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.

"Thar she blows!"

"Whales to starboard!"

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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
• Te Ara Encyclopaedia - Sealing

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details