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November 2016 sees the arrival of an American warship in a New Zealand port; the first for more than thirty years. The visit is stirring up memories of a time when New Zealand's harbours were battle zones and peace activists faced off against nuclear warships. US Navy ships and submarines were frequent visitors here in the 70s and early 80s as part of our commitment to the ANZUS treaty with America and Australia. But as fear of the nuclear threat grew, these visits became scenes of protest and some took to the water to show their opposition. The Peace Squadron, as they were known, were a loose flotilla of motorboats, canoes, surfboards and sailboats and people who were prepared to put their bodies in the way of warships. The protests were organised by Anglican priest George Armstrong who tells Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory that he got the call to act while watching American TV.
Contrary to popular belief, All Black Buck Shelford did not lose a testicle while playing against France but Colin "Pinetree" Meads really did play almost an entire game of rugby with a broken arm. This moment of legendary toughness - or madness, take your pick - happened in 1970 when the All Blacks were in South Africa, playing warm-up matches ahead of the Test Series. South African rugby chief Danie Craven had expressed the hope that the provincial teams would "soften up" the All Blacks. The New Zealanders next game was against cellar-dwellers Eastern Transvaal, a team they didn't know much about. But halfback Sid Going tells Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory the All Blacks knew right from the first whistle that they were in for a fight.
In 2015 a violent earthquake shook Nepal, killing thousands across the country. In its wake, climbing teams at Mt Everest were hit by a deadly avalanche that destroyed Base Camp and caused the deaths of nearly twenty people. Anthea Fisher was there and recalls the avalanche and the aftermath for Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory.
In 1992 a sudden financial crisis forced the Mercury theatre to close in dramatic fashion. Auckland Theatre Company rose from its ashes. Actor/director Simon Prast was there and recalls the upheaval for Eyewitness producer Justin Gregory.
In August 2013 Labour MP Louisa Wall's Marriage Amendment Act came into effect. Since the passing of this historic law, more than two thousand same sex couples have tied the knot. RNZ's Eyewitness series takes us back to the night of 17 April 2013, to the third and final reading of the bill in Parliament and the vote that meant that marriage equality was now the law in New Zealand.
Ella Henry is a respected broadcaster and academic but in 1970 she was a lost and restless teenager, on the verge of getting into serious trouble. A chance encounter with a famous literary figure helped her see there was more to life than she imagined. She tells Justin Gregory the adventure began for her one famous summer.
Aung San Suu Kyi's recent historic democratic victory in the Myanmar elections seems to have brought positive change for the country but for a whole generation of former child refugees, life was conflict ridden. Burmese born Ngelay Aung Soe fled Myanmar as a child with his family to find a better life here. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is in Auckland to hear how Aung and his family survived years of separation and turmoil to turn their lives around, with help from some dedicated community leaders and an Outward Bound course.
The city of Auckland was founded in 1840 in a mix of hope and compromise and the occasion was marked with a suitably pompous ceremony. Just one eyewitness account remains from that day, and it was written by the only Pakeha woman present.
Imagine having to beg for your child's life with nothing but a couple of cigarettes as a bribe. Thirty years after their trauma, a group of 10 Cambodian New Zealand women are only now able to tell their stories. Participating in an oral history project that began as part of the 1993 Women's Suffrage Centenary, these survivors of Pol Pot's genocide finally published their harrowing experiences in a book titled I Tried Not To Cry, launched at Parliament. Some of these extraordinary survivors are talking to Lynda Chanwai-Earle with the help of translator and Cambodian community leader Niborom Young.
A day of terror on the London Underground. The bombs go off ten years ago.
Mark Cunningham – known as Marko to the locals in Thailand – is a Kiwi from Upper Hutt. Marko survived the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 and joined local volunteers to collect bodies. These days Marko is an English teacher by day, and an Emergency Medical Technician by night with Bangkok's volunteer rescue charity. Nan Sirisamphan is in Bangkok to learn more about this altruistic Kiwi.
Eyewitness producer Lisa Thompson hears the serendipitous story of Tony Forster; a New Zealander who was one of the first to cross through Checkpoint Charlie the night the Berlin Wall started coming down.
In August 1998, the Auckland Art Gallery was the scene of this country's first major art theft. An armed man burst in, threatening visitors and assaulting a security guard before making off with the 19th century painting Still on Top by French artist James Tissot worth around $2 million. Visitor Experience Manager Richard Wormley was on duty in the gallery when it happened.
Two artists share their stories of the personal connections and memories they have of their homes through the exhibition Something felt, something shared. What are the connections and relationships that we build with our homes, and what story can they tell about the people who once lived there? Kalya Ward and Gabrielle Amodeo share their experiences and personal connections.
Roland de Bruyne is an elderly Malaysian Aucklander and a survivor of the infamous Changi Prison during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during WW2. Last year his children discovered letters and photos taken during his internment on a camera smuggled into the prison. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is in Auckland to meet Roland, now 91, to hear his incredible story of survival.
Archived audio courtesy of The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound - Contains commentary of New Zealand's first-ever cricket test victory: against the West Indies in Auckland on 13 March 1956. A short interview is heard with John Reid, the New Zealand captain, at Eden Park after the test.
Archived audio courtesy of The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound - Contains commentary of New Zealand's first-ever cricket test victory: against the West Indies in Auckland on 13 March 1956. A short interview is heard with John Reid, the New Zealand captain, at Eden Park after the test.
Lynda Chanwai-Earle meets Red Cross and local legend Margaret Rankin. An Eastbourne resident, Margaret will never forget one of the worst storms ever to hit our coasts. Witnessing the sinking of the Wahine in 1968, Margaret was determined that her community would be prepared for any disaster in the future.
It's nearly 50 years since Marlborough whalers J. A. Perano and Company harpooned their last whale in New Zealand waters. Peter Perano reflects on what it was like to be a third generation whaler. Archived audio courtesy of The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound - Whale Hunt, 1955 and Spectrum 918 / 919 The Last of the Whale Hunters, 1996 featuring Charlie and Joe Heberley.
Seventy five years ago several hundred Chinese women and children arrived in New Zealand, fleeing the Japanese invasion of China. These were the wives and children of the Chinese men already here. The 75th anniversary of their arrival in New Zealand is being celebrated in Auckland. Lynda Chanwai-Earle and Justin Gregory hear from some of these eyewitnesses.
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