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. All aboard for a voyage into the history of New Zealand’s railways! If our rail network was once so massive, why is it now a shadow of its former glory? In this episode we discuss: How Māori originally travelled overland in Aotearoa. The development of railways in the UK and the impact they had on society. Early efforts at building short railways in New Zealand. Premier Julius Vogel’s massive expansion of the rail network. The importance of rail for New Zealand’s economy, education, politics and culture. The challenges and opportunities rail created for Māori. The lives of those who built and maintained the rail network. The replacement of rail with automobiles and aircraft. Arguments over the return of rail For more on this subject: Can’t Get There From Here by Andre Brett Trainlands by Neill Atkinson Te Ara Encyclopaedia - Railways https://teara.govt.nz/en/railways

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… “Thar she blows!” "Whales to starboard!" Marine mammals have played a vital role in the history of Aotearoa. Māori and Moriori hunted seals in huge numbers for food and clothing, and many non-Māori were drawn to these shores to harvest the skins and oil of seals and whales. The arrival of these new sealers and whalers would have enormous impacts, and not just on the animals they hunted... In this episode we discuss: Māori and Moriori hunting of seals and beliefs about whales. The hardships experienced by early non-Māori sealers. How sealers and whalers interacted with Māori, including the burning of the Boyd, the “Sealers War”, and the role of so called “Pākehā Māori”. The various methods and techniques used by 19th century whalers. What whale and seal products were used for. How international events, such as the Napoleonic Wars, affected the whaling trade in New Zealand and the rest of the Pacific. The role Māori played in whaling. The rise of the modern environmental and anti-whaling movements. For more on this subject: The Old Whaling Days: a History of Southern New Zealand From 1830 To 1840 by Robert McNab Te Ara Encyclopaedia - Whaling: https://teara.govt.nz/en/whaling Te Ara Encyclopaedia - Sealing: https://teara.govt.nz/en/sealing

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. For more than 30 years Aotearoa was beset by warfare as Māori hapū and iwi made use of new gunpowder weapons to settle old disputes with rivals. It’s estimated 50 thousand people were directly affected - killed, injured, enslaved, or forced to migrate from traditional lands. These conflicts had a massive impact on everything from the Treaty of Waitangi, to the battles of the New Zealand Wars. These days they are most commonly known as The Musket Wars. In this episode we discuss: The Battle of Mātakitaki. The story of Hongi Hika, and how the musket wars began, then spread around Aotearoa. How concepts of utu and mana influenced the wars. How Māori were able to make peace after conflicts. The debate over the importance of muskets to the conflict compared to the importance of potatoes. How practices like kai tangata (cannibalism) and mokomokai (the taking and preserving of human heads) were involved in these conflicts. How the Musket Wars influenced the signing to The Treaty of Waitangi and He Whakapūtanga (The Declaration of Independence). How the Musket Wars influenced British colonisation, and the New Zealand Wars. How and why the Musket Wars ended. For more on this subject: The Forgotten Wars by Ron Crosby. Hongi Hika: Warrior Chief by Dorothy Ulrich Cloher. Making Peoples by James Belich. Musket Wars - Te Ara Encyclopaedia https://teara.govt.nz/en/musket-wars.

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. Large chunks of land changed hands through the Native Land Court; or as it was also known: Te Kooti Tango Whenua - The Land Taking Court. Created by the 1862 Native Lands Act, the court was meant to establish individual land ownership under the new British colonial government. In practice it began a process of land alienation for Maori that continued until the 1990s. This episode we discuss: The right of preemption and the large crown land purchases in the 1840s and 50s. How these purchases contributed to increasing Māori opposition to land sales. How Māori opposition to land sales contributed to the New Zealand Wars. The different ways Māori and Pākehā thought about land. How and why the court was first established. The racist attitudes of some judges and officials. The impact of the “1840 rule” and the “10-owners rule”, including the sale of the Heretaunga block. How debt was used to ensnare Māori in the court. The negative impacts of attending court on Māori. How Māori attempted to reform or remove the court in the 19th century, including the efforts of the Kotahitanga movement. The efforts of Māori MPs to slow down the loss of Māori land in the early 20th Century. The 1965 Māori Affairs Amendment Act and how it acted as a catalyst for protest movements. How those movements achieved reforms, including Te Ture Whenua Māori Act. The ongoing impacts of the Native Land Court and attempts to address injustices. For more on this subject: Te Kooti Tango Whenua by David Williams Illustrated History of New Zealand by Judith Binney Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou: Struggle Without End by Ranginui Walker Conquest by Contract: Wealth Transfer and Land Market Structure in Colonial New Zealand by Stuart Banner, Law & Society Review https://doi.org/10.2307/3115116

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. This 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

