Eyewitness: Recent Episodes
RNZ
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 survival Barry recalls what it was like to come face-to-face with a great white - the fifth shark attack in Dunedin history.
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 cultural obstacles and challenges heading into the three-month tour, what it meant for Black South Africans and why he's advocating for Pasifika players today through Moana Pasifika.
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 of Eyewitness, Sonia Yee uncovers some myths, and finds out why it has left many with a mix of wonder and bewilderment.
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 New Look that took the world by storm, carving a path in Auckland's high-end fashion scene with her label, Babs Radon. And shares what it was like to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at The New Zealand Wool Awards.
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 disrepair. A man who challenged political, social and cultural ideology, The Wizard posed provocative questions in this public space, much to the delight, and sometimes dismay, of passersby. But the background to why The Wizard was there in the first place has been something of a mystery... until now. Sonia Yee finds out more in this episode of Eyewitness.
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 Dunedin. Sonia Yee finds out why Radio Dunedin couldn't broadcast the weather during World War 2, and more...
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 a place where kids were encouraged to get off the couch.
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 thousand kilometres from Christchurch. From an outsider's perspective, it looks idyllic but was it the adventure Tony and his family expected? Find out more in this episode produced and presented by Sonia Yee.
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.
An epic train journey for a game of rugby marks the end of an era. Produced by Julie Benjamin
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 only New Zealander) to be selected for the Women's National Basketball Association or WNBA - the counterpart to the NBA in the United States. It’s 25 years since the WNBA was established and along the way, Megan also had her fair share of interactions with some legendary players...and Kobe Bryant was one of them.
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 one shared with a 7-year-old boy. Find out what happened on this special day and hear the personal story of a young boy dreaming of reuniting with his Dad who was fighting in the second world war, in the latest episode of Eyewitness.
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 the moment that changed her life and what it meant to be on Popstars - the first music-based reality TV show of its kind to have a world premiere.
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 Point aluminium smelter.
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-Boyes changed medical history forever. Sonia Yee looks at the lead-up to the big day and the innovative machine used in the operation.
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 and why women were working as plain clothed officers.
Rebuilding the iconic Mount Cook Road was both a challenge and a privilege. Find out more in this episode of Eyewitness.
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 the foothills of the Urewera Ranges...
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 mainstream TV on New Zealand's most loved soap opera, Shortland Street.
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. It spread like wildfire and wiped out the Zespri Gold breed at the time. Sonia Yee speaks to award-winning researcher, Professor Russell Lowe and New Zealand's leading organic kiwifruit breeder, Jeff Roderick, to find out how PSA affected the wider industry and what it took to fight a disease that was destroying one of New Zealand's most precious export products.
"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.
As Covid-19 sweeps across the world, Eyewitness examines another outbreak that captured the headlines a decade ago.
APEC 1999; the unlikely story of how a free trade talkfest helped save a nation from destruction. Produced by Justin Gregory.
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
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.
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 Gregory
The 1972 Munich Olympics was meant to be a festival of sport. But that's not how it turned out. Produced by Sonia Sly.
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.
On Eyewitness - a look at the drug that affected the lives of 10,000 babies…the story of Thalidomide. Produced by Sonia Sly.
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.
The 1985 Live Aid concert was broadcast all around the world. But it very nearly wasn't seen here. Produced by Katie Scotcher.
Timaru man Colin Murdoch was one of the world's great inventors. Produced by Justin Gregory.
In 1995 rugby dropped its amateur ethos and went openly professional - but not before nearly tearing itself in two. Produced by Justin Gregory
When restrictive new abortion laws were passed in this country, a grass roots group of women immediately mobilised. Produced by Claire Crofton.
When a routine search warrant goes suddenly wrong, an ordinary man becomes a hero. Produced by Anneke Smith.
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.
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 shift from manual to automatic telephone exchanges - a roll out that took nearly a century.
For over a century, Niueans have been moving to New Zealand in search of a better life. Did they find it?
Isobel was 14-and-a-half when the Napier earthquake hit. Decades later, her grand-daughter interviewed her about it for a school project.
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 last half-century. Duncan Smith heads to the annual NZ Symposium of Gastronomy to find out why.
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?
Two lions escape from a circus in small town New Zealand. Who you gonna call? Produced by Justin Gregory.
Why is a Soviet ship lying on the bottom of the Marlborough Sounds? Produced by Justin Gregory.
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?
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.
Getting the strap at school - a harmless rite of passage or an awful abuse of power? Produced by Justin Gregory.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In early 90s Christchurch, a remarkable group of Pasifika performers take their first steps towards success.
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?
Christmas 2005; a hundred drunk men dressed as Santa allegedly riot in downtown Auckland. But was it true? Yes. Yes it was. Mostly.
Five months without work, scant food and the whole nation against you... Katy Gosset hears a first-hand account of the 1951 Waterfront Dispute.
At the age of 20, Huia Welton got married. But not to the person she loved. Produced by Justin Gregory.
An emergency signal sparks a desperate search for a missing air force helicopter. Produced by Justin Gregory.
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.
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 recorded every detail of the drama. The survival of Mark Inglis and Phil Doole is now a well recognised part of the country's alpine history. Here Katy Gosset tells us the lesser known story of the man behind their rescue.
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.
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 Monday still lingers.
