The Trial

About The Trial

Stuff Audio, New Zealand’s award-winning leader in true crime podcasts, presents The Trial. Stuff’s expert journalists spend weeks at High Court hearings and pore over hundreds of hours of recordings to deliver compelling and in-depth insights into some of New Zealand’s most intriguing cases - as they happen. NEW: Season 2 - Police are called to the multi-million dollar Auckland home of a successful couple to find the body of Pauline Hanna. A year and a half later, her husband, eye surgeon Philip John Polkinghorne is charged with murder, a charge he denies. Presented by Philippa Tolley. Season 1 - In 2017 49-year-old builder Michael McGrath disappeared. No body, crime scene or weapon were found. So how could his longtime friend, David Benbow, be arrested and charged with murder? Presented by Michael Wright. Sound design/audio editing: Connor Scott; executive producer: Chris Reed WARNING: This show talks about suicide and content that may upset some people. If you need help, text or call 1737, 24 hours. Podcasts like this one take a lot of time and resources to create. To help cover some of that cost, you will hear some ads during this podcast. For an ad-free experience and early access to new episodes subscribe to Stuff Extra. Subscribe on Apple or Spotify, or go to listen.stuff.co.nz/extra to get access to this and other Stuff True Crime podcasts ad-free… and you’ll be helping us make more great podcasts, like this one.

Publisher

Stuff Audio

Category

news · society & culture · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Mar 2023

Latest episode

3 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 56 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   3 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Trailer: Quarantine Nation

   A lethal virus. A drastic lockdown. A nation turned upside down. From the makers of acclaimed podcasts The Commune, True Story and Witi Underwater, this eight-part narrative series revisits the Covid-19 pandemic with the benefit of hindsight and powerful interviews. Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham delve into what really happened – and what it taught us about ourselves. Subscribe to "Quarantine Nation" wherever you get your podcasts, or follow the links here: ⁠Quarantine Nation Player Links⁠, Made with the support of NZ on Air for Stuff by Te Pūrongo Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2. 

   11 Jan 2025

   Introducing: The Artful Dodger

   James Wallace was once the most revered philanthropist in the New Zealand arts community. His world started crumbling when a young man accused him of sexual assault. After a six-year legal battle - and more victims came forward - Wallace was convicted of multiple crimes and out of ways to keep his identity secret. This is the story of a disgraced knight’s rise and fall, his crimes and punishment - and his survivors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. 

   1 Nov 2024

   Polkinghorne Bonus: Sentenced on drug charges

   In the final chapter of the trial of Philip Polkinghorne, the former Auckland eye surgeon found not guilty of murdering his wife, he has been sentenced to 150 hours of community work for drug possession. The charges of possessing methamphetamine and a pipe to smoke it followed searches of the family home after the death of Pauline Hanna. WARNING: This episode references drug use. Podcasts like this take lots of time and resources to produce, which is why we'd love you to support our work by becoming a subscriber! You can subscribe to Stuff Extra directly in Apple Podcasts, or Click Here to listen on other platforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.2 / 5

59 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100

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

Quality

30

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

97

Contact The Trial

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

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

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