Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big

00:01:30

Introducing: The Lost

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/06/14

The true stories of New Zealand's missing people. Paloma Migone digs into the cold cases of those who never came home.Watch a video version of the trailer hereThis series first published in May 2017.Every year, thousands of New Zealanders go missing. On average about one every hour.Most are found quickly. But some are never seen again. They are the lost.RNZ's new five-part podcast, The Lost, digs into some of those missing persons cases and talks to the families about their quest for answers

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00:54:03

Conviction 12 | Legacy

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/06/08

Peter Ellis was released from prison in 2000 - but that was by no means the end of the story. This episode looks at life after prison and the huge impact this case has had on the whole country.This series was first released on 12 October 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.We'll never be sure what happened when Peter Ellis worked at the Christchurch Civic Creche that lead to the shocking accusations by some of the children who went

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00:51:55

Conviction 11 | 2,416 Days

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/06/01

Peter Ellis spent more than seven years in prison, for a crime he says he didn't commit. He and others describe his time behind bars and the many surprises and revelations he faced.This series was first released on 11 October 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.Peter Ellis is found guilty of 16 counts of abuse in relation to 7 children and is sentenced to 10 years in prison.The shock of life in a Maximum Security prison is profound, but

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00:43:20

Conviction 10 | Turns

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/05/25

Tensions run high as the High Court trial of Peter Ellis reaches its conclusion.This series was first released on October 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, visit the RNZ website here.The trial grinds on, loyalties are tested, and a sense of exhaustion sets in. Are there, as Ellis and his supporters claim, abuses of power by key witnesses such as leading child psychologist Karen Zelas, key members of the police team, and some of the complainant parents? Is there

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00:38:07

Conviction 09 | Twists

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/05/18

The High Court trial into child abuse at the Christchurch Civic Creche begins on Monday, 26 April, 1993. Peter Ellis is charged with 28 counts against 13 children.This series was first released on October 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.Peter Ellis's friends rally round to help him scrub up his image and the trial begins.As the High Court trial opens, Peter Ellis finds himself before a conservative Catholic judge and a compromised

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00:52:46

Conviction 08 | 11 Long Weeks

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/05/11

As the divisions in the community intensify, one year on from those first allegations, the preliminary court hearing against Peter Ellis and the four women begins.This series was first released on October 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.Together the five child care workers face 60 charges of sexual offending against 20 children. Over 11 weeks, dozens of people give evidence, from the children and their families to police, other

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00:44:36

Conviction 07 | The Women

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/05/04

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 centre is abruptly closed.This series was first released on October 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the website here.By late 1992, four female creche workers had also been accused of abuse and arrested by police.Debbie Gillespie and Marie Keys describe the day the police knocked on their doors and all the woman

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00:44:34

Conviction 06 | Spikehead, Stupidhead & Boulderhead

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/04/27

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 more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.By October 1992, 119 children have been interviewed and their allegations range from violent nude dancing to rape and murder.Expert opinion varies on why children would make up such claims, but the parents couldn't imagine where the ideas would come from, unless the

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00:55:09

Conviction 05 | Total Recall

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/04/20

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 played.This series was first released on 3 October 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.What's happening for the 3 to 5 year old children at the centre of the investigation, some of whom are put through hours of questioning by professionals feeling their way in a relatively new field?How

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00:48:05

Conviction 04 | Money Talks

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/04/13

Peter Ellis is arrested and charged with child sexual abuse. Creche parents are panicked and horrified. But what has really been happening at the creche?This series was first released on 2 October 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.The day Peter turns 34 his house is searched for incriminating material to corroborate the accusations of paedophilia and when he's arrested, all the rumours are front page news.A leading child sexual abuse

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00:49:41

Conviction 03 | The Perfect Storm

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/04/06

As more and more children came forward with claims of sexual abuse, we ask whether international events were influencing the case in Christchurch.This series was first released on 29 September 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.As in similar cases a few years earlier in the US and Australia, rumours of ritual satanic abuse emerge amidst a rising tide of moral panic swirling around the beleaguered creche.A second child makes an accusation

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00:49:22

Conviction 02 | Poo Sticks

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/03/30

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 more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the website here.A child's comment to his mother that he 'doesn't like Peter's black penis' leads to Peter being suspended by his shocked supervisor and sets off the first depth charge beneath the community surrounding the crecheWere children being sexually abused

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00:54:22

Conviction 01 | Peter's Black Penis

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/03/23

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 connections to what was to become New Zealand's most notorious child sexual abuse case.This series was first released on 29 September 2023.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the website here.Who was Peter Ellis, the childcare worker at the centre of the accusations and how did he come to work there?To set the scene, we meet

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00:02:18

Introducing: Conviction: The Christchurch Civic...

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/03/22

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 children. Listen to RNZ's new podcast and make up your own mind.To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the website here.In the early 1990's Aotearoa's garden city Christchurch was torn apart by accusations of child sexual abuse at a creche owned by the City Council. The story begins when a four year old boy makes

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00:01:12

Introducing: Motive - RNZ's true crime podcast super...

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2026/03/19

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 true crime, keep following this podcast feed to get episodes every Tuesday from RNZ's true crime back catalogue, as well as brand new shows as they get released. Listen out for award winning series like Conviction, Gone Fishing, Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big and more right here in this podcast feed.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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00:58:21

Faith

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2025/12/02

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 investigation, all the bits still missing and discovers the hopes Suzanne Young and Julie Appelgren hold for resolution. Read more stories and see images from Nark on the RNZ websiteSpecial thanks to everyone who helped bring this podcast to life, especially Julie Appelgren and Suzanne Young.And thanks to Ngā Taonga and Mediaworks for some of the archival

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01:01:53

Fire and Fallout

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2025/11/30

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 fallout resulted in a trans-Tasman diplomatic row. In this episode, Ernie* answers some of Mike’s lingering questions.*Names have been changed as they have name suppression or to protect their identityRead more stories and see images from Nark on the RNZ websiteSpecial thanks to everyone who helped bring this podcast to life, especially Julie Appelgren

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00:38:49

A Confession

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2025/11/27

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 that puts Ross Appelgren’s guilty verdict back in question.See images and read more about the series at www.rnz.co.nz/narkSpecial thanks to everyone who helped bring this podcast to life, especially Julie Appelgren and Suzanne Young.And thanks to Ngā Taonga and Mediaworks for some of the archival audio.AI was used to recreate the voice of Ross

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00:58:55

Second Thoughts

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2025/11/25

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 question marks over Ross’ guilt, there are bits of the story that point to him being the killer.See images and read more about the series at www.rnz.co.nz/narkSpecial thanks to everyone who helped bring this podcast to life, especially Julie Appelgren and Suzanne Young.And thanks to Ngā Taonga and Mediaworks for some of the archival audio.AI was used to

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00:50:06

The Jack Up

Motive: Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big ·

2025/11/23

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 exactly come easily. And if you think you know how the story of Ross’ retrial ends – you’re in for a surprise. *Names have been changed as they have name suppression or to protect their identitySee images and read more about the series at www.rnz.co.nz/narkSpecial thanks to everyone who helped bring this podcast to life, especially Julie Appelgren and

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