Podcasts by Eyewitness
What it’s like to come face-to-face with history.
Further podcasts by RNZ
Podcast on the topic Geschichte
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Face-off with a Great White from 2021-09-30T05:00
Is this what it's like to die? This was one of the thoughts drifting through sixteen year old Barry Watkins mind as he clung on to the edge of his brand new surfboard. In a story of terror and surv...
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Sir Bryan Williams - altering rugby history from 2021-09-23T15:30
Rugby legend Sir Bryan Williams made All Blacks rugby history as the first player of Pasifika blood to play in Apartheid-era South Africa in the early 1970s. He talks to Sonia Yee about the cultura...
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Inside the Controversial North Beach Zoo from 2021-09-16T05:00
Not much is known of the suburban zoo that was once situated in Christchurch's North Beach. But those who visited recall eyeing up a mysterious crocodile in a small glass enclosure. In this episode...
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When the dress made the woman from 2021-09-09T05:00
At a time when women were embracing their femininity after the war years, Barbara Herrick wanted to change the way women felt about themselves through fashion. She speaks to Sonia Yee about Dior's ...
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The Wizard: A Living Work of Art from 2021-09-02T05:00
Little is known about The Wizard of New Zealand who took centre stage in Christchurch's Cathedral Square from the 70s until the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011, which saw the city in a state of di...
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Radio Dunedin - One of the oldest stations in the world from 2021-08-26T05:00
This year marks 100 years since the first radio transmission in New Zealand and the man behind it is also responsible for laying the foundation for the oldest radio station in the country - Radio D...
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The Background to NZ's Longest Running Children's Show - What Now from 2021-08-19T05:00
What Now is New Zealand's most successful and longest running children's television show and this year celebrated 40 years. Rex Simpson who founded it says it was a platform to grow new ta...
NZ's Longest Running Children's Show - What Now from 2021-08-19T05:00
What Now is New Zealand's most successful and longest running children's television show and this year celebrated 40 years. Rex Simpson who founded it says it was a platform to grow new talent, and...
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There's Nothing Romantic About Pitcairn from 2021-08-12T05:00
It was the spirit of adventure that took teacher, Tony Washington and his family to Pitcairn Island. One of the most isolated communities in the world, Pitcairn is just over five-and-a-half thousan...
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New Zealand's most iconic ad: The Great Crunchie Train Robbery from 2021-08-05T05:00
In this episode of Eyewitness Sonia Yee takes a look at why The Great Crunchie Train Robbery was a runaway success at a time when the advertising industry hit a turning point.
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The ‘49ers from 2021-07-29T15:30
An epic train journey for a game of rugby marks the end of an era. Produced by Julie Benjamin
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Megan Compain: Making History in Women’s Basketball from 2021-07-22T07:00
Basketball has taken Whanganui born and raised, Megan Compain all over the world, including competing in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. But she also made history as the youngest player (and the o...
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The Rise and Fall of Empire Day from 2020-12-24T07:00
Empire Day fell on the 24th of May and was celebrated in New Zealand from 1903 - two years after Queen Victoria passed away on 22 January 1901. The date was The Queen's birthday, but it was also on...
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Making Popstars: Truebliss from 2020-12-17T07:00
What is it like to be catapulted to overnight stardom? That very scenario happened to five Kiwi girls who became part of all-group Truebliss back in 1999. South African-born Megan Alatini recalls t...
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Tiwai Point: Fifty Years in the Furnace from 2020-12-10T07:00
Tiwai Point is a polarising place, people tend to love it or hate it. 2021 will be its 50th year of operations, it could also be the smelter's last. Eyewitness follows the history of the Tiwai Poin...
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Changing Medical History - New Zealand's First Open Heart Surgery from 2020-12-03T07:00
Prior to 1958 mortality rates for babies born with heart conditions was extremely high. But a groundbreaking open heart surgery performed 62 years ago at Greenlane Hospital by Sir Brian Barratt-Boy...
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First Female Police Recruits: 'They were a fine bunch of young women' from 2020-11-26T07:00
In the 1940s, Marie Storey was part of the third intake of women to join the police force in New Zealand. She speaks to Sonia Yee about being used as a decoy to catch a pervert; segregated training...
