Motive: Conviction
Episodes
Conviction 07 | The Women
04 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Four female creche workers are arrested in a series of raids on their homes. A damning report into the creche culture is release and the child care ce...
Conviction 06 | Spikehead, Stupidhead & Boulderhead
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The children's stories get more and more bizarre and suddenly, others are in the frame too.This series was first released on 4 October 2023.To see mor...
Conviction 05 | Total Recall
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As more and more children come forward with accounts of abuse, we look at what the role the parents, police and expert child interviewers may have pla...
Conviction 04 | Money Talks
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Ellis is arrested and charged with child sexual abuse. Creche parents are panicked and horrified. But what has really been happening at the crec...
Conviction 03 | The Perfect Storm
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As more and more children came forward with claims of sexual abuse, we ask whether international events were influencing the case in Christchurch.This...
Conviction 02 | Poo Sticks
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There's fear and confusion after a child says 'I don't like Peter's black penis'. A second accusation causes the investigation to be ramped up.To see ...
Conviction 01 | Peter's Black Penis
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Who was Peter Ellis, the childcare worker at the centre of the accusations and how did he come to work there? Meet people with many different connecti...
Introducing: Conviction: The Christchurch Civic Creche Case
22 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What really happened at the Christchurch Civic Creche in the late 1980s and early 1990s? Was Peter Ellis wrongly convicted or should we believe the ch...
Introducing: Motive - RNZ's true crime podcast super feed
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
While it's the end of Nark, it's not the end of RNZ's true crime podcasts - welcome to RNZ's latest super feed called Motive. Dedicated to all things ...
Faith
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You've reached the final episode of Nark, but it's far from the end of the story. Mike Wesley-Smith looks at all the pieces uncovered during his inves...
Fire and Fallout
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For years after the trials of Ross Appelgren, Ernie* had lived a quiet and crime-free life in Australia. But his domestic bliss didn’t last and the ...
A Confession
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Five years after the death of Darcy Te Hira, two prison guards are quietly minding their own business when an inmate drops a bombshell. A confession ...
Second Thoughts
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Wesley-Smith puts Ross Appelgren’s claims of innocence under the microscope in this episode. While much of what Mike’s uncovered so far puts ...
The Jack Up
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ernie*, who had been living in Australia while Ross fought for his freedom, is back in court for the retrial. But as you’ll discover, he didn’t ex...
Quashed
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ross Appelgren’s conviction is quashed, he begins rebuilding his life cementing a new future with his love – Julie. But his trials are not over –...
The Petition
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just as all hope appears gone, Ross Appelgren discovers further information that had been withheld from his defence team. And an unlikely ally appears...
Escape
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ross Appelgren takes drastic measures to clear his name. In a nail-biting episode we relive his unsanctioned bid for freedom and his attempt to bring ...
Appeal
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While Ross Appelgren is reeling from the murder conviction for a crime he said he didn’t commit, his lawyer launches an appeal. But Ross isn’t pre...
Honour Among Thieves
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Leaks from Mt Eden force police to move on their main suspect for the murder of Darcy Te Hira and Ross Appelgren finds himself in the dock for the cri...
Operation Icing
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In return for his testimony Ernie* was moved from a cell to motel room, and promised money, relocation and early release from his sentence. His witnes...
Blurred Lines
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ernie’s* journey from suspect to eye-witness is shrouded in secrecy and controversy. We look at how police came to place their entire case on Ernie’...
Ross & Ernie
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s properly meet the two main characters in this story. Ross, the accused. A car thief and bank robber who’d spent a third of his life behind b...
Convict Cluedo
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The investigation into the murder of Darcy Te Hira kicks off in earnest, but the police are stymied by the prisoner code of silence and a lack of fore...
Rock Life
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes, where a murder happens can be just as important a factor in its investigation as who did it and why. This episode looks at life behind the ...
A Kitchen Murder
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Darcy Te Hira’s murder in Mt Eden prison is one shrouded in controversy. The only prison guard on duty saw and heard nothing. Initially, Darcy was t...
Tony
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On 6 January 1985, Tony “Darcy” Te Hira was murdered in Mt Eden Prison. Fellow inmate Ross Appelgren was twice convicted of the killing but mainta...
Introducing: Nark
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Listen here for a taste of what's to come in RNZ's latest true crime podcast - Nark. The pursuit of justice has never sounded so good.See images and r...
Nark | Trailer
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A prison murder, an unlikely love story and a cast of colourful characters. RNZ's new true crime podcast is not to be missed.See images and read more ...