“We now need to encourage some of the people who have made anonymous accounts, told anonymous accounts in the series, to actually make official statements to the police, and in some cases, maybe make them again because they weren’t taken seriously the first time,” she said.
Fellow co-director Candida Hill said they wanted to give a local voice to the cases and not put too much of their opinions in the documentary.
“We’re not saying there’s a serial killer in Piha. We let other people say that. We wanted to create a balanced documentary where everybody’s opinion got aired.”
There was also a claim of “lady-hunts” in the four-part series, which was given by the daughter of a gang member who had lived in a gang-affiliated home.
“She was told this by her father and we have no reason to doubt her. We also have no way of validating it. So it’s also about presenting what people are saying about Piha without us necessarily saying whether we know that it’s true or endorsing it - this is someone’s story,” Jones said.
Police said they were aware of the comments made in the documentary and that some might not have been reported.
“Anyone can report a matter to police at any time by calling 105 or going online,” police said.
To report an incident, go to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105.
Listen to the full episode to hear more from the documentary’s co-directors Megan Jones and Candida Hill on the other stories revealed in the series, including their thoughts on if the cases are linked. All episodes of Black Coast Vanishings are available on ThreeNow.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. This episode was presented by Katie Harris, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in social issues reporting who joined the Herald in 2020.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