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Rebuilding an iconic road: the making of State Highway 80 from 2020-11-19T07:00
Rebuilding the iconic Mount Cook Road was both a challenge and a privilege. Find out more in this episode of Eyewitness.
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The Leap of Faith To Save a Language from 2020-11-12T07:00
Forty years ago the Māori language was on the brink of dying out. Only 5% of Māori spoke it fluently. A massive push to save it was underway and at the heart of that movement was a little school at...
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The Making of Grace Kwan from 2020-11-05T07:00
How culturally diverse is New Zealand television and when did things start to shift? Sonia Yee explores the making of character Dr Grace Kwan - the first Asian character to become part of mainstrea...
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The fall and rise of the gold kiwifruit from 2020-10-29T00:00
New Zealand is the third largest producer of kiwifruit in the world. But in November 2010, that looked to change when kiwifruit vines across the country became ravaged by the bacterial disease PSA....
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Georgina Beyer on Carmen Rupe: 'We had to live in this twilight' from 2020-03-26T07:00
"From the good and the great to the lowest of the low, she bridged a gap," says Georgina Beyer of transgender trailblazer, Carmen Rupe. Find out more in this episode of Eyewitness.
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Swine Flu 2009/2010 from 2020-03-19T07:00
As Covid-19 sweeps across the world, Eyewitness examines another outbreak that captured the headlines a decade ago.
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Eyewitness: Apec 1999 and the crisis in East Timor from 2020-03-12T07:00
APEC 1999; the unlikely story of how a free trade talkfest helped save a nation from destruction. Produced by Justin Gregory.
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'I delayed the Millennium by five or six minutes' - Murray Kingi on The Gathering 2000 from 2019-12-19T15:35
At the turn of the millennium 15,000 people gathered at the top of a mountain to dance. And then, it rained. A lot. Produced by Kirsten Johnstone
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RSE scheme 'transformed' the New Zealand fruit growing industry from 2019-12-12T07:00
Millions of dollars worth of New Zealand fruit and grapes were at risk of rotting on the branches due to a worker shortage. Until a bunch of growers took a risk. Produced by Eva Corlett.
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'I was all Xena, all the time' from 2019-12-05T07:00
Once upon a time, a TV show changed the way people around the world saw New Zealand, ushered in a new way for fans to get together and made a permanent impact on one fan's life. Produced by Justin ...
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Shoot Straight and Tell the Truth from 2019-11-28T07:00
The 1972 Munich Olympics was meant to be a festival of sport. But that's not how it turned out. Produced by Sonia Sly.
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Never again? The case of James Whakaruru from 2019-09-26T07:00
On Eyewitness - it's been 20 years since the killing of a child shocked the country. We said it must never happen again. So why has it? Produced by Katie Doyle.
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Barry De Geest: 'We were used as guinea pigs' from 2019-09-19T07:00
On Eyewitness - a look at the drug that affected the lives of 10,000 babies…the story of Thalidomide. Produced by Sonia Sly.
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Melani Anae:'We said we weren't going to take it anymore' from 2019-09-12T07:00
When the police started cracking down on Pasifika overstayers, a group of young people called the Polynesian Panthers started pushing back. Produced by Jamie Tahana.
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Brent Hansen: 'Live Aid was 16 hours of guessing what happened next' from 2019-09-05T07:00
The 1985 Live Aid concert was broadcast all around the world. But it very nearly wasn't seen here. Produced by Katie Scotcher.
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A Very Bright Idea from 2019-07-11T07:00
Timaru man Colin Murdoch was one of the world's great inventors. Produced by Justin Gregory.
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The Rugby War from 2019-07-04T07:00
In 1995 rugby dropped its amateur ethos and went openly professional - but not before nearly tearing itself in two. Produced by Justin Gregory
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Eyewitness: the Sisters Overseas Service and the 1977 Abortion Act from 2019-06-27T07:00
When restrictive new abortion laws were passed in this country, a grass roots group of women immediately mobilised. Produced by Claire Crofton.
