NZ Wars

Mihingarangi Forbes examines the armed conflicts of the late 1800s between Māori and the military might of the British Empire in this documentary series on the bloody birth of modern Aotearoa.

• Ep 1

  1.Stories of Ruapekapeka

  28-10-201733m

  The Stories of Ruapekapeka, a documentary highlighting Northland's most infamous armed conflict, is hosted by RNZ's Māori Issues Correspondent Mihingarangi Forbes, and was made alo...

  Show more
• Ep 2

  2.Stories of Waitara

  27-10-201944m

  NZ Wars: Stories of Waitara combines oral histories, state of the art animations and powerful dramatic re-enactments to bring to life the narratives of Te Ātiawa in their epic batt...

  Show more
• Ep 3

  3.Stories of Tainui

  12-02-202147m

  The 1863 invasion of the Waikato was the defining conflict of New Zealand, reinforcing the Crown's power, entrenching one of Aotearoa's oldest political institutions and resulting...

  Show more
• Ep 4

  4.Stories of Wairau

  04-02-202356m

  The fourth chapter in RNZ’s NZ Wars series examines the events that led to the first armed conflict between Ngāti Toa, the New Zealand Company and Nelson settlers just three years...

  Show more
• Ep 5

  5.Stories of Tauranga Moana

  29-04-202447m

  The fifth chapter of this series, NZ Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana recounts the events that unfolded in the Bay of Plenty and their far-reaching consequences for future generatio...

  Show more