NZ Herald Presents

New Zealand's worst ever rail disaster occurred at 10:21pm, Christmas Eve, 1953. We explore the unfortunate series of events that led to Ka 949 plunging into the Whangaehu River, and hear from those there that night about the nightmare they witnessed.

Guests:
John Mahy
Bob Silk
Bruce Thompson
Jim McAloon 

Presenter and producer: Hamish Williams
Researcher: Neesha Bremner
Sound engineer: Shaun D Wilson
P...

On Christmas Day, the small nation of New Zealand - hosting the Queen and Prince Philip at the time - awoke to news of the horrific tragedy that was impossible to avoid. For some though, they were waking up to news that their loved ones had perished.

Guests:
Jim McAloon
Graeme Stewart
John Mahy
Beryl Donovan
Don Alabaster

Presenter and producer: Hamish Williams
Researcher: Neesha Bremner
Sound engineer: Shaun D...

1950s New Zealand did their best to put Tangiwai behind them, with rapid repairs and a quick inquiry. Did the inquiry provide the answers the country needed, and how is the disaster being remembered today?

Guests:
Graeme Stewart
Bob Norling
Ian Heppe
Jim McAloon
Hollei Gabrielson
John Mahy
Callum Mahy
Ian McKelvie

Presenter and producer: Hamish Williams
Researcher: Neesha Bremner
Sound engineer: Shaun ...

As the years passed, Tangiwai slipped into memory. That's until Mt Ruapehu erupted again in the mid-90s, prompting panic throughout the region - and within Government. So how has the local area changed in the decades since Tangiwai?

Guests:
Weston Kirton
Ian Mckelvie
Andrew Chambers
Don Alabaster
John Chapman
Chris Carter
Hollei Gabrielson

Presenter and producer: Hamish Williams
Researcher: Neesha Bremner

With the information we've learned from authorities and locals, Hamish looks at what would happen if the Tangiwai disaster was to happen today, and how quickly - or not - people would respond.

Guests:
Chris Carter
Andrew Chambers
Colonel Trevor Walker
Brad Scott
Matt Carey
Senior Constable Conrad Smith
Kyle MacDonald

Presenter and producer: Hamish Williams
Researcher: Neesha Bremner
Sound engineer: Shaun ...

70 years since Tangiwai, in a year where natural disasters once again exposed our poor investments in infrastructure, we ask experts if the country truly remembered the lessons of the Tangiwai disaster.

Guests:
Nick Leggett
Dr Samaneh Madanian
Gail Pacheco
Liam Wotherspoon
Max Rashbrooke 

Presenter and producer: Hamish Williams
Sound engineer: Shaun D Wilson
Researcher: Neesha Bremner
Production assistants: ...

In this bonus episode of Tangiwai: A Forgotten History, we head back to the scene of the accident as the 70th anniversary is marked in an official ceremony.

And, in the weeks after the series was released, dozens of people have contacted us with their own stories from December 24th, 1953, and we share those stories here.

Our thanks to all those involved in organising the memorial and the train service there. 

Guests:
John...

In the 1970s, the Mr Asia drug syndicate was one of the largest sellers of heroin in the world. The group began in New Zealand, with two men at its centre: Marty Johnstone and Terry Clark.

As the syndicate spread around the world, for a few years, they were living the high life. And then, they started killing each other. 

In the new season of A Forgotten History, from the New Zealand Herald and Bird of Paradise Productions, Jo...

In 1974, when Marty Johnstone and Terry Clark met for the first time, there was no knowing then how big their enterprise would become. Or how violently their partnership would end.

For a full cast list and never before seen photos, visit nzherald.co.nz/mrasia

Written and presented: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design and mix: Marc Chesterman
Executive producers:  Ethan Sills and Andrew Laxon
Music: Human Ins...

In 1975, a massive shipment of marijuana and a chaotic trip to Thailand lays the groundwork for Marty Johnstone and his gang to move into heroin - and sees them cross paths with the journalist who would dub them Mr Asia. 

For a full cast list and never before seen photos, visit nzherald.co.nz/mrasia

Written and presented: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design and mix: Marc Chesterman
Executive producers:  Et...

The Mr Asia syndicate expands, and the Australian market goes to the next level. But as the gang lives the high life, the murders begin - and has Terry Clark’s luck run out?

For a full cast list and never before seen photos, visit nzherald.co.nz/mrasia

Written and presented: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design and mix: Marc Chesterman
Executive producers:  Ethan Sills and Andrew Laxon
Music: Human Inst...

Late 1978: Halloween sees Terry Clark face the courts, Christmas Day sees the gang's couriers cross paths with the police, and the clock is ticking for Marty Johnstone. 

For a full cast list and never before seen photos, visit nzherald.co.nz/mrasia

Written and presented: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design and mix: Marc Chesterman
Executive producers:  Ethan Sills and Andrew Laxon
Music: Human Instinct,...

Mr Asia - Marty Johnstone - is dead. The justice system comes for Terry Clark and Andy Maher, and the syndicate is brought down by women. 

For a full cast list and never before seen photos, visit nzherald.co.nz/mrasia

Written and presented: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design and mix: Marc Chesterman
Executive producers:  Ethan Sills and Andrew Laxon
Music: Human Instinct, Ticket, and Tom Dalton

Made wi...

By the time Terry Clark is sentenced to jail in 1981, the Mr Asia syndicate is nearing its end, its best years fading into memory. But while it may have run for only a few years, its impact continues to be felt today.

For a full cast list, never before seen photos, and an extended interview with Detective Superintendent Greg Williams visit nzherald.co.nz/mrasia

Written and presented: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design...

40 years ago, two bombs went off in Auckland's harbour when French agents targeted a Greenpeace ship. It was meant to be a warning against anti-nuclear protests, but the death of a photographer on board sparked a major police and political response. 

From the NZ Herald and Bird of Paradise Productions, this six-part series re-examines the bombing, the events leading up to it, the investigation that followed, and the ongoing fa...

Shortly after midnight on July 10th 1985, two bombs went off in Auckland's harbour. The man who bombed the Rainbow Warrior reveals why they did it, and why no one was meant to die. As the sun rises over New Zealand, the police investigation gets underway and the public and political fallout begins.

Written, presented and produced by: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design and mix: Marc Chesterman 
Researchers: Cla...

The police investigation into the bombing turns into the biggest manhunt in New Zealand history, while the French duo at the centre of the investigations attempt to evade capture. And they aren’t the only team of French secret agents in the spotlight. 

Written, presented and produced by: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design and mix: Marc Chesterman 
Researchers: Claire Logan and Caroline Fontaine
E...

With Mafart and Prieur in custody, NZ Police turn their attention towards finding the rest of the crew, but politics come into play as French lies mount up.  

Written, presented and produced by: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design and mix: Marc Chesterman 
Researchers: Claire Logan and Caroline Fontaine
Executive Producers: Ethan Sills and Andrew Laxon
Music: Harbour Board, Marc Chesterman, Pete...

The legacy of French nuclear testing in the Pacific goes well beyond the Rainbow Warrior. In Tahiti, we explore the lasting impacts of the testing programme on the people who had to live with it and reveal what the French government didn’t want Greenpeace- or rest of the world- to see. 

Written, presented and produced by: John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy
Sound design and mix: Marc Chesterman 
Researc...