The Aotearoa History Show

Before people there was the land. We start the story of New Zealand 100 million years ago as tectonic forces tear apart Gondwana and Zealandia/Te Riu-a-Maiu is formed. In part one of The Aotearoa History Show, Zealandia is formed, volcanoes and ice ages make their mark and we ask what happened to our mammals.Watch the video version of the episode hereBy William RayI used to think that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed after the New Zealand Wars ended.That's how wars are supposed to end, right? After the fighting is over you get around a table and work out a deal.We'd been taught about the Treaty at school and I was vaguely aware of the New Zealand Wars. I knew both were connected somehow so I just leaped to what seemed like the logical conclusion. Over the past year I've had a chance to talk to a bunch of history teachers and historians and I found out this sort of fundamental misunderstanding of our history is pretty common. When we learn history we usually focus on one facet in isolation - the Goldrush, Gallipoli, the Treaty of Waitangi, the New Zealand Wars, the Nuclear Free Movement. What we often miss is how those facets fit together. Year after year, one person inspiring another, one policy sparking a reaction.It's past time we start to join the dots.That's what we set out to do in the Aotearoa History show. We are connecting the pieces so people can see the wider picture of how our land and people have been shaped, and some of the forces that did that shaping.This series traverses a hundred million years, all way from this land's geological origins, through discovery, and war, and innovation, and political wrangling through until the modern day. Though, to be fair, most of those millions of years are done and dusted in episode one.What happened to Aotearoa's mammals? How did Aotearoa's first people arrive? What were the geopolitical forces underpinning British colonisation? How come our stereotype of your typical Kiwi bloke looks like that guy from the Speights commercials?The answers to these questions can go off in all kinds of weird directions. And sometimes they can challenge your assumptions…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Around 850 years ago Polynesian explorers found an empty land and the story of people in Aotearoa began. A new culture emerged; tangata whenua had arrived and started to thrive.In part two, Polynesian explorers reach new shores far to the south; a land unlike anything they had seen before. It's a story of technological innovation, new horizons and becoming a new, distinct people. Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:The origins of Polynesian people.Technological development of ocean-going waka.Polynesian exploration and occupation of Pacific islands.Discovery of Aotearoa/New Zealand by Polynesians.Origins of the Moriori and myths about Moriori.The challenges faced by early Māori.Extinction of the Moa and other large birds.Development of distinct Māori culture.The basics of Tikanga Māori.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Abel Tasman and James Cook's first contacts with Māori were complex and sometimes violent. Europeans brought new technologies, food and ideas, such as muskets, potatoes and Christianity. In some cases this worked out well for Tangata Whenua - but in other cases it was devastating. In part three, Tasman and then Cook visit and before long Europeans come to stay. Muskets, missionaries and international trade change the country as two cultures seek to make sense of each other.Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:Tasman's voyage to Aotearoa/New Zealand and his interaction with Māori.James Cook's voyages to Aotearoa/New Zealand. Including the role played by Tupaia, violence between his expedition and Māori as well as the wider forces behind his journey and how it paved the way for colonisation. Early Pākehā settlers and how they interacted with Māori.The Musket Wars and their impact on Māori people. The role of early missionaries in the musket wars, their attempts to convert Māori and suppress elements of Māori culture.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In Europe, factions debated the future of Aotearoa, while Māori had their own ideas how to handle the growing number of Pākehā here. In the end, Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed, but the early promise leads ultimately to war.In part four, Māori and Pākehā wrestle with how to share Aotearoa, the New Zealand Company is formed and Te Tiriti o Waitangi is signed. But before long disputes arise, prompting the Wairau Affray and Northern War.Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:Frustration over Pākehā behaviour at Kororāreka/RussellThe foundation of the United Tribes of New Zealand and their declaration of independenceOutline of the different European factions - the French, Wakefield and the NZ Company, the British Colonial Office, Missionaries and British humanitarian movementsThe signing of the Treaty and problems with translation, including some possible explanations for the mistranslation.The Wairau Affray.Hōne Heke, Te Ruki Kawiti and the chopping down of the flagstaff at RussellThe Northern War, including discussions of Māori "trench warfare" and why some Māori chose to fight alongside the British. