History
Historians at sea
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage is disestablishing four of its five senior historian roles. Historian and former editor for Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand Jock Phillips joins Nights to… Audio
'It'll be the talk of the town' - Tākaka home proposed for ancient waka
It's been 13 years since the 700-year-old Anaweka waka was found on Golden Bay's west coast by a family on a picnic.
Thousands of Māori, Moriori items may be in overseas museums and universities
One museum alone holds over 2500 Māori taonga.
Most of ministry's history jobs soon to be history
Manatū Taonga is going ahead with cutting the jobs of most of its historians.
Myth Takes: The Aeneid
Classics educator and enthusiast Ben Jackson joins Emile Donovan to celebrate that lesser-known epic poem, The Aeneid, by the Roman poet Virgil. Audio
Did Early Settlers really drink beer instead of water?
One of the enduring New Zealand myths is that West Coast miners drank beer instead of water, pretty wild idea, but is it actually true? As historian Dr Grant Morris explains to Jesse, the truth is… Audio
The WW2 logbook with a fascinating story
The Airforce Museum in Christchurch regularly receives donations of WW2 memorabilia. But a recent donation stood out, a log book belonging to Sargent Charles Kronk. It had a big gash in the top… Audio
Call for wider consultation on memorial for patients' unmarked graves
Porirua's Pacific community wants more consultation on a memorial for more than 1800 former patients buried in unmarked graves.
Digging up the shame of the past
Excavators have begun work at St. Mary's Mother-and-Baby Home in Tuam where unmarried pregnant women were sent to give birth from 1925 to 1961. Audio
Iwi leader on discovery of French maritime artifact
One of New Zealand's oldest European artifacts, an anchor from a French ship, has been found in Doubtless Bay. Its captain's actions are another story. Audio
Not a dry eye in the house: Documentary tells history of Takahanga Marae
The Bones of Our Past started as a film about the marae's 30th anniversary celebrations, but became much more.
This Weekend: NZ's Walk of Fame
New Zealand's Walk of Fame is celebrating fifteen years with a night of live music on the Orewa Boulevard. Audio
Haere Mai (Everything is Kapai) singer Daphne Walker dies
Singer Daphne Walker has died aged 94. Walker was best known for songs likes 'Haere Mai (Everything is Kapai)' popular in the 1950s. Music historian Chris Bourke spoke to Corin Dann. Audio
From Auckland to Christchurch: New hope for Erebus memorial
More than 40 years on, families hope a tribute in Christchurch can finally honour New Zealand's worst aviation disaster. Audio
Morning Report Essentials for Thursday 17 July 2025
In today's episode, figures provided in a just released study show since 2008 there have been an average of 36,500 symptomatic cases of campylobacter each year, 535 people on average are hospitalized… Audio
Erebus captain's daughter says memorial belongs in Auckland
The Ministry of Culture and Heritage has shared three possible Christchurch locations for a national memorial with victims' families. Audio
Three sites picked for potential Erebus memorial in Christchurch
The Ministry of Culture and Heritage is seeking feedback from families of the Erebus disaster about potential sites for a memorial in Christchurch. Ministry of Culture and Heritage senior officer… Audio
Christchurch sites considered for Erebus memorial
A plan for a memorial in Auckland's Dove Meyer Robinson Park was abandoned in 2023.
If this is the Golden Age, how do we make the most of it?
Humans have periods of great success followed by decline and eventual collapse. It's what we do. Golden Ages lose their shine. We are living in the greatest Golden Age of all time and what happens… Audio
