The death of Pauline Hanna, pictured here in 2005, is the subject of a new documentary about the trial of her husband, Philip Polkinghorne. Photo / Supplied
The producer of a new television documentary about the trial of Philip Polkinghorne hopes it gives more focus to the death of his wife, Pauline Hanna.
Hanna’s death in April 2021 in the couple’s Remuera home was followed by a lengthy police investigation.
Polkinghorne, a renowned eye surgeon, was eventually charged with her murder.
In his eight-week trial in 2024, the Crown argued that Polkinghorne’s reliance on methamphetamine and sex workers had put a strain on the couple’s relationship, leading to an explosive argument and Hanna’s death.
The defence said Hanna’s work stresses and history of depression and suicidal tendencies showed she had taken her own life.
The jury found Polkinghorne not guilty of murder, but he was charged and sentenced over the possession of meth.
Now, a three-part TV documentary, Polk: The Trial of Philip Polkinghorne, is looking back at the case, featuring interviews with Polkinghorne conducted before the trial that captivated the country.
Executive producer Mark McNeill told The Front Page that he hopes the documentary serves as a reminder of Hanna’s part of the story.
“The trial and the case was, in some respects, quite bonkers. And it was easy to get caught up in that. But when you have to start condensing it ... you’re aware that this is because a person’s died, and we were really, really conscious of that.
“And we had a meeting before we started – that very first meeting you have before you start production – we talked about that and we wanted to never lose sight of that.
“Because I think that ... in some documentaries that involve people who have died or in murder trials, sometimes the dead person gets forgotten. And we didn’t want to do that. We wanted to just remember her.
“It’s deliberate that the first and the last images you see are of Pauline, and we did also wish to be respectful of her family as well.”
The final part of the documentary airs tonight on Three.
Listen to the full episode for more from McNeil about making the documentary, including getting Polkinghorne and Madison Ashton on the record, and his thoughts on the eye surgeon’s response to the case.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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