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Hunger for land and the rise of Kingitanga prompted Governor George Grey to invade Waikato in 1863. Fighting spread over years and into the Bay of Plenty, devastating Maori. But it was not as one-sided as the British had expected.In part five, Governor George Grey send troops south from Auckland, invading the Waikato. But Kingitanga fight back and a new phase of warfare begins in New Zealand that would see thousands of lives lost.Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:The relationship between Waikato Māori and Pākehā colonists.The foundation of the Kiingitanga Movement.The Hutt War and the First Taranaki War.The Waikato War, including the Battle of Rangiaowhia and the siege of Ōrākau.Gate Pā and the Tauranga War.Frustrations of the British Authorities with Governor Grey's actions in NZ.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

As British troops leave, settler militia enter the fray. Some Māori chose to fight alongside the Crown while others join new religious movements, which seem to promise a way out of the conflict. In part six, religious movements such as Pai Mārire & Ringatū arise to oppose settler expansion. While British troops withdraw, local militia take up the fight and we see atrocities committed by all sides. Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:Te Ua Haumene and the rise of Pai MārireMāori and Pākehā perceptions of Pai MārireThe rise of Pai Mārire on the East Coast, including the execution of Carl Völkner.The wars on the East Coast and Taranaki involving Pai Mārire followers.The exile of Te Kooti, foundation of the Ringatū Church and his guerilla campaign in the North Island.Tītokowaru, his attempts at peace and his success as a war leader.The departure of British troops, increasing government reliance on settler militia and kūpapa Māori. Atrocities committed during the later years of the NZ Wars. Confiscation and the long-term effects of the NZ Wars. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

After the wars, politicians had to figure out how to run the new country. Bold choices saw huge spending on infrastructure, the right of women to vote and the start of refrigeration, helping us out of The Long Depression. A new politics arose but old values remained. The New Zealand Wars are over... what comes next? A whole lot of political wrangling over how to run the new colony - centralism or provinces? Plus - how refrigeration saved the Kiwi economy from the brink of disaster and how women won the right to vote.Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:Provincialism versus CentralismJulius Vogel and the "Grand Go-Ahead policy"The Long Depression and its impact on New ZealandersHow the invention of refrigerated shipping saved the economy.Disputes over voting, including gold miners and Māori representation in Parliament. How women won the right to voteThe exclusion of Chinese people from NZ society.The early Labour Movement and the Great Strike of 1913Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Through the final quarter of the 19th Century Pakeha settler numbers swelled. The immigrants sought land and started to create a new, distinct culture. But their land gain came at the cost of Maori, as new laws and courts changed ownership patterns. Plus, the story of Parihaka. As the number of European settlers and a new Pakeha culture grew, so did the immigrants' demand for land. The government didn't launch a war to get it, they instead introduced new laws and the Land Court, which undermined Maori ownership traditions. This led to one of New Zealand's darkest days - the raid on Parihaka.Watch the video version of the episode here Topics covered:Early colonists and how they created the stereotypical image of a kiwi blokeDeforestation, the introduction of new mammal predators and the decline of native wildlifeSheep barons and the desire for more landThe Native Land Court, why it was set up and how it workedThe Wi Parata Case.Māori population decline in the 19th centuryThe Parihaka RaidGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It's the war that claimed more New Zealand lives than any other. It's also the event that's often claimed as the "foundational moment" where we "became a nation". But is that really true? In this episode we take a dive into the First World War. Why we fought, what it cost us, and its long-term effects on Kiwi identity.The First World War changed New Zealand, but did we really become a nation on the beaches of Gallipoli? In this episode we look at World War I, how it began, why we got involved and its lasting impact. Plus, the influenza epidemic that followed.Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:The basics of WWI, how it started, who were the major belligerentsTrench warfare and the establishment of the "Western Front"The logic behind the Dardanelles campaign and how it went wrongWhy Pākehā signed up to fightWhy some Māori wanted to fightOpposition to the conflict, including from figures like Rua Kenana and Te Puea Hērangi The role of women in the war, including in the armed services, as civilian workers, and as volunteers at home and overseas. Analysis of the emphasis that has been put on the importance of WWI for NZ "nationhood"NZ's capture of German Samoa The 1918 influenza outbreak, including its effects on SamoaGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

