Cold War
Steve Lowndes on the freedom of travel in the 1970s
Imagine travelling, largely without stepping on a plane. Just boats, trains and thumbing a ride. There's no WIFI, mobile phones or Instagram for bragging rights to friends and family stuck back home… Audio
When 'shoe salesman' Vladimir Putin visited New Zealand
In 2000, Sir Bob Harvey was handed an envelope containing 10 pages of gallery proofs of a yet-to-be-published book about future Russian president Vladimir Putin's undercover visits here in the 1980s… Audio
The Weekend Panel with Linda Clark and Mike Williams
Joining us on the Panel this morning are Linda Clark and former Labour Party leader Mike Williams. Among other issues, they discuss the war in Ukraine and the likely findings of the review into the… Audio
'This could be the worst refugee crisis since WW2'
Veteran war correspondent Mike Eckel talked to us from the original front lines in Donbas, last week from Kiev as the Russians attacked, and now he's back in Prague. He's with us for an update on the… Audio
Poet Tim Grgec and All Tito's Children
Tim Grgec's grandparents escaped communist Yugoslavia in the 1950s, and came to Aotearoa as refugees. Tim's debut poetry collection weaves some of their memories into the story of two siblings who… Audio
The battle for post-war Berlin
Many tales have been told of the fight over Berlin and rest of Germany after the fall of the Nazis at the end of World War 2. The allied forces of Britain, the United States, France and the Soviet… Audio
The new Code War, and Facebook's true interests
Technology correspondent Mark Pesce joins Kathryn to talk about whether the Cold War has been replaced with The Code War as the number of exploits, subversions and thefts seems to increase. Audio
Wind of Change: Did the CIA write a power ballad to bring down the USSR?
The Berlin Wall had just fallen and the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapse when German band The Scorpions released their 1990 song Wind of Change. The power ballad became the soundtrack to a… Video, Audio
China correspondent: 'Beijing authorities are spooked'
China is never out of the news, and in the past week the stories there have been big ones. Nathan van der Klippe is joining us, our China correspondent, and the Asia correspondent for the Globe & Mail… Audio
'China is facing its own worst nightmare'
China is facing big decisions about choosing between its expenditures and economy and keeping its own people happy. Professor Jane Golley, director of the ANU's Australian Centre on China in the… Audio
Inside the world of doomsday preppers
Dr. Bradley Garrett spent four years with people preparing for the end of the world while researching his new book, Bunker: Building for the End Times. He joins the show to discuss the experience and… Audio
Marc Wilson: Understanding moon landing conspiracists
On the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Victoria University psychology professor Marc Wilson explains why some people continue to insist the whole thing was a fraud. Audio
DIY diplomacy: Spacebridge
It's a far out true story featuring New Age thinking, The Space Race, dream telepathy, the Grateful Dead, and ESP. With the world living under the threat of nuclear attack, the idea was to bypass Cold… Audio
Behind the Iron Curtain
Moscow, near the end of the Cold War; paranoia, politics and perestroika. An embassy guard recalls life behind the Iron Curtain. Produced by Justin Gregory. Audio
Former Moscow guard pleased with veteran recognition
A former guard at the New Zealand embassy in Moscow during the height of the cold war says being officially recognised for their service is an honour.
Defence personnel's Cold War service recognised
Defence Force staff sent to the New Zealand Embassy in Moscow at the height of Cold War tensions have been officially recognised for their service.
Russian spy poisoning: UK vs Russia
Russia analyst Stephen Dalziel and former British Ambassador to Russia, Sir Tony Brenton, discuss the diplomatic fallout between the UK and Russia following the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei… Audio
Kingi Taurua - The Cold War
Between the late 1950s and early 1970s New Zealanders fought in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam. These wars were part of the Cold War, a long drawn out conflict between Western nations and Communist… Audio, Gallery
The fall of the Berlin Wall
This Sunday marks 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was November 9, 1989, when the wall that split the city from 1961 fell. It was an iconic symbol of the cold war and, a symbolic… Audio
What the Secret Policemen Saw
With access into the Lithuanian KGB Collection in the Hoover Archives (and other Soviet Archives), Mark Harrison reveals the practices of KGB counterintelligence during the Cold War. Professor of… Audio