NZ Wars
NZ Wars: Season 1

Air Date

October 28, 2017

Episodes

5 episodes

NZ Wars

Season 1

Overview

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.

Episodes

1. Stories of Ruapekapeka

October 28, 2017
33 min

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 alongside Great Southern Television with funding from NZ on Air.

2. Stories of Waitara

October 27, 2019
44 min

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 battle against the military might of the British Empire.

3. Stories of Tainui

February 12, 2021
47 min

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 in land confiscations that continue to shape New Zealand today.

4. Stories of Wairau

February 4, 2023
56 min

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 after the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

5. Stories of Tauranga Moana

April 29, 2024
47 min

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 generations.