The Lost

Paloma Migone digs into the cold cases of those who never came home. In episode one, Robyn Jensen says she'll never give up hope of finding her daughter, Kirsa.

Watch a video segment from the episode here

Time is running out for Robyn Jensen.

The 72 year-old hasn't seen her daughter, Kirsa, in more than 34 years.

Kirsa was 14 when she went missing while riding her horse, Commodore, along a Napier beach on the first day of spring in 1983. The terrible story gripped the country for weeks, months, years. Teenage girls weren't meant to just disappear in broad daylight. Not here. Not like this. Yet while the mystery remains unsolved, Robyn's questions just remain. What happened to Kirsa, the animal-loving teenage girl who would be 49 next month?

Despite the passage of time, Robyn's determination to find her daughter hasn't faded - it's only become more urgent. Rather than time being a healer, it's opening a new wound as the fear grows her own life could end before she's able to put Kirsa to rest.

"She's my daughter. She is just so very precious to me and the longer it goes, the harder it is because one day I may be dead and she may not be found.

"To be able to locate her and put her in a decent place, to rest forever, is vitally important to me."

Robyn has spoken with RNZ as part of a new podcast, The Lost, which looks into some of the country's missing persons cases.

"There is a whole new generation of people who don't know or haven't heard or know that there was a girl in Napier that something happened to," she says.

Robyn describes her daughter Kirsa as a serious and dedicated child, who adored animals and dreamed of being a vet and a rider for the New Zealand equestrian team.

"When I think of her, I think curls and bubbles and laughter and responsibility," she says. "Generous and kind and putting others first, but so dedicated to what she wanted to do. She would have done anything for an animal."

Before her disappearance, the family was living in Napier, as Kirsa's father, Dan, was the Anglican minister at St Augustine's Church. Kirsa had been volunteering at a local vet clinic and training Commodore for the upcoming Hawke's Bay Royal A&P Show during the school holidays.

On September 1, 1983, she had planned to go riding with her friend. Rain had stopped her from getting Commodore some exercise, but the sun was out that day. Her friend cancelled but Kirsa was still keen to go to the beach. She got Commodore ready, and said good-bye to her mother about 2.45pm.

At 5pm, Robyn began to feel anxious…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The true stories of New Zealand's missing people. Paloma Migone digs into the cold cases of those who never came home.

Watch a video version of the trailer here

Every year, thousands of New Zealanders go missing. On average about one every hour.

Most are found quickly. But some are never seen again. They are the lost.

RNZ's new five-part podcast, The Lost, digs into some of those missing persons cases and talks to the families about their quest for answers and the hole left by those who have disappeared.

Where are they? And will they ever be found?

"There are more questions than answers. And there continues to be more questions than answers."

The first episode is on Kirsa Jensen, a 14-year-old girl who went missing while riding her horse along a Napier beach in 1983.

Her story gripped the country for weeks as New Zealanders wrestled with how a young girl could go missing in broad daylight. Kirsa and her horse Commodore became household names, but the police are still searching. Despite the years, her mother, Robyn, is still desperate to find her.

She says with time, it's become harder to cope with her loss. 

"One day I may be dead and she may not be found," she says.

"To be able to locate her and put her in a decent place, to rest forever, is vitally important to me."

And next week, The Lost explores the case of Judy Yorke, a mother-of-two who was last seen at an orchard party in Matapihi in 1992.

Someone must know where they are. Is that someone you?

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details