The Crimes That Changed Us NZ on TVNZ: The Case of Teina Pora
Documentary series about New Zealand's most notorious miscarriage of justice and the murder of Susan Burdett
What is the series about?
The Crimes That Changed Us NZ (TVNZ, 2025) sheds light on one of the most complex and tragic criminal cases in New Zealand's history in the second episode of the series. The documentary focuses on the events that led to the then 17-year-old Teina Pora being convicted of the rape and murder of Susan Burdett in March 1992. Through interviews and archival material, the series shows how the police investigation ignored key evidence, including critical DNA results that did not point to Pora.
The real case
The case began in Papatoetoe, Auckland, where Susan Burdett was found brutally assaulted in her home. Teina Pora quickly became the focus of police interest after his aunt provided information about a softball bat found near the Monaco velodrome. Although Pora voluntarily provided a DNA sample that did not match the traces from the crime scene, he was still convicted. The miscarriage of justice against Teina Pora was largely driven by testimonies from three individuals who received a total of $15,000 from the police for their statements.
It later emerged that Pora suffered from cognitive difficulties, which made him vulnerable during the hours-long interrogations. He confessed to crimes he did not commit, which the police used as primary evidence. The real perpetrator was later identified through a DNA match as Malcolm Rewa, who was responsible for a series of unsolved rapes in southern Auckland during the same period.
Timeline of the case
The investigation into the Susan Burdett case spanned decades. Although Pora was convicted in 1994, and again in a retrial in 2000, his lawyers, Jonathan Cribbs and Ingrid Squire, never gave up. In 2012, pressure on the justice system began to rise when former Detective Inspector Dave Henwood publicly criticized the conviction on the program 60 Minutes. This led to the case being brought before the Privy Council in London, which ultimately acquitted Pora in 2015.
Watch the series
The episode about Teina Pora and Susan Burdett can be streamed on TVNZ. The series is essential for viewers who want to understand the systemic failures in the New Zealand police and the long-term consequences of false confessions.