For High Hopes and Big Dreams, Peter Janssen and Elizabeth Anderson set out to profile 165 small historic towns, that had once flourished and have now faded. But it turned out to be much more than a story of economic growth and decline because the history of our small towns is linked to social, political and technological change. High Hopes and Big Dreams tells the stories of high hopes and bitter disappointments in small town New Zealand. Some have vanished completely, while others have now discovered a new purpose and are again on the up. With a mix of historic and contemporary photographs throughout, High Hopes and Big Dreams is both a guidebook and a nod towards our tumultuous past.