No DNA, no CCTV, no chance: The 50-year hunt for what really happened to Mona Blades
Mona Blades' disappearance and police reliance on an orange Datsun still haunt New Zealanders 50 years on. Would such a mystery have a different outcome today? By Greg Bruce
On the Saturday morning of Queen's Birthday weekend, May 31, 1975, Mona Blades stepped out of her brother-in-law's car on the outskirts of Hamilton and into the staccato stop-motion nightmare of what remained of her life.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
13 hours ago
- 1News
‘Seen someone get their neck slit open' – what teens view online
"What's the craziest thing you've seen on social media?" That's the question Re: News asked teenagers, and the answers were extreme. Content warning: This story discusses graphic violence and death. 'Oh, I've seen someone get their neck slit open in a mall.' 'Lots of 9/11 stuff and people getting murdered.' ADVERTISEMENT 'I've seen someone get smashed with some knuckledusters straight to the head, and he is bleeding out of his brain.' Watch the full video here on TVNZ+ New research from the New Zealand Classification Office found the most common type of harmful content young New Zealanders are seeing is real-world graphic violence. Researchers spoke to 10 groups of rangatahi across Aotearoa and found it was difficult for them to avoid this content when it popped up on social media feeds, in group chats, or gets shown to them in person. The teenagers Re: News spoke to said they were only 10- or 12-years-old the first time they saw graphically violent content on social media. 'Algorithms are designed to keep you interested' Chief Censor Caroline Flora says young people generally don't go looking for extremely harmful or objectionable content but it can come up on their social media feeds because of algorithms. ADVERTISEMENT 'The algorithms are designed to keep you interested, they take into account who you are your age, your gender, your interests, but also your friends.' Chief Censor Caroline Flora. (Source: Re: News) When rangatahi do come across harmful content, Flora says it makes them curious. 'Curiosity can take you a long way in 2025, whereas not even that long ago, you would really have to go hunting for the worst of the worst online. 'Some of them also told us that they were quite keen to see where their line of tolerance was.' Chris Bowden is the director of educational psychology programmes at Victoria University of Wellington and says harmful content can have a range of impacts on young people. 'It can create anxiety. It can shape their ideas, their beliefs, their attitudes that can reinforce for them that the world is a scary, harmful, dangerous, awful place to live.' ADVERTISEMENT Teens told Re: News' Janhavi Gosai of their experiences. (Source: Re: News) He says if someone watches a lot of porn or graphic violence, that content might make them think those behaviours can solve problems in relationships. 'It can also contribute to isolation and withdrawal from friends and family because they've seen this content and they don't know how to talk about it with other people.' Parents worried TikTok's own research found half of New Zealand parents were worried about inappropriate content. It says it's got features to keep teenagers safe, including a family pairing option where a parent can connect their account to their child's, control screen time and limit the inappropriate content they see. Research commissioned by TikTok in 2025. (Source: Supplied) ADVERTISEMENT Instagram says it removes graphically violent content but allows 'sensitive content' to stay up, which can include depictions of violence - like people fighting. It has a 'Teen Accounts' feature which makes sensitive content less visible for 13- to 17-year-olds. To prevent harm, Chris Bowden says you need a 'multipronged approach'. 'Where it works most effectively is where young people and parents come together and negotiate a healthy use of media.' Watch the full video on TVNZ+
1News
17 hours ago
- 1News
Men smuggled card skimming gear into NZ in air fryers, laptops
An Auckland man who smuggled card skimming equipment into New Zealand and withdrew more than $60,000 has been sentenced. The 21-year-old and another man hid the equipment in low-value electronics like air fryers. He was sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision at the Auckland District Court yesterday after being convicted of knowingly importing goods for dishonest purposes and possessing goods designed with intent to facilitate the commission of crimes involving dishonesty. Cold coming, PM's press secretary scandal, science of sleep (Source: 1News) The other man, also a 21-year-old Aucklander, was sentenced to 10 months' home detention on the same charges in November. ADVERTISEMENT Between March and July 2023, the two men smuggled 12 packages containing card-skimming equipment into New Zealand. The equipment was hidden in low-value electronic goods like air-fryers, used laptops, and TV antennas. The card-skimming equipment smuggled into New Zealand. (Source: Supplied) The packages were sent to fake names at parcel collection lockers across Auckland. The duo then targeted ATMs and parking machines, including at a hospital carpark. In total, the two men successfully withdrew $60,477.61 with a further NZ$21,500 of attempted or declined withdrawals. In April 2023, customs officers intercepted an air freight package which hid a card skimming device sent from the United States. ADVERTISEMENT At a raid on the man sentenced yesterday's house, customs found retail rewards cards with skimmed bank data, and a cash counting machine. Further searches identified card-reading software on the man's laptop. 'Card-skimming is a financial crime that directly targets unsuspecting New Zealanders going about their daily business, and which causes a lot of stress for victims when they discover their card has been used to withdraw large sums without their knowledge," chief customs officer - fraud and prohibition, Nigel Barnes, said 'Customs will do our part in stopping these devices getting into New Zealand, and prosecuting those involved in bringing them in,' he said.
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Scoop
Expert Commentary: NZ Privacy Commissioner Provides Clarity For Retailers On Facial Recognition Technology
Nicholas Dynon is Brand Strategy & Innovation Director at Optic Security Group. He is a certified security risk professional and counter terrorism practitioner. 'The inquiry report found that the live facial recognition technology (FRT) model trialed by Foodstuffs North Island Limited (FSNI) in 25 of its supermarkets complied with New Zealand's Privacy Act. While the Privacy Commissioner assessed the level of privacy intrusion as high due to every shopper's face data being collected, the privacy safeguards in the trial reduced it to an acceptable level. 'The outcome has been met with strong and immediate political support, with Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith lauding the result as 'great news' and stating that he now expects the Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime to 'continue to look at this technology as an option to be used more widely". 'The outcome also provides some much-needed clarity for retailers – and other organisations – who have held back on considering FRT as a potential solution to their security issues due to the fear of ending up on the wrong side of privacy legislation. But it's not a green light. 'The Privacy Commissioner has highlighted several changes that FSNI needs to make in order to make its trial permanent or to expand it to more stores. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) has also set out nine key expectations for organisations that are considering using FRT. 'Compliant FRT deployment is about more than just the technology itself. Factors such as identifying and assessing the specific purpose for which you want to use FRT, maintaining watchlists, protecting the system from misuse and information breach, communications to customers, staffing and training, customer interventions, incident response, managing enquiries and complaints, and maintaining and monitoring the system, are all critical to compliance – and they involve significant research, planning, testing, and careful implementation. "At the same time, retailers should be aware that the results of an OPC survey published just weeks ago demonstrate that many New Zealanders are not supportive of the use of FRT in retail stores. 'The survey of over 1,200 New Zealanders found that 41% of respondents are 'concerned' or 'very concerned' about the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) in retail stores to identify individuals. A total of 25% are neutral on the topic, 31% are either not so concerned or not concerned at all, and 3% are unsure. 49% of Maori respondents indicated concern over FRT in retail. 'For retailers considering FRT, this means not only ensuring all the privacy legislation boxes are ticked but also taking a step back and asking whether FRT is the most appropriate solution to your security problem. 'Inappropriate FRT deployment exposes an organisation not only to legal risk but also to significant reputational risk. Engaging with trusted experts to understand the privacy dimensions and factors influencing social licence to operate this emerging technology are critical."
