We're ducking into your feed to bring you an episode of a new RNZ podcast: Kelly Tartlon's Final Treasure Hunt. This story has everything! Kidnapping, smuggling, scurvy, and imaginary islands full of Jewish gold... Make sure to follow Kelly Tarlton's Final Treasure Hunt wherever you get your podcasts. https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/kelly-tarltons-final-treasure-hunt Special thanks to the Tarlton family for their support and trust in making this podcast. For more about Kelly Tarlton we recommend: ...
Jun 06, 2025•50 min•Season 8Ep. 10
On 27 September 1974 New Zealanders woke to the news Dr Bill Sutch, a famous economist, historian, and former senior government official had been arrested and accused of spying for Soviet Russia. He was later found not guilty, but over the last 50 years, suspicion has swirled, and new evidence has been revealed. Check our RNZ's award Winning Podcast The Service for more about the history of the SIS in New Zealand. Check our RNZ's award Winning Podcast The Service for more about the history of th...
Sep 26, 2024•55 min•Season 8Ep. 9
Freddie Angell was New Zealand's most notorious wildlife smuggler. His repeated attempts at stealing and exporting native wildlife in the 1990s, including Kea and Tuatara, made him all but a household name. Black Sheep speaks to documentary-maker Andy MacDonald about his extraordinary story. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Sep 12, 2024•43 min•Season 8Ep. 8
Early NZ missionary Thomas Kendall arrived in London in 1820 with the Ngāpuhi Rangatira Hongi Hika. He would return to Aotearoa a year later with the first ever written dictionary of Te Reo Māori, a newly won clerical collar ...and more than 300 muskets. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Sep 05, 2024•51 min•Season 8Ep. 7
Early Missionary Thomas Kendall facilitated the sale of hundreds of muskets to Ngāpuhi Māori, helping to enable the bloodiest wars in New Zealand history. But there's more to Kendall's story. He was instrumental in the transformation of Te Reo Māori into a written language, and became so fascinated by Māori spirituality that he (in his own words) "almost completely turned from a Christian to a Heathen". Thomas Kendall was among the very first missionaries to arrive in Aotearoa. In 1814 the devot...
Aug 29, 2024•44 min•Season 8Ep. 6
In the 1900s a series of lurid headlines were published in the New Zealand Truth about George Howe, a "Beastly Brothel-keeper" who pimped out underage girls from his shop on Wellington's Adelaide Road. But what Truth found most "beastly" about Howe, is that he was Chinese. Black Sheep looks at the case of George Howe, and the "editorial hate-crimes" of what was once NZ's most influential newspaper. Contains discussion of underage prostitution and quotes racist slurs which featured in the NZ Trut...
Aug 22, 2024•44 min•Season 8Ep. 5
In 1892 a masked figure in a bizarre uniform began a 15 month crime spree, robbing people at gunpoint in and around New Plymouth. When he was finally arrested and unmasked, residents were dumbfounded to discovered the perpetrator was mild-mannered Robert Wallath - the teenage son of a local farmer and carpenter. Wallath, it turned out, had a deep fascination for highway criminals and at trial his lawyers claimed his mind had been "polluted" by trashy novels about Dick Turpin and Ned Kelly. But l...
Aug 15, 2024•46 min•Season 8Ep. 4
"As morning dawned we stood and watched / That devastated scene / Where but a single yesterday / Had flourished Surafeen." In the final episode of a three-part series, RNZ's Black Sheep investigates the Surafend massacre of December 1918. Read more about the story of Surafend on the RNZ website here. T’was a never to be forgotten night The village was soon in flames The wallads knocked when sighted But protected were the dames. Although we are fighting Anzacs Our honour we uphold And treat the w...
Aug 08, 2024•28 min•Season 8Ep. 3
"They went out to this village, and they went through it with the bayonet.” In the second of a three-part series, RNZ's Black Sheep investigates the Surafend massacre of December 1918. Read more about the story of Surafend on the RNZ website here. “They got their heads together, the New Zealand and Australians, and they went out to this village and they went through it with the bayonet.” - Edward O'Brien, Veteran of the Anzac Mounted Division, 1988 These are the...
