our most important stakeholders and acting in accordance with their feelings."

Mr Wishart today spoke out against the angry outcry over the upcoming book, saying opponents had developed a "lynch mob" mentality.

Many of those opposing 'Breaking Silence' on Facebook had been threatening, he told TVNZ.

"There's an awful lot of hate in there. There's an awful lot of mouthing off. It's like a lynch mob," Mr Wishart said.

"We've got to step back and say 'okay, let's hear what Macsyna has to say'. Let's see what comes out of the book.

"If we sit there and burn books and burn witches and drown people and all the rest of it. Put bullets through their head as they're suggesting on the Facebook page, we're not going to learn anything."

Mr Wishart said he understood the outrage of the people in the group.

But he called for them to read the book before judging its contents.

"She is the first person to admit 'I was the world's worst mother'.

"The book is... very revelatory about how this person became dysfunctional."

Ms King was not getting any money out of the book, Mr Wishart said.

He said he would be collecting profits from sales, but most would go to book stores and he would be left with a "wage on the table".