Latest news with #Polkinghorne
1News
5 days ago
- Health
- 1News
Philip Polkinghorne may give evidence at inquest into wife's death
The Auckland eye surgeon found not guilty of killing his wife after a lengthy murder trial last year may give evidence at her coronial inquest next year. Pauline Hanna, who managed the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine as an executive director at Counties Manukau Health, died in her Remuera home on April 5, 2021. Her husband, former Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne, was found not guilty of her murder after an eight-week trial. A pre-hearing conference has taken place in the North Shore District Court this morning with a number of key figures from the trial appearing in court once again. Polkinghorne and his lawyer Ron Mansfield were present, alongside Pauline's brother Bruce Hanna, and niece Rose, and lawyer Alysha McClintock representing the police. ADVERTISEMENT There was also a large media presence, including author Steve Braunias who has written a book about the trial, Polkinghorne, and documentary maker Mark McNeill. Coroner Tania Tetitaha laid out a timeline for lawyers to produce evidence for the inquest. She gave them 28 days to come up with agreed facts and contested evidence. The coroner asked if Polkinghorne would be available to appear before the inquest in August next year. Philip Polkinghorne leaves the North Shore District Court. (Source: 1News) Mansfield said Polkinghorne could make himself available. She deemed it relevant, saying he would know best the stressors in her life leading up to Hanna's death, as her husband. ADVERTISEMENT Mansfield raised concerns around how far back evidence would be collected for the inquest, calling a submission filed by the police a "pseudo-prosecution" of Polkinghorne. "The main issue is going to be what happened on that evening, I have no doubt about that," Tetitaha said. It was revealed in July Australian sex worker Madison Ashton, Polkinghorne's former lover, had asked to give evidence at the inquest. Tetitaha brought up Asthon's potential evidence, saying it would be useful to hear from Polkinghorne on what was presented. The Crown argued during his criminal trial held in the High Court at Auckland Polkinghorne killed his wife after a possible violent struggle, while he may have been under the influence of methamphetamine. His defence maintained Hanna died by suicide after many years of struggling with depression, compounded by work-related stress. The inquest is expected to get underway in August 2026. ADVERTISEMENT
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Polkinghorne may give evidence at inquest into wife's death
Philip Polkinghorne. Photo: RNZ The Auckland eye surgeon found not guilty of killing his wife after a lengthy murder trial last year may give evidence at her coronial inquest next year. Pauline Hanna, who managed the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine as an executive director at Counties Manukau Health, died in her Remuera home on April 5, 2021. Her husband, former Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne, was found not guilty of her murder after an eight-week trial. A pre-hearing conference took place in the North Shore District Court this morning with a number of key figures from the trial appearing in court once again. Polkinghorne and his lawyer Ron Mansfield were present, alongside Pauline's brother Bruce Hanna, and niece Rose, and lawyer Alysha McClintock representing the police. There was also a large media presence, including author Steve Braunias who has written a book about the trial, Polkinghorne, and documentary maker Mark McNeill. Coroner Tania Tetitaha laid out a timeline for lawyers to produce evidence for the inquest. She gave them 28 days to come up with agreed facts and contested evidence. The Coroner asked if Polkinghorne would be available to appear before the inquest in August next year. His lawyer Ron Mansfield said Polkinghorne could make himself available. She deemed it relevant, saying he would know best the stressors in her life leading up to Hanna's death, as her husband. Mansfield raised concerns around how far back evidence would be collected for the inquest, calling a submission filed by the police a "pseudo-prosecution" of Polkinghorne. "The main issue is going to be what happened on that evening, I have no doubt about that," Tetitaha said. It was revealed in July that Australian sex worker Madison Ashton, Polkinghorne's former lover, had asked to give evidence at the inquest. Coroner Tetitaha brought up Ashton's potential evidence, saying it would be useful to hear from Polkinghorne on what was presented. The Crown argued during his criminal trial held in the High Court at Auckland that Polkinghorne killed his wife after a possible violent struggle, while he may have been under the influence of methamphetamine. His defence maintained Hanna died by suicide after many years of struggling with depression, compounded by work-related stress. The inquest is expected to get under way in August 2026.
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Eye surgeon may give evidence at inquest into wife's death
Philip Polkinghorne. Photo: RNZ The Auckland eye surgeon found not guilty of killing his wife after a lengthy murder trial last year may give evidence at her coronial inquest next year. Pauline Hanna, who managed the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine as an executive director at Counties Manukau Health, died in her Remuera home on April 5, 2021. Her husband, former Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne, was found not guilty of her murder after an eight-week trial. A pre-hearing conference took place in the North Shore District Court this morning with a number of key figures from the trial appearing in court once again. Polkinghorne and his lawyer Ron Mansfield were present, alongside Pauline's brother Bruce Hanna, and niece Rose, and lawyer Alysha McClintock representing the police. There was also a large media presence, including author Steve Braunias who has written a book about the trial, Polkinghorne, and documentary maker Mark McNeill. Coroner Tania Tetitaha laid out a timeline for lawyers to produce evidence for the inquest. She gave them 28 days to come up with agreed facts and contested evidence. The Coroner asked if Polkinghorne would be available to appear before the inquest in August next year. His lawyer Ron Mansfield said Polkinghorne could make himself available. She deemed it relevant, saying he would know best the stressors in her life leading up to Hanna's death, as her husband. Mansfield raised concerns around how far back evidence would be collected for the inquest, calling a submission filed by the police a "pseudo-prosecution" of Polkinghorne. "The main issue is going to be what happened on that evening, I have no doubt about that," Tetitaha said. It was revealed in July that Australian sex worker Madison Ashton, Polkinghorne's former lover, had asked to give evidence at the inquest. Coroner Tetitaha brought up Ashton's potential evidence, saying it would be useful to hear from Polkinghorne on what was presented. The Crown argued during his criminal trial held in the High Court at Auckland that Polkinghorne killed his wife after a possible violent struggle, while he may have been under the influence of methamphetamine. His defence maintained Hanna died by suicide after many years of struggling with depression, compounded by work-related stress. The inquest is expected to get under way in August 2026.
