The Aotearoa History Show

Deep dive into a rigorous romp through the history of New Zealand, from its volcanic beginnings, through settlement, wars and social change to the late 20th century.

Hosted by William Ray, Leigh-Marama McLachlan and Māni Dunlop

A podcast cover for "The Aotearoa History Show" features the title written in colorful, chalk-like letters on a blackboard background. The words "THE" and "AOTEAROA" are in light blue, "HISTORY" is in pink, and "SHOW" is in green with green chalk lines radiating outwards.

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Rabbits & Other Pests

Season 2 / Episode 1
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.
The introduction of rabbits led to one of the worst economic and environmental disasters in New Zealand history.

Māori: The First 500 Years

Season 2 / Episode 2
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.
Māori society pre-colonisation is split into three stages.

Teenagers

Season 2 / Episode 3
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?
A teen's visit to the Lower Hutt police station in 1954 led to the Mazengarb Report into 'juvenile delinquency'.

Epidemics

Season 2 / Episode 4
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.
Sanitation and clean water had a profound impact on the health of New Zealanders.

The Gold Rushes

Season 2 / Episode 5
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.
Episode image

Native Land Court

Season 2 / Episode 6
In 1841 a few tiny islands of Pākehā settlement existed in an ocean of Māori land. Today, that picture has reversed & Māori own a fraction of Aotearoa. A big part of the reason? The Native Land Court.
Cartoon of a Crown agent trying to convince a Māori person to sell land

Moriori

Season 2 / Episode 7
Moriori are the original people of Rēkohu (aka Chatham Island or Wharekauri) & they have a tragic and inspiring story. Unfortunately, that story's often been twisted into, well, utter rubbish.
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The Musket Wars

Season 2 / Episode 8
These are the wars that cost more lives than any other in our history. Stretched over more than a decade & the entire country, these conflicts changed Māori warfare & much of what came next.
Musket Wars Ep 8 S 2 TAHS Tile

Whaling & Sealing

Season 2 / Episode 9
Marine mammals were a source of food and clothing for Māori and Moriori, and valuable oil for Europeans. Hunting them brought cultures together, made fortunes and cost lives but today it's saving them that unites people.
Thumbnail image for TAHS Whaling and Sealing episode

NZ Railways

Season 2 / Episode 10
From a standing start of little tank engines chugging along wooden rails, New Zealand built a vast rail network, made up of enough steel rail to wrap halfway around the moon.
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Number 8 Wire

Season 2 / Episode 11
New Zealanders like to think we have a "Number 8 Wire Mentality" - a rough and ready enthusiasm for fixing and building stuff with limited resources.
TAHS Tile for Number 8 Wire

Women's Suffrage

Season 2 / Episode 12
NOTE: This episode has been reuploaded to correct some inaccuracies in the original version. We all know New Zealand was the first country in the world where women could vote. But do you know how we got there? The path to suffrage is littered with alcohol, hidden heroes & dirty tricks.
Online petition for women's suffrage

Why isn't New Zealand part of Australia?

Season 2 / Episode 13
It seems an almost heretical question, but it’s gotta be asked! Why are NZ and Australia different countries? You might be surprised to know that we did consider joining up with our mates across the Tasman back in the late 19th/early 20th century, but it never worked out. And that’s just a small fragment of the fascinating history of our Trans-Tasman relationship with our mates across the ditch.
TAHS Tile for S2 Ep 13

New Zealand's Pacific Empire

Season 2 / Episode 14
New Zealand has had some big ambitions in the Pacific and mixed relations with our neighbours.
Tile image for Ep 14 TAHS series 2 - NZ's Pacific Empire