With World War I and the flu epidemic past, the good times rolled through the 1920s. Then came the bust of the Great Depression, prompting widespread poverty - that was worse for some - and the rise of the first Labour government.It's the 1920s and kiwi prosperity is reaching a new high point. Yet the roots of another disaster are lurking beneath the surface... The Great Depression rips through the global economy, causing huge political upheavals, unemployment and, here in New Zealand, the birth of cradle to grave welfare.Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:Prosperity in the 1920s, new technologies, increasing home ownership and educationThe causes of the Great Depression with a particular focus on the NZ economy's reliance on British markets. The impact of the Great Depression on unemployed workers, their families and on single women. The 1931 earthquake.The rise of the NZ Labour Party and their social welfare policies Māori experience of the Great DepressionNotable Māori political figures in this time period, particularly Apirana Ngata, Te Puea Herangi.The rise of the Ratana Church and Wiremu Ratana's alliance with Labour.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A second world war swept the globe, dragging New Zealand once more onto the battlefield, this time in the Pacific as well as Europe. In the likes of Crete, Greece and North Africa and on Pacific islands Kiwis served and died. At home, women joined those in reserved occupations to support the war effort until finally the Axis powers were defeated.New Zealanders play a small but significant role in the Second World War on land, sea and air. Meanwhile our farms and factories keep supplies flowing to the battlefields. But when Japan enters the war it looks like the fighting is about to arrive on our doorstep. Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:NZers in the Spanish Civil War.The difference between volunteers for WWI vs WWII.The formation of the 28th Māori Battalion.The battles for Greece and Crete, and the North Africa campaign.Manpowering regulations and the role of women, both in the armed services and taking over jobs in farms and factories.Japanese entry into the war, coastal fortification and the Semple Tank.The holocaust and NZ's attitute toward Jewish refugees.Aotearoa/New Zealand's reaction to the end of the warGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

After the war came a new quest for security and identity. With it came new political debates and alliances. Maori and Pasifika moved to the cities. The way we viewed ourselves as a nation was changing. The 50s and 60s were decades of huge cultural change. Māori were moving into the cities in large numbers for the first time. Meanwhile, there were communist scares, industrial disputes, moral panics about rowdy teenagers - and the beginning of a new kind of kiwi identity. Watch the video version of episode here Topics covered:The post-war Baby BoomMāori urbanisationThe Cold War, concerns about communist agents and the ANZUS TreatyThe formation of the NZ National PartyThe Waterfront DisputeConcerns about teen "immorality" moral panic and crackdownsThe shift from British to Pākehā identity, growing enthusiasm for "kiwi" cultureSamoan independence.The Dawn Raids and Polynesian PanthersThe Māori Renaissance and activism, including the 1975 Land March and Bastion Point OccupationThe Treaty of Waitangi Act and the role of the Waitangi TribunalGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The 60s, 70s and 80s were rowdy decades. Kiwis were getting out in the streets and raising their voices about the rights of Māori, women and LGBT people, nuclear energy, the environment. Plus the most controversial sporting event in our history: The 1981 Springbok Tour.Through the 60s and 70s generations clashed and minority groups fought for their rights. Social issues such as women's rights and nuclear power gained traction, as the economy stayed strong in Fortress New Zealand. The dominant politician was Robert Muldoon, but those social and economic issues were coming to a head.Watch the video version of the episode hereTopics covered:Women's rights movements focusing on debates over equal pay, abortion, contraceptives, sex education and sexismLGBT rights with particular focus on law reforms about same sex relationships and controvesy around lesbians in the women's movement.Controversy surrounding apartheid and the Springbok rugby team in the 1970sThe election of Robert Muldoon.1970s economic problems including discussion of protectionism, Muldoon's "Think Big" policies, price and wage freezes.The environmental movement, including the Lake Manapōuri and the Mairuia Declaration.The 1981 Springbok Tour.Nuclear-Free Movement and the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It's the final episode of the Aotearoa History Show! Rogernomics, Ruthanasia and the referendum on MMP saw the total restructuring of our economy and voting system. Plus a snapshot of the changing demographics of