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The search for Anne Perry
Seminar by Joanne Drayton where she discussed her recent publication, The search for Anne Perry - better known in New Zealand as Juliet Hulme
Hamiora Pere executed for treason
Hamiora Pere was hanged at the Terrace Gaol, Wellington. He is the only New Zealander to have been executed after being convicted of treason.
Catholic Bishop found not guilty of sedition
James Liston, the assistant bishop of Auckland, was found not guilty of sedition after it was alleged he had made anti-British remarks in a St Patrick’s Day address.
Controversial ex-mayor killed in Berlin riots
Charles Ewing Mackay, the 'disgraced' former mayor of Whanganui, was shot dead by Berlin police during May Day riots in the German capital.
Arthur Allan Thomas convicted of Crewe murders for a second time
In the retrial the defence case centred on the vital discovery of a shellcase which had been a key in Thomas’s original conviction. Despite these questions he was convicted for a second time.
Further information - NZ crime timeline
Links and books relating to NZ crimes
New Zealand crime map
Map showing the locations of a selection of New Zealand's most notable crimes.
New Zealand crime timeline
New Zealand is often seen as a relatively safe country but as this selection of our most notable crimes shows, we have had our fair share of homicides, violent acts and other criminal behaviour. The timeline of over 70 events can also be viewed as a map.
The Winton baby farmer - roadside stories
Video about the baby-farmer Minnie Dean, the only woman to be hanged in New Zealand
Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme
Pauline Parker (16) and Juliet Hulme (15) who were convicted of murdering Pauline's mother in 1954
Sydney Ross

Perhaps the greatest political hoaxer in New Zealand’s history

Sydney Gordon Ross was released from prison on a Saturday, with nothing but an old briefcase, clothes and a train ticket. By the following afternoon, he had secured an audience with the Prime Minister at his parliamentary office in Wellington. A day later, he had a car, money, accommodation – and the undivided attention of the country’s security establishment.

1923 - key events
A selection of key New Zealand events from 1923
The Maungatapu murders virtual comic
Virtual comic book telling the story of the Maungatapu murders committed by the Burgess gang in 1866
Pauline Parker

Born on 26 May 1938, Pauline Parker was the second daughter of Christchurch couple Herbert and Honora Reiper. At the age of five, she was hospitalised with osteomyelitis, a crippling bone marrow infection. Though she survived the painful treatments, she suffered chronic leg pain throughout her youth, which excused her from physical activities at school. She had an interest in art and writing, and showed talent sculpting with clay.

Pawelka's last prison break
Joseph Pawelka escaped from Wellington's Terrace Gaol. It was the last in a series of bold but seemingly effortless prison escapes he made over a period of 18 months.
20-year old hanged for murder
Edward Te Whiu was one of the last four people executed in New Zealand. He admitted to killing 75-year-old widow Florence Smith, but his underprivileged background and childlike mental state led some to question the appropriateness of the death penalty.
Reports of the Minnie Dean case
Newspaper reports of the arrest and trial of Minnie Dean
Execution of Minnie Dean
Newspaper report of the execution of Minnie Dean on 12 August 1895
Fingerprints help convict murderer
In the Auckland Supreme Court, Dennis Gunn was convicted of the murder of a postmaster and sentenced to death. In what was claimed to be a world's first for a capital crime, Gunn's conviction was based almost entirely on fingerprint evidence.
The Newlands baby farmers
The sensational murder trial of Daniel and Martha Cooper revealed that the difficulties facing single mothers and unwanted children continued well into the 20th century.

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