Before people there was the land. We start the story of New Zealand 100 million years ago as tectonic forces tear apart Gondwana and Zealandia/Te Riu-a-Maiu is formed.

In part one of The Aotearoa History Show, Zealandia is formed, volcanoes and ice ages make their mark and we ask what happened to our mammals.

Watch the video version of the episode here

By William Ray

I used to think that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed after the New Zealand Wars ended.

That's how wars are supposed to end, right? After the fighting is over you get around a table and work out a deal.

We'd been taught about the Treaty at school and I was vaguely aware of the New Zealand Wars. I knew both were connected somehow so I just leaped to what seemed like the logical conclusion.

Over the past year I've had a chance to talk to a bunch of history teachers and historians and I found out this sort of fundamental misunderstanding of our history is pretty common. When we learn history we usually focus on one facet in isolation - the Goldrush, Gallipoli, the Treaty of Waitangi, the New Zealand Wars, the Nuclear Free Movement. What we often miss is how those facets fit together. Year after year, one person inspiring another, one policy sparking a reaction.

It's past time we start to join the dots.

That's what we set out to do in the Aotearoa History show. We are connecting the pieces so people can see the wider picture of how our land and people have been shaped, and some of the forces that did that shaping.

This series traverses a hundred million years, all way from this land's geological origins, through discovery, and war, and innovation, and political wrangling through until the modern day. Though, to be fair, most of those millions of years are done and dusted in episode one.

What happened to Aotearoa's mammals? How did Aotearoa's first people arrive? What were the geopolitical forces underpinning British colonisation? How come our stereotype of your typical Kiwi bloke looks like that guy from the Speights commercials?

The answers to these questions can go off in all kinds of weird directions. And sometimes they can challenge your assumptions…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Around 850 years ago Polynesian explorers found an empty land and the story of people in Aotearoa began. A new culture emerged; tangata whenua had arrived and started to thrive.

In part two, Polynesian explorers reach new shores far to the south; a land unlike anything they had seen before. It's a story of technological innovation, new horizons and becoming a new, distinct people.

Watch the video version of the episode here

Topics covered:

• The origins of Polynesian people.
• Technological development of ocean-going waka.
• Polynesian exploration and occupation of Pacific islands.
• Discovery of Aotearoa/New Zealand by Polynesians.
• Origins of the Moriori and myths about Moriori.
• The challenges faced by early Māori.
• Extinction of the Moa and other large birds.
• Development of distinct Māori culture.
• The basics of Tikanga Māori.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Abel Tasman and James Cook's first contacts with Māori were complex and sometimes violent. Europeans brought new technologies, food and ideas, such as muskets, potatoes and Christianity. In some cases this worked out well for Tangata Whenua - but in other cases it was devastating.

In part three, Tasman and then Cook visit and before long Europeans come to stay. Muskets, missionaries and international trade change the country as two cultures seek to make sense of each other.

Watch the video version of the episode here

Topics covered:

• Tasman's voyage to Aotearoa/New Zealand and his interaction with Māori.
• James Cook's voyages to Aotearoa/New Zealand. Including the role played by Tupaia, violence between his expedition and Māori as well as the wider forces behind his journey and how it paved the way for colonisation.
• Early Pākehā settlers and how they interacted with Māori.
• The Musket Wars and their impact on Māori people.
• The role of early missionaries in the musket wars, their attempts to convert Māori and suppress elements of Māori culture.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details