Aotearoa/New Zealand, the growth of dairy and tourism and the challenges still to come.The 1984 election is a tumultuous tipping point; the start of a new New Zealand with a more open, less equal economy; a new style of democracy and a more diverse population. Watch hereBy William RayAs I've been releasing episode after episode of The Aotearoa History Show over the past few weeks, a colleague has taken to asking me, "how's New Zealand history going today?", writes Tim Watkin, RNZ executive producer, podcasts and series.I think I must have looked a bit brow-beaten by what has been a mammoth piece of work. I mean, who in their right mind tries to tell the entire history of a nation in 14 15-20 minutes YouTube videos?But each time I've replied, something like "oh it's getting there. A bit different from yesterday" or "still changing".Because one of the great mistakes people make when they discuss history - be it the history of New Zealand or indeed anywhere - is to assume that facts are facts and what's done is done. The truth is quite the opposite. History is forever changing, morphing, evolving into something new. At least, our understanding of it is. Excuse me if this sounds a bit Fight Club-esque, but one of the few unchanging facts of history, is that there are few unchanging facts in history.Our willingness to be open to that is going to vital as we prepare to teach New Zealand history in our schools. It's so important that young New Zealanders will get to learn how we got from here to there, but just as crucial for us to keep an open mind as we do it. The risk is always that we fall into the trap of insisting there is only one way to tell our stories or only certain stories that can be told. There are heroes and villains, triumphs and disasters in all times, cultures, genders, classes, faiths and more. Sure, there's no excuse for simple inaccuracies. The stubborn myth that Moriori were the first people of New Zealand pre-dating Maori and conquered by them should be a cautionary tale to anyone wanting to dismiss the facts of history altogether. The truth we know is quite different... and explained in episode two, by the way. But when we talk about events covered by the mist of time, culture, politics and any number of human failings, we must always be open to how much we don't know and how much our understanding can change…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

RNZ presents The Aotearoa History Show - this time as an audio only podcast!Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

No-one knows for sure who first introduced rabbits to New Zealand, because no-one wanted to take the blame for what became one of New Zealand's biggest environmental and economic disasters. We start season two burrowing into the devastating history of rabbits and other pests.We start season two burrowing into the story of rabbits and other pests. What started with plenty of (h)optimism has led to generations of damage to our environment and economy.Watch the video version of the episode hereBy Tim WatkinHistory is a river; fluid, flowing, always changing and always the same. That bit about history always changing is something that many people find hard to accept. It's behind us, it's happened, frozen in time. We often want to come to conclusions about the past and keep it, well, in the past. Wrap it up and move on. But as Billy Bragg once wrote, "The past is always knocking incessant / Trying to break through into the present".And it often succeeds. Whenever as a country we debate issues such as inequality, co-governance, free speech, taxes... you name it, history is banging at the door wanting to have its say.How you see that river of history or hītōria, ah well, that depends on where you're standing. And when you're standing there. And who you're standing with. And what you already know about rivers; or think you know. Perhaps which language you speak. As hard as it can be for people to accept, there is no right version of history, history does not end and our views of the events, people and issues of the past have always and will always keep changing. And that's a good thing. History is at its most revealing when you approach it with an open mind and a little empathy.That's been a guiding principle for the team making the second season of The Aotearoa History Show. Our job is to explain history not to pass judgment on it. That's a tough thing to do in these times, when people seem more eager than ever to make declarations about the rights and wrongs of history and the people who made it. Standing on at one point on the riverbank, looking at one part of the river while making sweeping declarations about the whole river is likely to get you lots of likes on social media…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The first 500 years of Māori settlement in Aotearoa saw significant, dynamic changes to how people lived; changes that challenge the idea of Māori culture as something carved in stone.There's sometimes a temptation to think of Māori as a people "frozen in time" - that Māori culture and ways of life were unchanged between the time they arrived in Aotearoa sometime before 1300AD until Captain Cook and the Endeavour arrived in 1769.But that's totally wrong! In 500 years, any