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Eyewitness: 10 years on from Napier Siege from 2019-06-20T07:00
When a routine search warrant goes suddenly wrong, an ordinary man becomes a hero. Produced by Anneke Smith.
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Eyewitness: The Wool Shock of 1966 from 2019-03-28T07:00
Not that long ago, the New Zealand economy was built on sheep, sheep and more sheep. We were asking for economic trouble and in the late 1960s, we got it. Produced by Justin Gregory.
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Dialling up the past: the evolution of telecommunications in NZ from 2019-03-21T07:00
In the last century we have seen a massive revolution in telecommunications. Technological advances have brought the world closer together, but we have lost something too. Liz Garton looks at the s...
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Niue and Niu Silani from 2019-03-14T07:00
For over a century, Niueans have been moving to New Zealand in search of a better life. Did they find it?
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Nana and the Napier Earthquake from 2019-03-07T15:32
Isobel was 14-and-a-half when the Napier earthquake hit. Decades later, her grand-daughter interviewed her about it for a school project.
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The New Zealand food revolution from 2018-12-20T07:00
Did you know that the tomato only became popular locally about 1920? Or that brussels sprouts and silverbeet didn't catch on until the 1930s? Our national diet has undergone massive changes in the ...
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Are You Y2K OK? from 2018-12-13T07:00
In last year of the old millennium, governments and businesses warned us all of the dangers of the Y2K Bug. So did the hype help? Or was this bug never going to bite?
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The Lions of Lawrence from 2018-12-06T07:00
Two lions escape from a circus in small town New Zealand. Who you gonna call? Produced by Justin Gregory.
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The Experience of a Lifetime - Sinking of Mikhail Lermontov from 2018-09-28T07:00
Why is a Soviet ship lying on the bottom of the Marlborough Sounds? Produced by Justin Gregory.
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New Zealand health camps: 'Under the Gunn' from 2018-09-20T07:00
Health camps have been helping sickly Kiwi kids get better for a century now. What was it like to be at one? And why are the camps today failing to thrive?
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Taranaki or Egmont: what's in a name? from 2018-09-13T07:00
A famous mountain gets two new names. Was this a messy compromise or a farsighted decision? Or is it still too early to tell? Produced by Justin Gregory.
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'The strap' - corporal punishment at school in New Zealand from 2018-09-06T07:00
Getting the strap at school - a harmless rite of passage or an awful abuse of power? Produced by Justin Gregory.
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A carpet of dead bodies: a Hiroshima survivor's story from 2018-06-21T07:00
At thirteen Taeko Yoshioka Braid survived a moment of history that changed the world forever; the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Produced by Lynda Chanwai-Earle.
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Behind the Iron Curtain from 2018-06-14T07:00
Moscow, near the end of the Cold War; paranoia, politics and perestroika. An embassy guard recalls life behind the Iron Curtain. Produced by Justin Gregory.
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The Only Way to Pay? from 2018-06-07T15:30
EFTPOS and ATMs changed not just the way we bank, but arguably, the way we live. But was that a good thing? Produced by Justin Gregory.
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It'll never catch on from 2018-03-29T15:30
Trade Me - buyers sending money to people they've never met for goods they've never seen? It'll never catch on! Produced by Justin Gregory.
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The night the lights went out in Auckland from 2018-03-22T15:30
Auckland, 1998. After a long, hot summer, the lights suddenly go out in the city.
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How hard can it be? from 2018-03-15T15:30
In early 90s Christchurch, a remarkable group of Pasifika performers take their first steps towards success.
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Foul tactics from 2018-03-08T15:30
In the icy waters of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, a protest boat is rammed by Japanese whalers and sinks soon afterwards. But who was really to blame?
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War on the Waterfront from 2017-12-13T15:30
Five months without work, scant food and the whole nation against you... Katy Gosset hears a first-hand account of the 1951 Waterfront Dispute.
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For richer, not for poorer from 2017-12-06T15:30
At the age of 20, Huia Welton got married. But not to the person she loved. Produced by Justin Gregory.