Aug 01, 2024•25 min•Season 8Ep. 2
“There was a time when I was proud of you men of the Anzac Mounted Division. I am proud of you no longer.” In the first of a three-part series, RNZ's Black Sheep investigates the Surafend massacre. Read more about the story of Surafend on the RNZ website here. “There was a time when I was proud of you men of the Anzac Mounted Division. I am proud of you no longer. Today, I think you are nothing but a lot of cowards and murderers.” - General Edmund Allenby, reported speech to Anzac Mounted Divisi...
Jul 25, 2024•31 min•Season 8Ep. 1
Black Sheep Season 8 is just around the corner with a whole new cast of controversial, villainous, or simply misunderstood figures from New Zealand history. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 11, 2024•2 min
The last of the so-called 'lunatic asylums' closed only 20 years ago. They were founded on ideas of paternalism and social progress and survived on the basis they offered safety. In this special crossover with the Nellie's Baby Podcast, William Ray and Kirsty Johnston look into their origins. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 31, 2024•41 min•Season 7Ep. 8
From the 1840s onward, Frederick Maning would become an increasingly bitter and angry man who demonised Māori who opposed colonisation. So what explains this radical transition from a romantic early Pākehā settler? RNZ's Black Sheep podcast investigates. Frederick Maning was one of the first Europeans to settle in Aotearoa, marrying a high-ranking Ngāpuhi woman, and writing two books filled with colourful anecdotes of his time living alongside Māori. But attitude to his adopted land - and its pe...
Jul 06, 2023•54 min•Season 7Ep. 7
Frederick Maning was one of the first Europeans to settle in Aotearoa, he married a high-ranking Ngāpuhi woman, and wrote two books filled with romantic anecdotes of his time living alongside Māori. So why did so many of his private letters express such violent, racist attitudes towards Māori? RNZ's Black Sheep podcast investigates. Frederick Maning was one of the first Europeans to settle in Aotearoa, marrying a high-ranking Ngāpuhi woman, and writing two books filled with colourful anecdotes o...
Jun 29, 2023•38 min•Season 7Ep. 6
In the 1910s, Hjelmar Dannevill wowed high society with gripping tales of adventure as a medical researcher and journalist. But suspicions over her fantastical stories and insistence on wearing men's clothing saw her locked up as a German spy during WWI. RNZ's Black Sheep podcast investigates the mystery of "Dr Dannevill". Content Warning: This podcast includes discussion of suicide and self-harm In the 1910s, Hjelmar Dannevill wowed Wellington high society with gripping tales of adventure as a ...
Jun 22, 2023•44 min•Season 7Ep. 5
In 1935, a series of extraordinary newspaper articles claimed a backyard inventor called Victor Penny was trying to build a Death Ray for the New Zealand government. The claims seem absurd... So why were they taken so seriously? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 15, 2023•52 min•Season 7Ep. 4
Dr Alfred Newman may be the most notorious scientific racist in New Zealand history. His 1882 paper "A study of the causes leading to the extinction of the Māori" was so extreme that it scandalised not just Māori, but also New Zealand's wider scientific community. So what can Newman's story tell us about the history of scientific racism in Aotearoa? Dr Alfred Newman may be the most notorious scientific racist in New Zealand history. His 1882 paper "A study of the causes leading to the extinction...
Jun 08, 2023•52 min•Season 7Ep. 3
In the second of a two-part episode on Charles Mackay Black Sheep investigates the mysteries surrounding the Whanganui Mayor's attempted murder of D'Arcy Cresswell - a former soldier who threatened to out the Mackay as homosexual if he didn't resign the mayoralty. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 01, 2023•50 min•Season 7Ep. 2
For more than 50 years the name of Mayor Charles Mackay was all but forbidden in Whanganui. In 1920 Mackay shot a man through the chest after he threated to expose the mayor's homosexuality. RNZ's Black Sheep podcast investigates the downfall of Charles Mackay, and how his story is being reevaluated in modern New Zealand. For 50 years the name Charles Mackay was all but forbidden in Whanganui. The former mayor's name was chiselled off public buildings, ripped off street signs and deliberately ex...
