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Rating

★★★★★

4.8

from

65 reviews

Description

On November 28, 1979, an Air New Zealand jet took off from Auckland Airport on a sightseeing trip to Antarctica. There were 257 people on board. Hours later everyone was dead. Somehow, the plane had flown directly into the Erebus volcano. This was a disaster that shattered a country’s psyche. In the decades since, grief gave way to blame, anger and recrimination. Who was responsible for so many deaths? Was there a cover-up? How could a plane just fly into a mountain? To mark the 40th anniversary of the disaster, Michael Wright and Katy Gosset explore why New Zealand’s deadliest disaster was also its most controversial; why a nation was incapable of moving on; and how it was captured by one famous phrase: ‘an orchestrated litany of lies’. White Silence will be released daily from November 8, 2019.

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Check latest episodes from White Silence podcast

Quarantine Nation trailer

2026/03/03

A lethal virus. A drastic lockdown. A nation turned upside down. From the makers of acclaimed podcasts The Commune, True Story and Witi Underwater, this eight-part narrative series revisits the Covid-19 pandemic with the benefit of hindsight and powerful interviews. Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham delve into what really happened – and what it taught us about ourselves. Subscribe to "Quarantine Nation" wherever you get your podcasts, or follow the links here: https://linktr.ee/quarantinenation Made with the support of NZ on Air for Stuff by Te Pūrongo Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Eight - The Apology

2019/12/19

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to White Silence about her decision to say sorry to the families of the Erebus victims: “It all built a picture for me of unfinished business, and that wasn't right.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Seven - Playing Through

2019/11/27

A special bonus episode of White Silence for November 28 - the anniversary of the Erebus disaster. Bringing together stories from listeners like Air NZ staff who had to work through the tragedy, a teenager's 40-year trauma finally brought to a close and an unlikely golf tournament played in the shadow of Erebus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Six - White Silence

2019/11/12

40 years after the Erebus disaster, there is still no national memorial to the victims and no consensus on exactly what happened that day in 1979. Why has New Zealand been so hopelessly unable to deal with its worst-ever disaster? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Five - New World Order

2019/11/11

In 1981, New Zealand was changing. The baby boomers had come of age, and the South African rugby tour was about to tear the country apart. When the Mahon report landed right in the middle of this, the country was ready for its first big conspiracy theory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Four - The Lovesong of J Alfred Prufrock

2019/11/10

‘An orchestrated litany of lies’ is ingrained into New Zealand’s collective consciousness. Justice Peter Mahon didn’t have to say that, but he did. It would prove the making of him, and the ruin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Three - All hell

2019/11/09

With the pilots’ reputations in tatters, a second investigation into the crash unearths appalling mistakes and a sensational new theory for what caused the crash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Two - The caravan

2019/11/08

Whose fault was it? Investigators sift through the evidence and reach a shocking conclusion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode One - The break-in

2019/11/07

On November 28, 1979, an Air New Zealand DC10 took off from Auckland Airport on a sightseeing trip to Antarctica. It never returned. What do the families remember of that fateful day? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White Silence - Trailer

2019/11/06

On November 28, 1979, an Air New Zealand airliner took off from Auckland Airport on a sightseeing trip to Antarctica. There were 257 people on board. Hours later everyone was dead. Somehow, the plane had flown directly into the Erebus volcano. This was a disaster that shattered a country’s psyche. In White Silence, Michael Wright and Katy Gosset explore why New Zealand’s deadliest disaster was also its most controversial; why a nation was incapable of moving on; and why it was captured by one famous phrase: ‘an orchestrated litany of lies’. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Podcast reviews

Read White Silence podcast reviews

4.8 out of 5

65 reviews

★★★★★

Mastercast Reviews 2020/12/28

White Silence - No Spoilers!

41 years ago Flight 901 took off from New Zealand on a sightseeing mission over Antarctica with 257 people on board. 4 hours, 4 minutes and 42 seconds...

★★★★★

YGlen 2020/01/28

Another engaging podcast from RNZ

Very well done - thank you!

★★★★★

ChrisTravRi 2019/12/09

Totally hooked

Two episodes in and totally hooked. It’s wonderfully produced so far, with a deft handling of the technically complex elements. I’m an American listen...

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