Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial

About Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial

From the team behind The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald's daily news podcast, comes Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial. Paulina Hanna was found dead at the Remuera home she shared with her husband of 30 years, Philip Polkinghorne, on Easter Monday 2021. 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. Over the coming weeks, The Front Page host Chelsea Daniels will be reporting regularly from the Auckland High Court as Polkinghorne stands trial. Follow Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

Publisher

NZ Herald

Category

news · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Jul 2024

Latest episode

9 Jul 2025

Latest episodes

27 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Jul 2025

   NZH Presents - Rainbow Warrior: A Forgotten History

   40 years ago, two bombs went off in Auckland's harbour when French agents targeted a Greenpeace ship. It was meant to be a warning against anti-nuclear protests, but the death of a photographer on board sparked a major police and political response. From the NZ Herald and Bird of Paradise Productions, this six-part series re-examines the bombing, the events leading up to it, the investigation that followed, and the ongoing fallout from this case and the French nuclear testing. Search for 'A Forgotten History' on your preferred podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

2. 

   14 Apr 2025

   New documentary puts Pauline Hanna and Philip Polkinghorne back in the spotlight

   Pauline Hanna on a boat, sea breeze, big smiles. It’s the image filmmakers of a new three-part documentary into her death, and subsequent murder trial of her husband, decide to open on. Philip Polkinghorne was found not guilty of strangling his wife and making it look like she’d taken her own life. The Front Page covered the mammoth nine-week trial in the series: Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial. Today on The Front Page, executive producer Mark McNeill is with us to talk about the trial, the documentary, and the life of Pauline. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea Daniels Sound Engineer: Richard Martin Producer: Ethan Sills See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

3. 

   18 Feb 2025

   NZH Presents - Mr Asia: A Forgotten History

   In the 1970s, the Mr Asia drug syndicate was one of the largest sellers of heroin in the world. The group began in New Zealand, with two men at its centre: Marty Johnstone and Terry Clark. As the syndicate spread around the world, for a few years, they were living the high life. And then, they started killing each other. In the new season of A Forgotten History, from the New Zealand Herald and Bird of Paradise Productions, John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy revisit the lives and crimes of these two men, their associates, and how their actions changed drug culture in New Zealand. Episodes available now wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

71,722,313

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

3.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

91 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

67

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

51

Contact Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.