On Easter Monday 2021, Paulina Hanna was found dead at the Remuera home she shared with her husband of 30 years, Philip Polkinghorne. For 16 months, her death was treated as “unexplained”. That’s until it emerged Polkinghorne had been charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty in August 2022. From the team behind The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald's daily news podcast, comes Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial. Listen to Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, or in The Front Page podcast feed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Full of optimism about a new life, Nicola Cruickshank and her family spent an idyllic spring Saturday with friends. Then tragedy struck. WARNING: This podcast contains material that may be distressing for younger listeners.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amber-Lee went missing near a large body of water. It was the obvious place to start the search. But police soon started to wonder whether something more sinister had occurred. WARNING: This podcast contains material that may be distressing for younger listeners.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
With a history of drugs and crime, Nicola Cruickshank has had her critics. She decides to face the flak head-on, hoping to put the focus back on the hunt for her daughter. WARNING: This podcast contains frequent use of strong language and material that may be distressing for younger listeners.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After Nicola Cruickshank put her faith in the “psychic detectives” of TV show Sensing Murder, she became fixated on one man. WARNING: This podcast contains frequent use of very strong language and material that may be distressing for younger listeners.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It didn’t take long for police to focus on a small group of suspects. At the time, one name attracted particular attention. In this episode he breaks his silence. WARNING: This podcast contains strong language and material that may be distressing for younger listeners.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A quarter of a century has failed to dull the pain of Amber-Lee’s disappearance for her family. Can you help their desperate search for closure? WARNING: This podcast contains strong language and material that may be distressing for younger listeners.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What happened in the early hours of January 1, 1998? We revisit the scene of the crime on the boat where the prosecution successfully argued Scott Watson killed Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. WARNING: Occasional use of mild language.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Two decades on, two key questions continue to spark fierce debate: Was Scott Watson the mystery man? And were Ben and Olivia dropped at his boat, or a distinctive ketch almost twice the size? WARNING: Occasional use of mild language.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The lives of the three families at the centre of the case remain intertwined. And a new bid to overturn Scott Watson's conviction is reviving memories for many.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen to Part One February 18th, and Part Two February 25th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In February 2015, Goy Thongsi went on a diving expedition in Christchurch with four men she hardly knew. Within a few hours of setting out onto the waters of Motunau, Goy was dead and missing, and a cloud of suspicion surrounded her diving companions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the years after Goy's death, an extended police investigation and multiple coronial inquiries looked into the circumstances of her death and the actions of the men on board the boat to try and determine what happened. Eight years on, are Goy's friends and family any closer to the answers they want? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The new series of Chasing Ghosts premieres November 4th. New episodes every Saturday in NovemberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On November 16th, 1933, Donald Fraser was shot dead in his bed at the Racecourse Hotel. But who was the controversial publican, and why would anyone want to kill him? Host: Ric StevensAudio Editor: Alastair BoyesProducers: Ethan Sills and Elizabeth Binning Open Justice is funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund through NZ on Air. If you know more about this case, you can get in touch at ric.stevens@nzme.co.nzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When Fraser's body is discovered, the murder investigation begins, but as Christchurch police struggle to find his killer, outsiders are brought in - and the suspect list starts to contract. Host: Ric StevensAudio Editor: Alastair BoyesProducers: Ethan Sills and Elizabeth Binning Open Justice is funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund through NZ on Air. If you know more about this case, you can get in touch at ric.stevens@nzme.co.nzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The spotlight falls on Elizabeth Fraser as the investigation continues, but who was she and why would she want to kill her own husband? And who was the mistress that came between this marriage? Host: Ric StevensAudio Editor: Alastair BoyesProducers: Ethan Sills and Elizabeth Binning Open Justice is funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund through NZ on Air. If you know more about this case, you can get in touch at ric.stevens@nzme.co.nzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Elizabeth Fraser's testimony at the coronial hearing into Donald's death sparks huge interest in Christchurch - but can she be blamed for his death? And how does the success of Donald's horse tie into his murder? Host: Ric StevensAudio Editor: Alastair BoyesProducers: Ethan Sills and Elizabeth Binning Open Justice is funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund through NZ on Air. If you know more about this case, you can get in touch at ric.stevens@nzme.co.nzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Season of Chasing Ghosts - The Puppeteer - begins October 1st. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In December 2010, the announcement on Facebook that Laura Jane West has died in a car crash devastates her online friends, and has ramifications in real life for those linked to her and her sisters. Four months later, Herald on Sunday journalist David Fisher investigates a serial catfisher targeting teen boys in Christchurch. In his reporting, David would link these two stories together as he uncovered the extent to which the catfisher had created the world around her characters - a world that, 13 years later, he is still trying to make sense of. Suicide and depression help services: If it is an emergency and you or someone else is at risk, call 111. For counselling and support: Lifeline: http://www.lifeline.co.nz, call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) Suicide Crisis Helpline: www.lifeline.org.nz/services/suicide-crisis-helpline, or call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Youth services: Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234 What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm) Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7) Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737 Aoake te Rā (Bereaved by Suicide Service): Call 0800 000 053 For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, hauora, community mental health team, or counselling service. The Mental Health Foundation has more helplines and service contacts - click here for informationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Maz
This is an interesting case, I enjoyed the content but I could not warm to the narrator. I found her tone a little arrogant and bordering on accusatory.
Sarah Holyoake
Possibly the worst interviewer I've ever heard.
Hoyt Munroe
That old Angus guy was pretty harsh. Abit uncalled for seeing as though he ran in those circles too. 🤔
KG
Well balanced viewpoints and investigation into the case. Hope it helps find some answers for the family.