David Icke: Meet the man who claimed NZ would disappear

Open your minds, says Englishman who predicted NZ would disappear.

Conspiracy theorist David Icke is coming to Auckland for a one-off show next month - almost 20 years on from the year he proclaimed New Zealand would disappear.

The former English footballer and sports broadcaster-turned-author-and-speaker has proposed many hypotheses since his "awakening" in 1990, including that he is the son of God and the Royal Family are "bloodsucking alien lizards" who work with world leaders to enslave the human race.

He also claimed the world would be devastated by natural disasters in 1997 and as a result, New Zealand would "disappear".

Icke refused to answer the Herald on Sunday's questions about his dire prediction for New Zealand, saying he'd had other hypotheses proven and his large following - he has published more than 20 books and spoken in more than 25 countries - is evidence of the support for his research. His WorldWide Wake Up Tour show at Auckland's Logan Campbell Centre on August 6 will include his insights into world events and the plans he believes are in place for WWIII. The 12-hour seminar will have New Zealand-focused content but Icke had not determined what it would be when he spoke to the Herald on Sunday. Tickets are $90 to $150 each.

"What [the audience] can expect is to have their minds blown," Icke said.

"I've spent 26 years researching from the point of view of an open mind what this thing called life is and what the world is all about ... You come out of the womb and you are immediately influenced in terms of your perceptions of everything by your parents ... That base perception is so tiny and narrow it's breathtaking.

"What I've done is stepped off the postage stamp."

Some of Icke's views have drawn strong criticism in the past.

His 1997 proclamation that he was the son of God was lampooned in the media, and Icke later said he couldn't walk down a street in Britain without being ridiculed.

He continued to write, however, with rejuvenated focus on telling what he considered to be the truth - a focus he still holds today.

"I couldn't care less about the critics," Icke said.

"What people think of me is their business. I'm interested in the truth, not how people perceive it. My audiences' reactions are immensely positive.

"Their common denominator is they have an open mind." Icke challenged sceptics to attend his show and make their own decisions about his research.

"Why are so many people around the world coming to hear this information when the guy delivering it is supposed to be crazy?

"As Albert Einstein said, 'condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance'."

Icke visited New Zealand for the first time in 2011 and did one show in Auckland.