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The Aotearoa History Show

19m

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.

Made with the support of NZ On Air & the Ministry of Education

Series details.

Credits

Tim Watkin
Executive Producer
Duncan Smith
Director
William Ray
Host
Leigh-Marama McLachlan
Host, Season 1
Māni Dunlop
Host, Season 2
Matai Smith
Cultural Liaison, Season 2
Chris Maguren
Animator
Phil Benge
Audio Engineer

Historians
Season 1 - David Green, Basil Keane
Season 2 - Mike Stevens, Neil Atkinson, Bronwyn Houliston

Awards

2023 NZ Radio Awards

Best Factual

2023 NZ Podcast Awards

Best History - Bronze

2023 NZ Radio Awards

Finalist - Best Documentary

Season 1 - Funded by

NZ On Air Digital Innovation Fund

Season 2 - Funded by

Ministry of Education

Get in touch

Email us at: podcasts@rnz.co.nz

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Video section home

A multi-media illustration of four different figures in different art styles. Text reads, "Our Aotearoa".
An animated graphic of green trees and leaves in a forest, along with a red flower. The text in front reads "What Will I Be Today?"
A group of people performing a haka outside amongst the trees. The person at the front is in focus and doing a pukana. Text reads, "NZ Wars: The Stories of Ruapekapeka".
A man operating a cannon, theres smoke coming out of it and a man next to it holding his hands over his ears. Text reads, "NZ Wars: Stories of Waitara".
Text reads, "Matangireia with Morgan Godfery". Background is beige with an out of focus letter M in fancy script.
An archival picture of a group of Pacific Islanders posing for a group picture. The text reads "Untold Pacific History"
A man is wearing a suit and tie and smiling at the camera with his head slightly tilted to the left. He has a thick moustache, behind him the room is dark but seems to be an office. Text reads, "The Citizen's Handbook" in light pink.
People standing in a forest clearing, backlit by the sun. They are all wearing traditional Māori dress. Text reads, "NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui".
Black and white faces of Helen Clark, Dame Jenny Shipley, Jim Bolger Geoffrey Palmer and Mike Moore, with the words 'The 9th Floor' underneath them. The background of the image is black.
A birds'-eye view of some military items sitting scattered on a desk, including a map, a hat, playing cards, and a couple of coins. The text in the middle reads "Back to Timor."
An older woman with grey hair is holding a ceramic bowl up and looking at it intently as she sits at a dining table. In front of her are plates, and a bowl of green apples. Text reads "Crown Lynn: A Māori Story". Above the text is a white line illustration of a tiki with an illustration of a star on either side of it.
Illustration of two women looking defiantly at the viewer. The background is yellow with illustrated yellow simple flowers. The text reads, "Conversations with my Immigrant Parents".
The back of someone looking up at a big red firework exploding in the night sky. Text reads, "Giants Giants Giants". The last "Giants" fades into the background.
A man with their back towards the camera, they're looking on onto an ocean. The image is in grey scale. Text reads, "The Art of War".
The silhouette of a man against a sun either rising or setting, the sky is mostly green with a thin bank of orange light along the horizon. Text reads, "Meng".
A white pick-up truck drives up a winding country road, surrounded by dry New Zealand farmland. The text reads "The Turning Point"
Troy Kingi wearing a traditional red poncho sits in the rocky Californian desert beneath a light blue sky. The text reads "Troy Kingi's Desert Hīkoi"
Three figures from different original images have been edited so that they're all standing next to each other and are of varying sizes. All three people are in the midst of performing. The background in a flat bright red colour. Text in the style of graffiti reads, "The Collective". A spray painted illustration of a crown appears above the 'e' in 'Collective'.
Text reads, "Mata Reports". It sits on a dark grey background. Along the top of the image is a kōwhaiwhai pattern.
A man looking into the camera with his mouth slightly open. His left eye is bugged out in a comically over the top way. Text reads, "A Place Called Te Awamutu".
Eight seperate images edited into two rows of four, each showing different images of people and art. Text reads, "Marauders".
A hillside is draped with a large Māori flag, on the ridge line stands a single figure and another Māori flag. Text in a painted font reads "Ake Ake Ake"
The side profile of a man holding a guitar with a microphone on a stand in front of him. Text reads, "Legacy: Katchafire" and has a boarder around the perimeter of the frame.
A man wearing sunglasses and a tartan hat is looking out to the left. Text reads, "Our Other Islands".