Masterton man gives voice to spirit world

Masterton man Craig Wright has made a name for himself across the Tasman with a unique and almost unbelievable gift - the ability to speak with the dead.

Now, the 30-year-old former checkout operator hopes to speak with spirits closer to home, at his first live show in Masterton this weekend.

Mr Wright recently made a splash in Australia when he became a member of a Facebook page dedicated to Australian psychics, and acted as a "spirit messenger" for the group's members.

"It was amazing to have people turn around and say that I've helped them make peace with situations like the death of a loved one, or have given peace and closure to their families," he says.

Mr Wright eventually became so popular on the Australian Facebook page, that he was asked do live shows in Australia, and was approached by Australian celebrities.

"The Aussies seem to love me - loads of people were contacting me asking for messages over Facebook."

Mr Wright says that he has been able to communicate with the dead his entire life - and that he has inherited the gift from his grandmother and great-grandmother.

"As a baby, I would spend hours talking to thin air. So, my mum freaked out and got a priest in," says Mr Wright, who was raised a Baptist.

"But my Nana realised what was up, and said: 'no, he's just talking to spirits'. Even the priest said there was nothing demonic going on."

He says that spirits will contact him to give advice or warnings to pass on to loved ones they have left behind.

He has passed on many messages to his friends, and says he gets a lot of messages relating to pregnancy and babies.

"I had one friend who was pregnant, and was going to have an abortion - but a relative contacted me and said she was having a baby boy, and she needs to keep it.

"I didn't even know she was pregnant at the time. She went for a scan, and said, 'it's a boy, isn't it?' And they were like, 'how did you know?'

He says he also had a message from a deceased father, who wanted his 42-year-old daughter to know she would soon be pregnant. "I told her, and we both cracked up laughing, because she didn't think she could have a baby at 42. Three months later, she was pregnant."

He says he is aware his gift is controversial - but that he says he can easily identify "fakes", as they will often ask leading questions of their audience to correctly identify a deceased person.

"I don't get people to feed me information about the dead person - the fakes thrive off that," he says.

While Mr Wright relishes his unusual gift, he does find it difficult - especially when spirits warn of dangers ahead for their families.

"A lot of people think that a spirit messenger will bring you flowers and roses, but it's not always like that.

"I don't like to tell someone that something bad is going to happen. But, if I do tell them, it can be prevented."

Mr Wright says he is excited to do his live Masterton show, all the proceeds of which will go to the Cancer Society.

Mr Wright's show will be at Master Bowl, cnr Queen and King Sts, on Sunday May 26 at 8.30pm. The entry fee is $10.