Wahine - The Untold Story

Brian Edwards was working as a television reporter when the Wahine sank on 10 April 1968 in Wellington Harbour. Twenty-five years later Edwards presented this TV3 documentary about the tragedy, which remains New Zealand's worst modern maritime disaster. Wahine - The Untold Story interviews passengers and crew, and features harrowing rescue footage and stills. Interviewees criticise the way the evacuation was handled — "we'd been lied to continually" — while helmsman Ken MacLeod remembers the challenges of trying to keep the Wahine on course.  

As we were about to cut ourselves adrift from the Wahine, we heard some people yelling from a higher deck, and we looked up and here was a couple with a young child, I suppose a two or three-year-old child, and they said would you take our baby with you? And we said we would, and these two threw the child down to us in the life raft ... I can still see the despair on their faces.

– Robert Ewan, a passenger on the Wahine

Key Cast & Crew

Brian Edwards

Presenter

John Carlaw

Director

Vincent Burke

Producer

Bill Toepfer

Editor

Trishia Downie

Line Producer

Geoff Steven

Network Executive