In 1961, the 'Pill' went on sale in New Zealand and women's lives were changed forever. The first truly reliable contraceptive, the Pill meant being able to control your fertility was now a matter of choice. But not everyone here in Godzone was judged worthy of making that choice. In this episode of Eyewitness, in 1966, Carol, as she wants to be known, was young, single, sexually active and in a hurry to be an adult. Produced by Justin Gregory.
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 uniquely Kiwi way. Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory remembers the Pope's flying visit and tracks down a special item he left behind.
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. But before they could take power, an unprecedented constitutional crisis gripped the country and for three days, no one knew who was in charge.
It's been a wild three-decade ride for broadcaster TV3. They launched in 1989 as an energetic alternative to state-owned Television New Zealand and proved they had what it took to survive - but not before going broke, being sold a few times and losing large numbers of long serving staff members. Earlier this year TV3 broke with the past and rebranded as +HR=E. Journalist Bill Ralston was headhunted by the new network and signed up before they began broadcasting. He cheerfully admits to Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory that it was his short attention span that made the offer so appealing.
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 Christchurch. Rebecca was the youngest athlete there and she tells Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory that taking up swimming had a lot to do with sibling rivalry.
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 the day Dunedin's Straitjacket Fits split.
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 politics had been remarkable for its candour and courage as well as for its achievements. On the tenth anniversary of her resignation, Georgina tells Justin Gregory from RNZ's Eyewitness programme that she left it all behind with no regrets and little ceremony.
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.
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 battle zones and peace activists faced off against nuclear warships. US Navy ships and submarines were frequent visitors here in the 70s and early 80s as part of our commitment to the ANZUS treaty with America and Australia. But as fear of the nuclear threat grew, these visits became scenes of protest and some took to the water to show their opposition. The Peace Squadron, as they were known, were a loose flotilla of motorboats, canoes, surfboards and sailboats and people who were prepared to put their bodies in the way of warships. The protests were organised by Anglican priest George Armstrong who tells Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory that he got the call to act while watching American TV.
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. This moment of legendary toughness - or madness, take your pick - happened in 1970 when the All Blacks were in South Africa, playing warm-up matches ahead of the Test Series. South African rugby chief Danie Craven had expressed the hope that the provincial teams would "soften up" the All Blacks. The New Zealanders next game was against cellar-dwellers Eastern Transvaal, a team they didn't know much about. But halfback Sid Going tells Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory the All Blacks knew right from the first whistle that they were in for a fight.
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 deaths of nearly twenty people. Anthea Fisher was there and recalls the avalanche and the aftermath for Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory.
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 upheaval for Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory.
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 series takes us back to the night of 17 April 2013, to the third and final reading of the bill in Parliament and the vote that meant that marriage equality was now the law in New Zealand.
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 helped her see there was more to life than she imagined. She tells Justin Gregory the adventure began for her one famous summer.
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 conflict ridden. Burmese born Ngelay Aung Soe fled Myanmar as a child with his family to find a better life here. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is in Auckland to hear how Aung and his family survived years of separation and turmoil to turn their lives around, with help from some dedicated community leaders and an Outward Bound course.
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 written by the only Pakeha woman present.
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 their stories. Participating in an oral history project that began as part of the 1993 Women's Suffrage Centenary, these survivors of Pol Pot's genocide finally published their harrowing experiences in a book titled I Tried Not To Cry, launched at Parliament. Some of these extraordinary survivors are talking to Lynda Chanwai-Earle with the help of translator and Cambodian community leader Niborom Young.
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 is an English teacher by day, and an Emergency Medical Technician by night with Bangkok's volunteer rescue charity. Nan Sirisamphan is in Bangkok to learn more about this altruistic Kiwi.
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 coming down.
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 the 19th century painting Still on Top by French artist James Tissot worth around $2 million. Visitor Experience Manager Richard Wormley was on duty in the gallery when it happened.
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 that we build with our homes, and what story can they tell about the people who once lived there? Kalya Ward and Gabrielle Amodeo share their experiences and personal connections.
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 and photos taken during his internment on a camera smuggled into the prison. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is in Auckland to meet Roland, now 91, to hear his incredible story of survival.
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 March 1956. A short interview is heard with John Reid, the New Zealand captain, at Eden Park after the test.
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 March 1956. A short interview is heard with John Reid, the New Zealand captain, at Eden Park after the test.
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 the Wahine in 1968, Margaret was determined that her community would be prepared for any disaster in the future.
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. Archived audio courtesy of The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound - Whale Hunt, 1955 and Spectrum 918 / 919 The Last of the Whale Hunters, 1996 featuring Charlie and Joe Heberley.
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. The 75th anniversary of their arrival in New Zealand is being celebrated in Auckland. Lynda Chanwai-Earle and Justin Gregory hear from some of these eyewitnesses.
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.
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 being beaten and detained by French commandos. Anna observed the events through the lens of a camera and the pictures she took were smuggled out to the world, causing international outrage. Anna's experience became part of the case that New Zealand and Australia took to the International Court of Justice challenging the legality of the French testing programme. On 27 January 1996, 23 years since the Vega's protest, the last nuclear test explosion by France was conducted at the Mururoa and Fangataufa Atoll test site. It's believed at least 175 explosions took place in all, over 40 of them atmospheric.
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.
Tim Howard recalls the violence and the hope that surrounded the 1999 East Timor referendum on independence from Indonesia
Wellington-based Beth Houston shares her views on apartheid and recalls her experience as an election observer at the 1994 General Elections.