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. Moirori history has often been twisted out of shape over the years, much like some of the trees on Rēkohu bending in the strong winds. The stories of these remote islands and the people who made their home there go back centuries, but they've been misunderstood and misinterpreted for nearly as long. Moriori are not the first people of New Zealand, they weren't forced out by Maori and they aren't extinct. In fact, we've worked closely with the Hokotehi Moriori Trust on this episode, drawing on their oral traditions as well as our own thorough, independent research. What emerges is a story that challenges what many New Zealanders have been told and leaves some hard questions. But at its centre is a centuries-long commitment to peace and non-violence that has had a profound influence far beyond Rēkohu's wild shores. In this episode we try to set things straight by explaining: How Moriori first arrived in Rēkohu. How Moriori adapted to the harsh conditions of their home. The development of Nunuku’s law of peace. Some details of Moriori life, culture, and religion. The first arrival of European explorers. The impact of European sealing gangs. The invasion of Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama in 1835. The killing and enslavement of Moriori by these iwi How New Zealand colonial authorities responded (or failed to respond) to the enslavement of Moriori. The efforts of Hirawanu Tapu and others to reclaim Moriori land, and preserve Moriori history and culture. The impact of Moriori philosophy on the pacifist Parihaka movement. The origins of myths of Moriori as the “first” people of Aotearoa, and why they became popular. The modern revival of Moriori culture. For more on this subject: www.moriori.co.nz Moriori YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqCX1A_mHDTN7YqrWpFtoCQ Moriori language app - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devign.teremoriori Moriori: A People Rediscovered by Michael King Moriori Deed of Settlement https://www.govt.nz/assets/Documents/OTS/Moriori/moriori-deed-of-settlement-initialled.pdf Moriori - Te Ara https://teara.govt.nz/en/moriori

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. In 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 Blakely Black November by Geoffrey Rice Dirt: Filth and Decay in a New World Arcadia by Pamela Janet Wood Epidemics - Te Ara https://teara.govt.nz/en/epidemics

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… 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? In 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 Brickell All Shook Up by Redmer Yska The “Mazengarb Report” https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14760/14760-h/14760-h.htm#Page_11 Teeangers and Youth - Te Ara https://teara.govt.nz/en/teenagers-and-youth

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! In 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 Harris The Making of the Māori Middle Ages by Atholl Anderson, Journal of New Zealand Studies Māori - Te Ara

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… 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. In this episode we look at: The introduction of exotic animals to Aotearoa by Māori, and early European explorers like Captain Cook. The ideology of many colonists that Aotearoa needed to be “improved” through the introduction of exotic animals. How rabbits were first introduced to Aotearoa and why they spread so rapidly The impact they had on the land, and farmers. The lives of “rabbiters” who trapped and poisoned rabbits for a living in the 19th century. The fierce debate over the introduction of rabbit predators such as ferrets, stoats and weasels. The introduction of new rabbit control methods such as 1080 and calicivirus. The current threat of rabbits to Aotearoa. For more on this subject: Unconquerable enemy or bountiful resource? A new perspective on the rabbit in Central Otago by Rachael Egerton. Exotic Intruders by Joan Druett. Rabbits: It’s as bad as it’s ever been by Melanie Reid. Newsroom. WELLS, P. K. (2006). “An Enemy of the Rabbit”: The Social Context of Acclimatisation of an Immigrant Killer. Environment and History, 12(3), 297–324. Rabbits - Te Ara.

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… 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. Topics covered in episode 14: Fourth Labour government and Rogernomics Jim Bolger and the “Mother of All Budgets” The impact of “Rogernomics” and “Ruthanasia” on workers. The sharemarket boom and bust of the mid 1980s The 1991 Employment Relations Act and the effect on unions. Introduction of MMP. Changes in rural New Zealand, decline in sheep and rise of dairy. Rise of tourism. The role of the Waitangi Tribunal, foreshore & seabed debate and success of post-settlement iwi. Future challenges faced by NZ, with a particular focus on climate change.

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… 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. Topics covered: Women’s rights movements focusing on debates over equal pay, abortion, contraceptives, sex education and sexism LGBT 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 1970s The 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.

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… 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. Topics covered: The post-war Baby Boom Māori urbanisation The Cold War, concerns about communist agents and the ANZUS Treaty The formation of the NZ National Party The Waterfront Dispute Concerns about teen “immorality” moral panic and crackdowns The shift from British to Pākehā identity, growing enthusiasm for “kiwi” culture Samoan independence. The Dawn Raids and Polynesian Panthers The Māori Renaissance and activism, including the 1975 Land March and Bastion Point Occupation The Treaty of Waitangi Act and the role of the Waitangi Tribunal

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… 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. Topics covered: The basics of WWI, how it started, who were the major belligerents Trench warfare and the establishment of the “Western Front” The logic behind the Dardanelles campaign and how it went wrong Why Pākehā signed up to fight Why some Māori wanted to fight Opposition 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 Samoa

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… 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. Topics 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.

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 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. Topics covered: Provincialism versus Centralism Julius Vogel and the “Grand Go-Ahead policy” The Long Depression and its impact on New Zealanders How 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 vote The exclusion of Chinese people from NZ society. The early Labour Movement and the Great Strike of 1913

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… 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. Topics 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.

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. Topics covered: Te Ua Haumene and the rise of Pai Mārire Māori and Pākehā perceptions of Pai Mārire. The 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.

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. Topics 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.

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.