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On any other day from 2017-11-29T15:30
An emergency signal sparks a desperate search for a missing air force helicopter. Produced by Justin Gregory.
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Glory, glory, Man United! from 2017-09-27T15:30
The mighty Manchester United go head-to-head in a match with an amateur Auckland team. How do you reckon the game turns out? Produced by John Baker and Justin Gregory.
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Rescue from 'Middle Peak Hotel' from 2017-09-20T15:30
In this episode of Eyewitness: a dramatic alpine rescue that kept New Zealand on tenterhooks More than thirty years ago, two climbers were stranded on Mt Cook for two weeks, while the media recorde...
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Should I stay or should I go? from 2017-09-13T15:30
Sri Lanka, 1992 - New Zealand's Black Caps cricket team dodge a suicide bomber but get caught up in a web of civil war, contract disputes and fights between players and management.
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Black Monday from 2017-09-07T15:30
The 1980s will be remembered for big hair, shoulder pads and the biggest destruction of wealth investors had ever seen. It's 30 years since the 1987 share market crash but the legacy of Black Monda...
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The Pope's chair, here from 2017-06-14T15:35
Only one Catholic Pope has ever made the trip all the way from Rome to New Zealand. In 1986 His Holiness Pope John Paul II spent three days here and the local church prepared for his visit in a uni...
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Crisis- who runs the country? from 2017-06-07T15:30
June 1984 and a drunken decision late one night leads to a snap election. Sir Robert Muldoon's ruling National Government is thrown out of office and David Lange's reforming Labour Party voted in. ...
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'If you were twenty, you were old' from 2017-03-15T15:30
How young is too young to compete in international sport? Rebecca Perrott had an outstanding swimming career which began when she was picked at the age of 12 for the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Chri...
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Shayne Carter on Straijacket Fits' breakup from 2017-03-08T14:30
February 1994 in Auckland, the Big Day Out is bursting noisily into life. But as the giant outdoor music festival gets going, one band on the line-up is calling it quits. Eyewitness goes back to th...
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'She's a good chap' from 2017-03-01T15:35
On Valentine's Day 2007 Georgina Beyer brought down the curtain on her 8 year career in government. The first transsexual in the world to be elected to parliament, her short time in national politi...
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In the driving seat from 2017-01-25T15:35
Not that long ago, women held all of the top-ranking positions in NZ. In this episode of the Eyewitness podcast series, we discover that this is far from the case now.
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The Peace Squadron from 2016-10-26T15:30
November 2016 sees the arrival of an American warship in a New Zealand port; the first for more than thirty years. The visit is stirring up memories of a time when New Zealand's harbours were battl...
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Pinetree Plays On from 2016-10-19T15:35
Contrary to popular belief, All Black Buck Shelford did not lose a testicle while playing against France but Colin "Pinetree" Meads really did play almost an entire game of rugby with a broken arm....
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Avalanche at Everest Base Camp from 2016-10-12T15:35
In 2015 a violent earthquake shook Nepal, killing thousands across the country. In its wake, climbing teams at Mt Everest were hit by a deadly avalanche that destroyed Base Camp and caused the deat...
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The Show Did Go On from 2016-10-05T15:35
In 1992 a sudden financial crisis forced the Mercury theatre to close in dramatic fashion. Auckland Theatre Company rose from its ashes. Actor/director Simon Prast was there and recalls the upheava...
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Jenny and Jools from 2016-09-01T08:10
In August 2013 Labour MP Louisa Wall's Marriage Amendment Act came into effect. Since the passing of this historic law, more than two thousand same sex couples have tied the knot. RNZ's Eyewitness ...
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The Poet and the Runaway from 2016-04-29T14:15
Ella Henry is a respected broadcaster and academic but in 1970 she was a lost and restless teenager, on the verge of getting into serious trouble. A chance encounter with a famous literary figure h...
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Eyewitness - Life for a Burmese child refugee from 2015-12-09T15:35
Aung San Suu Kyi's recent historic democratic victory in the Myanmar elections seems to have brought positive change for the country but for a whole generation of former child refugees, life was co...
