The Aotearoa History Show

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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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