With its lasting influence on the lives of New Zealanders, rugby league is more than just a game: it is an insight into the power, politics and people who have collectively shaped the nation’s sporting scene.

Ockham NZ Book Awards shortlisted historian Ryan Bodman’s Rugby League in New Zealand tells the history of rugby league through its communities, excavating the deep-rooted connections between the sport’s development and the evolving cultural fabric of Aotearoa New Zealand. Drawing on first-hand interviews and a wide range of archival material, Ryan elevates the people and communities who have made the game what it is today.

Ryan joins Dale Husband for a discussion not only of interest to league fans, but to anyone curious of sport’s role in our nation’s story.