May 25, 2023•40 min•Season 7Ep. 1
RNZ multi award-winning podcast Black Sheep returns on May 26th with a new cast of mysterious misfits, violent villains and controversial characters. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 19, 2023•3 min
When flamboyant orchestra conductor Eric Mareo was convicted of murder for a second time, the judge raised grave concerns about the verdict with the Attorney General. So, did 1930s prejudice and sensationalist media sentence an innocent man to death? This is the second in a two part episode on the case of Eric Mario. On June 17th, 1936 many New Zealanders celebrated when they heard Eric Mareo had been convicted of murder for a second time. But the judge in that trial wasn't one of them. In an un...
May 23, 2021•46 min•Season 6Ep. 6
Kiwis rose to their feet and cheered when the flamboyant orchestra conductor Eric Mareo was found guilty of murdering his wife in 1936. But 85 years later, the verdict seems less certain. Was justice done? Or was Mareo an innocent man? RNZ's Black Sheep podcast investigates. On June 17th, 1936 a single word appeared on the screens of movie theatres around Auckland. "Guilty". The audience were in a hush for a moment. Then they rose to their feet and cheered. It was the end of a year-long saga, th...
May 16, 2021•36 min•Season 6Ep. 5
George Wilder is an accidental folk hero. He never sought the spotlight, but his three escapes from prison in the 1960s and his daring evasion of the authorities made him a national sensation. Black Sheep investigates his story. George Wilder is an accidental folk hero. He never sought the spotlight, but his three escapes from prison in the 1960s made him a national sensation. His first escape made his name and reputation, sparking headlines as he was on the run for 65 days without resorting to ...
May 09, 2021•50 min•Season 6Ep. 4
In 1863 half the population of a small Tongan island called 'Ata boarded a ship captained by Thomas McGrath. They were never seen again. Black Sheep investigates the story of a slave raid which destroyed a small civilisation. In the first week of June 1863 half the population of a small Tongan island called 'Ata boarded a ship captained by Thomas McGrath. They were never seen again. Aside from a handful of castaways, 'Ata has been abandoned ever since. In this episode of Black Sheep, William Ray...
May 02, 2021•51 min•Season 6Ep. 3
In the second of Black Sheep's two part episode on Sir George Grey, Aotearoa is launched into the worst conflicts of the New Zealand Wars and George Grey will play a leading role. This is the second in a two-part podcast on George Grey, the two-time governor of Aotearoa who led this country through most of the New Zealand Wars in the 1840s, 50s and 60s. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Apr 26, 2021•59 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Sir George Grey led Aotearoa into some of the worst conflicts of the New Zealand Wars. But at the beginning of his career many saw him as a defender of indigenous rights - including some Māori! So... What happened? RNZ's Black Sheep Podcast presents a two-part episode on Sir George Grey, the colonial governor who led Aotearoa into many of the worst conflicts of the New Zealand Wars in the 1840s, 50s and 60s. In this first episode, we look at how Grey gained a reputation with the British Colonial...
Apr 18, 2021•53 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Black Sheep returns for a Sixth Season! Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Apr 14, 2021•1 min
Minnie Dean is the only woman to be judicially executed in New Zealand history. For years she was portrayed as a cold-blooded killer who murdered babies for cash. More recently, attitudes towards Minnie have shifted, but she's still a controversial and complex figure. Black Sheep dives into the story of the baby farmer of Winton. Minnie Dean must rank as one of New Zealand's most infamous figures. The first and only woman to be judicially executed in our history. For years she was portrayed as a...
Aug 30, 2020•57 min•Season 5Ep. 8
The case of the Bassett Road machinegun murders breaks wide open, two key witnesses come forward with critical information. But the most interesting part of the story is what happens after the conviction... It's nearly Christmas, 1963. Detectives have identified John Gillies as their main suspect in the murders of Kevin Speight and George Walker. Both men were found riddled with .45 caliber bullets from a submachine gun inside their rented house in Bassett Road, Remuera. The killings had all the...
Aug 23, 2020•29 min•Season 5Ep. 7
It's 1963 and two bodies are found in a house at Bassett Road in Remuera. Detectives are shocked to discover they were killed by a submachine-gun. Newspaper headlines read "Chicago Comes to New Zealand". Black Sheep investigates a true crime story that scandalised New Zealand Two bodies are found in a house at Bassett Road in Remuera. Detectives are shocked to discover they were killed in a hail of machine-gun bullets. Newspaper headlines read "Chicago Comes to New Zealand". Black Sheep investig...
Aug 16, 2020•35 min•Season 5Ep. 6
