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Untold Pacific History

by RNZ

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Latest episodes

  • Savages on Show

    September 21, 2026 · 46 min

    The story of how groups of Samoans were taken to Germany at the turn of the century to be exhibited alongside the animals. The descendants of these families, Samoan historians and a museologist in Germany give their views on this little…

  • The Story of Olohega

    September 14, 2026 · 39 min

    The island sold for a bottle of gin, the iconic music of Te Vaka, and the lost ancestors of a New Zealand territory in the Pacific, all intertwine in the extraordinary story of Olohega Island. Won by an American whaler during a contentious…

  • The Castaways of Ata

    September 7, 2026 · 46 min

    This is the remarkable true story of six boys who ran away from their strict boarding school in Tonga in 1965, taking a boat for what they thought would be a short adventure. A violent storm damaged their vessel, leaving them adrift at sea…

  • Untold Pacific History Season 3 | Trailer

    August 31, 2026 · 1 min

    Back with three remarkable yet little-known events that have shaped Pacific lives and legacies, Untold Pacific History returns for season 3. Spanning Samoans displayed in a German zoo, teenagers who survived 15 months on a deserted island…

  • Papa Tom Davis, From the Seas to the Stars (Rarotonga)

    April 23, 2024 · 35 min

    Papa Tom, an extraordinary Cook Islander who smashed new frontiers in space and the ocean in a life that spanned many fields of work. Watch the video version of the episode here. Papa Tom's quest for truth, history, and culture has taken…

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  • I’Iga Pisa, Samoa’s Unsung Hero

    April 16, 2024 · 49 min

    The life story of I'iga Pisa, an independence activist who sailed hundreds of kilometers in a small canoe to escape exile from Samoa. *This story was updated on 9/5/2024 to clarify details regarding I'iga Pisa's life. Watch the video…

  • The Forgotten Soldiers of Niue

    April 9, 2024 · 32 min

    This is the little known story of The Forgotten Soldiers of Niue: 150 men plucked from their island paradise and sent 17,000 kms away to the cold frontlines of France during World War I. The Niuean soldiers never made it to the frontline…

  • Untold Pacific History Season 2 | Trailer

    April 3, 2024 · 1 min

    Told in three separate stories, season two of Untold Pacific History shines a light on key events in the Niue, Samoa and Rarotonga that have been little told in Aotearoa. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

  • The Cursed Cook Islands Hotel (Rarotonga)

    June 7, 2021 · 29 min

    This is a story of indigenous land rights gone awry, a makutu from an aggrieved family and the failed business ventures of an infamous 'haunted hotel' in Rarotonga. Watch the video version of the episode here. In pre-colonial times, it was…

  • Bullets on Black Saturday (Samoa)

    May 31, 2021 · 33 min

    This episode examines the fatal consequences of New Zealand's rule in Samoa, and the key events that led to the rise of Samoa's 'Mau' resistance movement. Watch the video version of the episode here. The Mau became a revolutionary…

  • White Man's Law (Niue)

    May 24, 2021 · 39 min

    What led Commissioner Larsen, the New Zealand administrator of Niue in the 1950s, to be murdered in his bed by three locals hell-bent on justice and revenge? 25/05/2021: We have updated this file with an acknowledgement of the death of…

  • Waking Up to the Dawn Raids (Aotearoa)

    May 17, 2021 · 37 min

    Of the many events affecting Pasifika people in Aotearoa, the Dawn Raids story is overdue to be told. Watch the video version of the episode here. Long whispered about in secret family conversations, people have heard the words 'Dawn…

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About the show

A dynamic and often provocative account of New Zealand's relationship with the Pacific.