True Story

On Easter Monday 2021, police were called to the home of a successful professional couple in the affluent Auckland suburb of Remuera. They found the body of Pauline Hanna.

In his emergency call, her husband, Philip Polkinghorne, said she killed herself. Sixteen months later he was charged with her murder. As this podcast is released, he's currently on trial at the High Court in Auckland.

Stuff's groundbreaking series returns to take you inside the Polkinghorne trial: Hear the witnesses, follow the evidence, wait for the verdict.

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Introducing Newsable: Stuff's daily news podcast all about what everyone’s talking about!

The Lauren Dickason trial highlighted some issues we don’t discuss much in New Zealand - the mental health of mothers, for example.

Today, Kristina Grace, founder of the Mothers Helpers support group, urges people to be kinder to mums who might need help. And law expert Professor Chris Gallavin tackles the legal fallout - including whether current justice rules are fit for purpose.

For more information about Mothers Helpers, click here.

WARNING: This podcast covers issues that may be distressing for some, including mental health. For free help, text or call 1737, 24 hours.

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Adam and Eugene put on their war-historian hats to investigate one of the strangest cases from our nation’s internet past: the Great Macron War of 2018. Why did the normally genteel editors of Wikipedia’s New Zealand pages lose their cool – and why did some start to turn on each other?It’s a tale of online scuffles, cultural misunderstandings, robots … and a secret agent.

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When Ollie signed the lease for his flat, he also signed up to a bizarre and unforgettable challenge – life as a tenant of landlord Cheryl Scott. It’s a tale of rogue coat hangers, interminable phone calls and unpaid bills. Oh – and some toilet bowl photography.

This True Story is written and presented by guest host Ethan Te Ora.

For further coverage, see www.stuff.co.nz/national/130628181/vexatious-landlord-cheryl-scott-the-scion-of-a-property-empire-or-a-fantasist

To hear more great Stuff podcasts, check out stuff.co.nz/podcasts

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After a nude art session goes embarrassingly wrong, a model finds himself in court on a serious charge. And it’s all downhill from there, when it turns out he’s hired precisely the wrong defence lawyer for the job. Eugene and Adam dig into an outrageous case of courtroom bumbling that some believe is just the tip of a miscarriage-of-justice iceberg.

Warning: This True Story refers to suicide and sexual offending and may upset some listeners.

WHERE TO GET HELP:

1737, Need to talk? - Free call or text 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor.

Victim Support  0800 842 846

Lifeline – 0800 543 354

Parenting Place - Advice on talking to children about trauma.

Kidsline – 0800 54 37 54 for people up to 18 years old. Open 24/7.

Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234, email [email protected], or find online chat and other support options here.

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Sugar. We can’t get enough because it tastes so damn good, right? Actually, there’s a bit more to it than that. Adam and Eugene delve into the fascinating science and make an intriguing discovery. They also learn what it would take for consumers to kick their sweet habit … and it isn’t what you might expect.

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When it comes to conservation is it as simple as native = good, exotic = bad? Adam and Eugene head for the hills, where they encounter real life-wallaby hunters and discover an unexpected pest threatening one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Plus, they investigate a heated debate about decolonising the environment centred on Auckland’s maunga.

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Eugene and Adam meet workers of the modern gig economy: rideshare drivers whose every move is measured and controlled by an uber-automaton with no conscience and no soul. Hear the inside story of robo-firings, late-night stoushes, and helpdesk horrors.

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From the makers of Stuff’s smash hit The Commune, comes a new current affairs podcast series. Each episode, Eugene Bingham and Adam Dudding take their microphones on the road to bring you a true New Zealand story: sometimes quirky, sometimes serious – always surprising.

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