The NZ Herald is launching a four-part narrative podcast series, Desert Pirates, uncovering extraordinary and relatively little-known stories of New Zealand soldiers operating deep behind enemy lines during World War II.
Releasing in the lead-up to Anzac weekend, the series follows the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) - an elite unit of Kiwi soldiers whose daring reconnaissance and missions across North Africa helped shape modern special forces.
Navigating by the sun and the stars in ingeniously modified trucks, the LRDG travelled thousands of miles across hostile desert terrain to gather intelligence, support raids and run missions of their own. Desert Pirates explores not only their remarkable achievements but also the brutal realities and emotional toll of fighting behind enemy lines.
Narrated and produced by award-winning writers John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy from Bird of Paradise Productions, the series brings history to life through rare wartime audio recorded by the New Zealand Broadcast Unit in North Africa and insights from historians and people closely connected to the men of the LRDG. Made with support from NZ On Air, the project also draws on rarely-seen film footage shot by the soldiers themselves, redigitised especially for this podcast.
“The story of the LRDG is about courage, innovation and teamwork - it’s about these Kiwi blokes who basically invented special forces warfare. We feel incredibly lucky to have access to extraordinary archive audio of the soldiers themselves, recorded in the desert during the war and afterwards, which makes this story perfect for podcasting,” John Daniell says.
Jane Yee, Head of Podcasts at NZ Herald, says releasing ahead of Anzac Day invites reflection on New Zealand’s role in overseas conflicts.
“We’re pleased to share the Desert Pirates story with NZ Herald audiences, bringing to light a chapter of New Zealand history that hasn’t had the attention it deserves and showcasing the strength of the NZ Herald podcast network in backing ambitious, well-researched storytelling. These are extraordinary, deeply human stories, and telling them now feels important - not only to honour those who served, but to better understand the realities of conflict through a modern lens.”
“It’s also great to welcome John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy back to the NZ Herald podcast network following their work on the Mr Asia and Rainbow Warrior podcasts, which were huge successes. I know Desert Pirates will be another compelling series our Herald audiences will really enjoy,” Yee says.
Desert Pirates premieres Thursday 23 April 2026 (episodes 1 and 2), with episode 3 on Friday 24 April and episode 4 on Saturday 25 April, available on nzherald.co.nz, iHeartRadio, and other major podcast platforms.
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