Media Releases
New podcast: The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior
Released at 10:07 am on 13 November 2024
13 November 2024
Photo: RNZ/ABC
The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior is a new six-part podcast, co-produced by RNZ Podcasts and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Radio Australia, exploring the final journey of the Greenpeace ship, The Rainbow Warrior, prior to its bombing in Auckland in 1985.
Hosted by writer, podcaster and comedian James Nokise, the story follows the fallout - scientifically, politically, and socially - from the nuclear tests at the Pacific Proving Grounds in the Marshall Islands, home to the people of Rongelap Atoll.
The intriguing series focuses on the experience of people living in the fallout zone, including residents of Rongelap Atoll, as well as a cast of characters across the globe. It unpacks the issues and events around the 1985 evacuation of the entire population of Rongelap by the Rainbow Warrior and follows its voyage as it sails directly into a geopolitical storm and towards its fatal, explosive end.
Podcast host James Nokise says that while people are aware of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, the story of the vessel’s final voyage and the long-term impacts are less well-known.
“Travelling to the Marshall Islands was a confronting experience; the beauty of a small pacific nation jarring with its nuclear legacy. However, unlike the people still living with the long-term effects of the United States nuclear testing, I only stayed a little while. My non-irradiated home was waiting for me at the end of the journey. I could do something the Rongelapese could not. I could go home.
“This is a really important story not just about the Rainbow Warrior, but about the massive impact of these nuclear experiments on Pacific people. It’s a reminder that the Pacific, including New Zealand and Australia are interconnected in their triumphs, but also their tragedies. There is the tragedy of what has happened in the Marshall Islands, and then there is the tragedy of the people of the nations that are supposed to be leaders in the Pacific not knowing what has happened.”
The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior is the first collaborative project release by RNZ and ABC Radio Australia since the two organisations signed an MOU earlier this year.
RNZ’s Chief Content Officer Megan Whelan says The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior is a story that needs to be told, especially across the Pacific region.
“This is a story of great significance, for the people affected, but also for our region as a whole, and it’s appropriate that it is the first shared project by RNZ and ABC.”
Manager of Audio Output and Strategy Justine Kelly who oversees the ABC Radio Australia network says
“The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior is the culmination of the incredible work of host James Nokise, alongside the content and production teams at RNZ and our ABC Radio Australia to bring audiences this incredibly important story on the human and environmental impacts of nuclear testing on the Pacific region and communities.”
Released on Wednesdays and Fridays from 13 November at rnz.co.nz/podcasts, on podcast apps and broadcast on RNZ National every Sunday at 7am from 17 November.