Why isn’t New Zealand part of Australia? 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. In this episode we discuss: How colonies in Australia became hubs for trade with Māori in Aotearoa. The different attitudes of Europeans towards indigenous New Zealanders and Australians. How the colony of New Zealand grew out of New South Wales. The early trans-tasman connections of New Zealand colonists. How the colonies of Australia Federated into the Commonwealth of Australia and why New Zealand didn’t join up. The story of the Anzacs, and tensions between the NZ and Australian Governments during WWII. How NZ and Australia came together through military and trade agreements in the second half of the 20th century. For more on this subject: The Prickly Pair by Denis McLean A Destiny Apart by Keiieth Sinclair Remaking the Tasman World by Philippa Mein Smith Te Ara Encyclopaedia - Australia and New Zealand: https://teara.govt.nz/en/australia-and-new-zealand

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. From the first Māori arrivals who worked out how to grow tropical plants in our cold, wet climate - to modern scientific breeding and robotics, New Zealand agriculture has always been at the cutting edge. But innovation isn’t always good news for all people, or for the environment - so in this episode we dig into the history of New Zealand agriculture through the lens of innovation. In this episode we discuss: How Māori worked out which native New Zealand plants were edible. How Māori managed to grow tropical plants like kūmara in New Zealand's cold and wet climate. New Zealand innovations in sheep breeding and shearing - including the violent disputes over wide shearing combs in Australia. New Zealand’s embrace of topdressing, and the devastating impacts of phosphate mining in Nauru. A whole lot more! For more on this subject: Making a New Land edited by Eric Pawson & Tom Brooking Three Steel Teeth by Mark Filmer Farming Inventions - Te Ara Encyclopaedia: https://teara.govt.nz/en/inventions-patents-and-trademarks/page-3

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. On 19 September 1893 Aotearoa became the first self-governing country in the world where women could vote. So… How did it happen? Well that’s a wild ride from the French Revolution, through the colonisation of Aotearoa, to battles over booze, to ultimate victory. In this episode we discuss: How New Zealand's first parliamentary election had far more liberal voting rights than in the UK. The role of Māori women in decision making before colonisation. The global suffrage movement. The rise of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the role debates over alcohol played in the battle for suffrage. The story of Kate Sheppard and her allies in the campaign for suffrage. The story of anti-suffragists and the tactics they used to block women from winning voting rights. The story of Māori suffragists including Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia. For more on this subject: A History of New Zealand Women by Barbara Brookes. Women's Suffrage in New Zealand by Patricia Grimshaw. Women and the Vote - NZHistory.govt.nz: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/womens-suffrage Voting Rights - Te Ara Encyclopaedia: https://teara.govt.nz/en/voting-rights

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… 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. Topics 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 war

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 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. Topics covered: Early colonists and how they created the stereotypical image of a kiwi bloke Deforestation, the introduction of new mammal predators and the decline of native wildlife Sheep barons and the desire for more land The Native Land Court, why it was set up and how it worked The Wi Parata Case. Māori population decline in the 19th century The Parihaka Raid

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… 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. Topics covered: Frustration over Pākehā behaviour at Kororāreka/Russell The foundation of the United Tribes of New Zealand and their declaration of independence Outline of the different European factions - the French, Wakefield and the NZ Company, the British Colonial Office, Missionaries and British humanitarian movements The 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 Russell The Northern War, including discussions of Māori “trench warfare” and why some Māori chose to fight alongside the British.

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… 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. Topics covered: Prosperity in the 1920s, new technologies, increasing home ownership and education The 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 Depression Notable 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.

New Zealand has had some big ambitions in the Pacific and mixed relations with our neighbours. Through much of the 19th century NZ politicians and administrators dreamed of running a vast empire in the Pacific. Parts of that dream came true - although for some, it was more like a nightmare. Today, Aotearoa has fewer Pacific possessions that it once had, but the history of our attempts at colonial expansion has effects which continue to reverberate throughout the Pacific. In this episode we discuss: Where the idea of a NZ run Pacific Empire came from. How competition with France contributed to the push for NZ to colonize other pacific islands. Why British authorities were often reluctant to go along with the plan. How NZ eventually came to control Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau. The 1918 flu outbreak in Samoa and the rise of the Mau movement. Samoan resistance to NZ control, including the "Black Saturday" killing of Samoan protesters by NZ police. The killing of Cecil Hector Larsen in Niue. Decolonisation and independence of some of NZs Pacific territories post WWII. For more on this subject: Boyd, Mary. ‘New Zealand and the other Pacific Islands.’ In The Oxford illustrated history of New Zealand, Crocombe, Ron. Pacific neighbours: New Zealand’s relations with other Pacific islands. Henderson, John. ‘New Zealand and Oceania.’ In New Zealand in world affairs IV, 1990–2005. Howe, K. R., Robert C. Kiste, and Brij V. Lal, eds. Tides of history: the Pacific Islands in the twentieth century. Ross, Angus. New Zealand aspirations in the Pacific in the nineteenth century. Salesa, Damon. ‘New Zealand’s Pacific.’ In The new Oxford history of New Zealand. NZ and the Pacific Islands - Te Ara: https://teara.govt.nz/en/pacific-islands-and-new-zealand