Sports History NZ

All Black lock - the legendary Ian Jones - played 105 games for the All Blacks including 79 tests and three Rugby World Cups. He's also still involved with the team's legacy, now running the official All Blacks experience in Auckland Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

"Who is Aotearoa New Zealand's greatest ever Olympian?" It's the kind of question that you could spend hours arguing about down the pub. Sports journalist Joseph Romano has been to every Olympics since the 1980s so he's better placed than most of us to come up with an answer. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Cricketing legend Stephen Fleming talks to Jesse Mulligan about life on and off the sports field. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

All Black legend Kieran Read joins Jesse to reflect on his career and the game that stands out. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Olympic gold medallist, double world champion rower, America's Cup yachtsman, and former Chef de Mission for the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, Rob Waddell is also an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit and a triple New Zealand Supreme 'Halberg Awards' winner. Is there anything he can't do? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Lawn bowls great Peter Belliss has done it all - he's been a world champion, Commonwealth Games medallist, and coach. In an emotional chat, he talks to Jesse about the power of visualisation. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Football Ferns have qualified for a sixth consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup. Today on Sporting history we're hearing from a woman who played at the last five. Ali Riley Ali captained the Football Ferns from 2017 through to her retirement in 2025. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

You might know Brett Fairweather as the founder and face of Jump Jam, but he is also one of the world's most successful competitive aerobics performers. He won the inaugural World Aerobics Championship in 1990 and defended that title the following year! Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

We're in the commentator's box with Grant Nisbett! In his 40-year career Grant's called over 350 All Blacks test matches, and he's still going strong. Hence his nickname, 'the voice of rugby'. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Shiray Kaka is a Black Ferns Sevens superstar who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. But it hasn't all been highs, she talks about the lows too. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dillon Boucher's name is synonymous with New Zealand basketball. Listen to him open up about his amazing career and why he thinks basketball is so popular with Kiwi kids. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Mark Graham is widely regarded as the best rugby league player to ever come out of New Zealand, and that's not just us saying it, in 2007 he was named the New Zealand player of the century and was the first Kiwi inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Gilbert Enoka knows about mental toughness. The coach and author is best known for his time with the All Blacks - he worked with them for 23 years. Now other international teams are calling on his insight on finding the winning edge. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In 2001, Sheila was the first female trainer to win the Melbourne Cup, with a horse named Ethereal. In 2024 she became the first woman to win it twice when Knight's Choice crossed the line first. The success doesn't stop there, in 2025 she was honored at the NZ Thoroughbred Racing Awards. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Very few people make it to five Olympic games. Even fewer make it to six. But that's a feat that para-alpine skier Adam Hall is set to achieve in 2026, when he competes at the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter games. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Today we're looking at the history of controversial calls in Kiwi sport. To look back at some of the most high-wire moments Jesse is joined by award-winning sports journalist Dylan Cleaver. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Marathon runner Lorraine Moller took part in the first ever Women's Olympic Marathon at the 1984 LA Olympics, coming fifth. Over her 20-year career she ended up running marathons in four Olympics, winning bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In 1988 Angela Walker became just the second New Zealander to compete in Rhythmic Gymnastics at the Olympics. Despite that being 37 years ago, no one else has repeated that feat since. Angela joins Jesse to discuss the highs, lows, pirouettes, and leaps of her sporting career. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The All Blacks versus Springboks is a rivalry almost as old as the game itself. We look back on some of the great All Blacks vs Springboks moments. Veteran sports journalist and broadcaster Phil Gifford chats to Emile. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Emma Gilmour is a trailblazer in motor-racing. She became the first woman to win a round of the New Zealand Rally Championship when she claimed victory in the 2016 Rally of Canterbury. She then went on to become the first ever woman driver for McLaren Racing in 2022. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Nicknamed the Hairy Javelin, Grant Elliot began his cricketing career in his native South Africa. But a move to New Zealand would set up him up for an international career that saw him compete in all formats of the game. He looks back on the big moments. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Amelia Kerr plays cricket for Wellington, and internationally for New Zealand. She is the youngest person to score a double century in a One Day International. She was named player of the tournament at the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup after helping New Zealand win the trophy for the first time. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

When it comes to sport and to broadcasting, there isn't much Ric Salizzo hasn't done. He got his start as a sports journalist before joining the All Blacks as the teams' first media manager. Ric is behind SportsCafe, which is now a podcast Sportscafe-ish and The Crowd Goes Wild. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Steve Williams is widely regarded as one of the most successful caddies in golf history. He caddied for Tiger Woods for 12 years, winning 13 majors together. The pair parted ways in 2011. Now Steve has written a book "Together we Roared" about his time caddying for Tiger. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand rugby lost another great with Stu Wilson dying at the age of 70. For most of his career, Stu served as a winger, playing 85 games for the All Blacks and almost 200 for Wellington. Sports journalist and broadcaster Phil Gifford joins Jesse to look back at Stu Wilson's career. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details