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Steve Braunias: Why Jacinda Ardern is ruining my life
Polkinghorne, the book, is looking like a bestseller and quacking like a bestseller. It's been No 1 at Unity Books, No 1 at Time Out bookstore, but only as far as No 2 to date in the NielsenIQ BookScan national nonfiction charts. Damn Dame Jacinda Ardern and her memoir A for hogging the No 1 spot week after week.
Newsroom
05-08-2025
- Newsroom
Polkinghorne, by his patients
Polkinghorne, once more. The man accused of the murder of his wife but found not guilty at the end of an epic eight-week trial, as recounted in my bestselling book inevitaby titled Polkinghorne, has been remembered by those who knew him in strange, conflicting ways. I recently staged a giveaway contest of the book at ReadingRoom. Readers were asked to share their opinion on the matter—or share a personal story. It was a very popular contest. There were many opinions, all essentially along the same lines. Margaret: 'He came across like a marathon meth-sex homunculus.' Sandra: 'Jacinda's book and your book on Polkinghorne adjacent in the bookshop. Grace beside vulgarity.' Don: 'Bro it was those fucking pants.' Quite. Other sides of Polkinghorne were revealed by three readers who knew him. Two were patients at Auckland Eye, where Polkingnorne worked as an ophthalmologist. One went to school with him. His schoolmate wrote, 'Polky was a friend who I occasionally sat next to at Tauranga Boys High. He lived around the corner from me in Ranginui Street (now inexplicably Brierley Cres) and raided the local feijoa trees just like the rest of us. But he was a different sort of guy. 'Me and mates invited him to hang out at Omanu Beach at the Mount where my parents had a bach. We would have been 13, I guess. 'At some point Polky must have become bored as he got us boys attention by crawling up a sand dune and crawling back down and did not stop for quite a while, silently, and he would not be interrupted. 'We plunged into the ocean. He did not follow. 'We remained friends. He was a loner, and I was a magnet for such as him and fine with it. 'One wonders how he is feeling today.' Well – yes, one does, but the story makes one wonder how he felt then, in this poignant memoir of a loner wriggling around the dunes of Mt Maunganui, an imaginative little boy playing a game, 'silently'. A patient at Auckland Eye told a story that was like a rollercoaster. It kind of crashed at the end. They wrote, 'Every two years for the past 20 years I'd had an expensive appointment at the Remuera eye clinic with Dr Philip Polkinghorne. I never liked him much. I always found him foppish in a performative way, peremptory and pointedly arrogant. He once told me Lazarus would have to rise again before the condition in my eye improved. 'My last appointment with him on March 12, 2021, three weeks before Pauline's death, was memorable because my granddaughter had been born that morning. I'd told the assistant the exciting news and when Philip flung open the door for my examination he yelled, 'Grandma!' 'I reeled a bit, but it was the beginning of the best visit ever, where I actually began to like the man. We connected and laughed over grandchildren's names, Covid experiences, his mood jaunty, jovial and empathetic. 'Now I wonder if part of his good humour was due to my being the last patient of the afternoon on a Friday, and he might have been looking forward to getting over the bridge before the traffic build-up for his weekly tryst with one of his sex workers. One can only speculate.' One can speculate and wonder as much as one wishes. The fact remains that he is free to enjoy his retirement. But another former patient more or less wished a pox on him, and ended her story with a line I wished I had used in my book to describe Polkinghorne's house in Remuera. They wrote, 'Philip Polkinghorne–I remember this name as clear as day. He was the surgeon that operated on my husband's eyes all those years ago. It was at Auckland Hospital. He was short in stature and wore a bowtie. 'We were the last patients to be seen that day and he had my husband's report. He said there's nothing more that could be done. Being a health professional myself I just couldn't get over his coldness. 'When I asked about what were we to do, we have six kids and a mortgage, he replied, 'Get a new life.' He was checking his watch and mentioned he had to go and meet his fiance. 'My husband went totally blind. Our kids grew up and have done amazing tbings We live in the same house . 'When I picked up the NZ Herald and saw he was up for murder I was so shocked. I followed every written piece of the trial (thanks Steve). I was very saddened at the outcome. 'I drove by his house soon after the trial. It was a stone cold white building.' The winner of the contest will be announced in ReadingRoom on Friday. Polkinghorne: Inside the trial of the century by Steve Braunias (Allen & Unwin, $37), number 2 in the NielsenIQ BookScan bestseller chart, is available in bookstores nationwide.
