In this “unashamedly homegrown” podcast we tell the story of our islands from the time before people arrived all the way up to the year 2000. Contrary to what some may say we have a supremely interesting and varied history, even before the arrival of Europeans! In fact, you will find that over the first 50+ episodes we talk almost exclusively about pre-European Tangata Whenua, the people of the land, also known as Māori. As you might expect there will be a healthy dose of Te Reo Māori, the Māori language, being used throughout the podcast. But don’t worry, if you need help there are helpful resources on historyaotearoa.com to assist you in learning the various words and phrases we use. Apart from the more usual narrative based history content you may be used to, we also do dramatic retellings of Māori stories such as Māui slowing the sun. With the help of some editing magic, we try to bring the stories to life through the podcast medium while still staying true to the Māori oral tradition. There will be all the big names you have heard before, James Cook, Hōne Heke, Kate Sheppard and many others but also lesser known people like Bob Semple and Barnet Burns.