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Cobwebs and Colonials : Sarah Mathew and the Founding of Auckland from 2015-10-09T14:12
The city of Auckland was founded in 1840 in a mix of hope and compromise and the occasion was marked with a suitably pompous ceremony. Just one eyewitness account remains from that day, and it was ...
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Speaking of Evil - Cambodian women survive Pol Pot from 2015-08-26T15:35
Imagine having to beg for your child's life with nothing but a couple of cigarettes as a bribe. Thirty years after their trauma, a group of 10 Cambodian New Zealand women are only now able to tell ...
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Medic Recalls London Bombings 12-years On from 2015-07-03T14:20
A day of terror on the London Underground. The bombs go off 12 years ago.
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The Body Collector from 2015-06-24T15:35
Mark Cunningham – known as Marko to the locals in Thailand – is a Kiwi from Upper Hutt. Marko survived the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 and joined local volunteers to collect bodies. These days Marko...
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Tony Forster, an “accidental” Berliner from 2015-05-29T14:20
Eyewitness producer Lisa Thompson hears the serendipitous story of Tony Forster; a New Zealander who was one of the first to cross through Checkpoint Charlie the night the Berlin Wall started comin...
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Still on Top. from 2015-04-24T14:20
In August 1998, the Auckland Art Gallery was the scene of this country's first major art theft. An armed man burst in, threatening visitors and assaulting a security guard before making off with th...
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One Woman's Miracle - Burundi Remembered from 2015-04-22T17:40
Two artists share their stories of the personal connections and memories they have of their homes through the exhibition Something felt, something shared. What are the connections and relationships...
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Changi Prison Survivor from 2015-04-01T15:35
Roland de Bruyne is an elderly Malaysian Aucklander and a survivor of the infamous Changi Prison during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during WW2. Last year his children discovered letters an...
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New Zealand’s ‘darkest day’ in test cricket - extended version from 2015-03-27T14:21
Archived audio courtesy of The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound - Contains commentary of New Zealand's first-ever cricket test victory: against the West Indies in Auckland on 13 Ma...
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New Zealand’s darkest day in test cricket from 2015-03-27T14:20
Archived audio courtesy of The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound - Contains commentary of New Zealand's first-ever cricket test victory: against the West Indies in Auckland on 13 Ma...
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Red Cross Local Legend - Margaret Rankine from 2015-03-20T14:30
Lynda Chanwai-Earle meets Red Cross and local legend Margaret Rankin. An Eastbourne resident, Margaret will never forget one of the worst storms ever to hit our coasts. Witnessing the sinking of th...
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Eyewitness: Whale Tales from 2014-12-17T15:30
It's nearly 50 years since Marlborough whalers J. A. Perano and Company harpooned their last whale in New Zealand waters. Peter Perano reflects on what it was like to be a third generation whaler. ...
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Growing Roots Chinese Refuge from 2014-11-19T15:30
Seventy five years ago several hundred Chinese women and children arrived in New Zealand, fleeing the Japanese invasion of China. These were the wives and children of the Chinese men already here. ...
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The Siege of Sarajevo from 2014-10-01T15:30
In 1993 Tony Gardner was just another Kiwi on his OE when a friend talked him into a dangerous plan - transporting medical supplies into the besieged city of Sarajevo.
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Facing Down the Bomb - a protest at Mururoa 1973 from 2014-06-18T15:30
In 1973, at just 19 years of age, Anna Horne sailed with three others to Mururoa to oppose nuclear testing by France. But rather than witnessing a bomb being detonated, she watched the skipper bein...
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The 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera from 2014-05-28T15:30
Willy Bennett and Roger Delamere Dansey recall the horrifying night of 10 June 1886, when the eruption of Mount Tarawera killed up to 150 people and destroyed many settlements.
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Eyewitness: The 1999 East Timor Independence Referendum from 2014-04-16T15:30
Tim Howard recalls the violence and the hope that surrounded the 1999 East Timor referendum on independence from Indonesia
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Eyewitness: The 1994 South Africa General Elections from 2014-04-11T14:20
Wellington-based Beth Houston shares her views on apartheid and recalls her experience as an election observer at the 1994 General Elections.
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