William Ray

The last of the so-called ‘lunatic asylums’ closed only 20 years ago. They were founded on ideas of paternalism and social progress and survived on the basis they offered safety. In this special… Audio

The summer science series kicks off with an episode from award-winning podcast Black Sheep, about a backyard inventor called Victor Penny who sparked sensational headlines about death ray… Audio

This week on Our Changing World RNZ podcast producer, and occasional dinosaur correspondent William Ray visits Ngā Taniwha o Rūpapa Dinosaurs of Patagonia, a special exhibition at Te Papa Museum to… Video, Audio

There's a surprising link between Argentina's dinosaurs and Aotearoa. William Ray visits the new Patagonian dinosaur exhibit at Te Papa museum to find out more. Video, Audio

NOTE: This episode has been reuploaded to correct some inaccuracies in the original version. We all know New Zealand was the first country in the world where women could vote. But do you know how we… Video, Audio

Floods in India claimed hundreds of lives this monsoon season, but an Indian expat in New Zealand is hoping his new invention will help bring the toll down. Produced by William Ray. Video, Audio

From the 1840s onward, Frederick Maning would become an increasingly bitter and angry man who demonised Māori who opposed colonisation. So what explains this radical transition from a romantic early… Audio

Frederick Maning was one of the first Europeans to settle in Aotearoa, he married a high-ranking Ngāpuhi woman, and wrote two books filled with romantic anecdotes of his time living alongside Māori… Audio

In the second of a two-part episode on Charles Mackay Black Sheep investigates the mysteries surrounding the Whanganui Mayor's attempted murder of D'Arcy Cresswell - a former soldier who threatened to… Audio

RNZ multi award-winning podcast Black Sheep returns on May 26th with a new cast of mysterious misfits, violent villains and controversial characters.  Audio

This week we're travelling back in time 66 million years ago with producer William Ray, to a time when dinosaurs roamed. Join William as he meets two Tyrannosaurus rex fossils at the Auckland Museum… Audio

Meet Barbara and Peter: Auckland Museum's star pair of Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons. Producer William Ray unearths the fascinating story behind the bones, which hints at the lives of these giant… Audio

On 13 June 1843, European settlers headed to the Wairau Valley, planning arrests. A gun battle broke out, killing 26, including Pākehā prisoners executed in the aftermath. What happened? And why? Audio

Tensions over Wairau land and injustices against Ngāti Toa leaders reached their boiling point. Nelson settlement leader Arthur Wakefield seized the land by force, but there would be tragic results. Audio

The NZ Wars series goes back to the first shots fired... to Wairau in June 1843. The fourth chapter of this landmark podcast is out February 3. Audio

We continue our summer science series with an episode from RNZ's The Aotearoa History Show. In the first episode of season two, the show burrows into the story of rabbits and other pests introduced to… Audio