people are going to change.... A lot! Watch the video version of the episode hereIn this episode we look at:How Māori arrived in Aotearoa.How the first few generations seem to have lived.Evidence of Aotearoa's "first capital city" at Wairau Bar and the role it may have played in early Māori society.How the extinction of megafauna and a cooling climate seem to have triggered major changes in Māori ways of life.Why Māori had different lifestyles in different parts of Aotearoa.How Māori traded and settled disputes.How the end of the "little ice age" seemed to trigger more changes in Māori ways of life.For more on this subject:Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History by Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney and Aroha HarrisThe Making of the Māori Middle Ages by Atholl Anderson, Journal of New Zealand Studies Māori - Te AraGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The 1950s saw an explosion of youth culture. "Bodgies and widgies' ' tearing round on motorbikes & hanging out in milk bars scandalised many Kiwi adults. Was "the teenager" invented in the 1950s? And what is a "milk bar" anyway?The 1950s saw an explosion of youth culture in Aotearoa. Stories about "bodgies and widgies' ' tearing up the streets on motorbikes, canoodling in the cinemas and hanging around in milk bars scandalised many kiwi adults. In fact, it's often said the whole idea of "the teenager" was born in the 1950s. But is that really true? And what even is a "milk bar" anyway?Watch the video version of the episode hereIn this episode we trace the history of kiwi teens including:The drama over the 1954 "Mazengarb Report"How people in their teens were viewed by wider society, both Pākehā and Māori, in the early 19th century.How the industrial revolution, and the introduction of compulsory education, reshaped those views.The experience of takatāpui (LGBTQ+) teenagers, including for Māori prior to colonisation, and Pākehā teens in the late 19th Century.Compulsory military service and a generally conservative society in the early 20th century. How "teen culture" emerged in the 1950s.How Māori teens experienced life in the city as Māori increasingly migrated to urban areas after WWII. The involvement of teens in protest movements from the 1960s onwards.For more on this subject:Teenagers: The Rise of Youth Culture in New Zealand by Chris BrickellAll Shook Up by Redmer YskaThe "Mazengarb Report"Teeangers and Youth - Te AraGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealanders have battled Covid-19 for more than two years, but if you think it's the first time disease has knocked us around, well, this one's for you. Epidemics have long been part of our story. During the Covid-19 pandemic we've heard people say stuff like "we're living in unprecedented times"... But every time they hear that, historians get extremely annoyed! Epidemics have had a huge impact on many countries through history and New Zealand is no exception.Watch the video version of the episode hereIn this episode we dig into the history of epidemics in Aotearoa New Zealand, including:Why Māori were relatively free of diseases until European arrival in Aotearoa.The factors which helped promote the development of epidemic diseases in Europe and Asia.The early impacts of disease on Māori in the 19th century.Efforts by colonial authorities to reduce the impacts of disease on Māori, and how these efforts were linked to a goal of "assimilating" Māori into European culture.Efforts by Māori to reduce the impact of disease.The development of sanitary infrastructure and its impact on epidemic disease.The 1918 flu pandemic.Polio epidemics in the 20th century.The impact of modern medicines, including vaccines.For more on this subject:The Healthy Country? A History of Life and Death in New Zealand by Alistair Woodward and Tony BlakelyBlack November by Geoffrey RiceDirt: Filth and Decay in a New World Arcadia by Pamela Janet WoodEpidemics - Te AraGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The discovery of gold drew tens of thousands to New Zealand in search of fortune. It was a hard life, but diggers brought mateship, fashion & egalitarian ideas that changed the country forever.Gold! The mania for this shiny yellow metal swept all over Aotearoa in the second half of the 19th century and left the country, and many of its people, fundamentally changed. Watch the video version of the episode hereThis episode we ask:Māori attitudes towards gold before, and after European contact?What makes a gold rush happen?How did the New Zealand gold rush fit into the context of gold rushes overseas?How did the rush get started?Who were the diggers and what were they like?What was the role of women in the rush?How did the gold rush affect tangata whenua?What was the role of Chinese migrants in the gold rush, and how did Europeans respond to them?How did the gold rush happen in different parts of Aotearoa?For more on this subject:Diggers, Hatters and Whores by Stevan Eldred-Grigg Finding "Te Wherro" in Ōtōkou: Māori and the early days of the Otago gold rush by Lloyd Carpenter, MAI Journal.Journey to Lan Yuan by Toitu Otago Settlers Museum Gold and Gold Mining - Te Ara Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details