The Fate of Joel Hayward in New Zealand Hands: From Holocaust Historian to Holocaust?

Abstract

For the past three years, newspapers, national periodical publications and television programmes have intermittently provided coverage about the Joel Hayward affair: a story of a New Zealand student who wrote a controversial thesis. Contestable work and arguable conclusions are not uncommon in modern universities but Hayward's unpublished work as a student seems to remain, after ten years, a point of unusual and continuing interest. Late in 2002 the New Zealand 'Listener' ran a "special report" on what is popularly termed holocaust denial. Juxtaposed photographs of David Irving, Adolf Hitler and Joel Hayward on page 28 provide adequate summary of the article's focus. When asked why he was putting forth another piece on Hayward the author Philip Matthews replied that nothing had appeared for a while. The 'Listener' article says little new or relevant and the questions of motivation might be raised. Is Canterbury University supportive of holocaust denial? The university answers no. Is Hayward a denier? He claims he is not. Does his thesis constitute holocaust denial? His critics say yes (though some without having read it), while others (who have read it) answer in the negative.