The Aotearoa History Show: Season 1

2020

Through animation and extensive research, the history of Aotearoa is explored and detailed in this factual series.

Where to watch The Aotearoa History Show: Season 1

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The Aotearoa History Show: Season 1 episodes

Episode 1Prehistoric New Zealand

Zealandia is formed, volcanoes and ice ages make their mark... More and we ask what happened to our mammals.

Tangata Whenua

Polynesian explorers reach new shores far to the south; a... More land unlike anything they had seen before. It’s a story of technological innovation, new horizons and becoming a new, distinct people.

Early Encounters

Tasman and then Cook visit and before long Europeans come... More to stay. Muskets, missionaries and international trade change the country as two cultures seek to make sense of each other.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Māori and Pākehā wrestle with how to share Aotearoa, the... More New Zealand Company is formed and Te Tiriti o Waitangi is signed. But before long disputes arise, prompting the Wairau Affray and Northern War.

New Zealand Wars, Part 1

Governor George Grey send troops south from Auckland, invading the... More Waikato. But Kingitanga fight back and a new phase of warfare begins in New Zealand that would see thousands of lives lost.

New Zealand Wars, Part 2

Religious movements such as Pai Mārire & Ringatū arise to... More oppose settler expansion. While British troops withdraw, local militia take up the fight and we see atrocities committed by all sides.

Votes, Depressions and Refrigerators

The New Zealand Wars are over… what comes next? A... More whole lot of political wrangling over how to run the new colony. Plus how refrigeration saved the Kiwi economy from the brink of disaster and how women won the right to vote.

Colonists and Courts

As the number of European settlers and a new Pakeha... More culture grew, so did the immigrants' demand for land. The government introduced new laws and the Land Court. This led to one of New Zealand's darkest days - the raid on Parihaka.

The First World War

The First World War changed New Zealand, but did we... More 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.

The Great Depression

It’s the 1920s and the roots of another disaster are... More 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.

The Second World War

New Zealanders play a small but significant role in the... More Second World War on land, sea and air. But when Japan enters the war it looks like the fighting is about to arrive on our doorstep.

Post-War New Zealand

The 50s and 60s were decades of huge cultural change.... More Māori were moving into the cities in large numbers for the first time. Meanwhile, there were communist scares, industrial disputes, and moral panics about rowdy teenagers.

Decades of Change

Through the 60s and 70s generations clashed and minority groups... More fought for their rights. Social issues such as women's rights and nuclear power gained traction.

Modern New Zealand

The 1984 election is a tumultuous tipping point; the start... More of a new New Zealand with a more open, less equal economy; a new style of democracy and a more diverse population.