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Black Sheep

by RNZ

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Latest episodes

What to Listen to Next: NZ Wars Collection

June 2, 2026 · 4 min

Host of Black Sheep William Ray recommends a new RNZ podcast for history fans, NZ Wars Collection - Kohikohinga o nga pakanga o Aotearoa. We’re bringing all our New Zealand Wars stories together in your favourite podcast app, with another…
Original Westie: the story of Don Buck

March 5, 2026 · 41 min

The founding father of West Auckland - Don Buck was notorious in the early 20th century for his hard drinking, hard living gum digging camp in the foothills of the Waitakere ranges. Black Sheep investigates the legend of this enigmatic and…
Defective: the story of Dr Theodore Gray

February 26, 2026 · 48 min

“Oh Mummy save me from Dr Gray, because teacher says he’s coming today, and if I’m stupid he’ll take me away”. William Ray looks at the life and legacy of Dr Theodore Gray, a staunch eugenicists who was head of New Zealand's Mental…
Preservation and Destruction: the story of Elsdon Best (Part 2)

February 19, 2026 · 51 min

In part two, we look at the years Elsdon Best spent living in Te Urewera, attempting to preserve knowledge he believed was on the brink of being lost forever, the remarkable relatioship he built with Tūhoe leaders, and how that…
Preservation and Destruction: the story of Elsdon Best (Part 1)

February 12, 2026 · 38 min

Described in his own time as "the white Tōhunga of Tuhoeland" and by some today as a "structural rascist" who "stole" knowledge, it's fair to say Elsdon Best is a controvesial character. In the first of a two part episode, Black Sheep…

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Saturday Morning: Behind Black Sheep

February 8, 2026 · 15 min

New Zealand's most awarded podcast is RNZ's own Black Sheep, and it's back with its 9th season. Hosted and produced by William Ray - he explores New Zealand history through the lens of real life, shady, controversial and sometimes…
Killer Nurse: the story of Elspeth Kerr (Part 2)

February 5, 2026 · 34 min

In the second of Black Sheep's two-part episode on Elspeth Kerr, detectives unravel the mystery of 9-year old Betty Kerr's poisoning and uncover more potential victims of a beloved nurse, turned serial poisoner. The Trials of Nurse Kerr…
Killer Nurse: the story of Elspeth Kerr (Part 1)

January 29, 2026 · 25 min

Elspeth Kerr was a beloved local nurse in 1930s Devonport, but when her husband died suddenly and her foster daughter fell into an inexplicable coma, locals discovered the shocking truth: Nurse Kerr was a serial poisoner. But more than 90…
Black Sheep Season 9 | Trailer

January 22, 2026 · 2 min

Black Sheep returns on Friday 30 January for its 9th season with a new cast of rogues, villains and controversial characters. Murderous nurses, foul-mouthed goldfield barkeepers, sly grogging kāuri gum dealers and more! Join William Ray as…
Anzac Massacre: the story of Surafend (Part 3)

August 8, 2024 · 28 min

"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…
Anzac Massacre: the story of Surafend (Part 2)

August 1, 2024 · 25 min

"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…
Anzac Massacre: the story of Surafend (Part 1)

July 25, 2024 · 31 min

“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…

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About the show

The shady, controversial and sometimes downright villainous characters of NZ history. Join William Ray as he explores history through the lens of Kiwi dirtbags in NZ's most awarded podcast.