Baby
farmers were paid caregivers who allegedly neglected children in their care, concealed their deaths or
deliberately murdered the infants. The most notorious was Minnie Dean, who, in 1895, became the first (and only) woman to be hanged for murder
in New Zealand.
The first execution in New Zealand was that of a young Maori named Maketu, convicted at Auckland in 1842. Walter Bolton became the last to be executed when he was hanged at Mount Eden prison in 1957. In total there were 83 verified executions for murder and one for treason in New Zealand between these dates.
The 'Burgess gang' murdered and thieved their way around the South Island during the 1860s. Their most notorious crime was five killings over two days in June 1866, on the Maungatapu track near Nelson.
Richard Burgess, the gang's ringleader, originally known as Richard Hill, had been transported from London to Melbourne for theft at the age of 16, arriving in 1847
For a few short months the Burgess gang embarked upon a crime spree along the west coast of the South Island that would culminate in the murder of five men on the Maungatapu Track.
Social and political groups for homosexuals in New Zealand began with the Dorian Society in the 1960s. By the next decade, sexual and social liberation was in the air.
High-profile
British and Australian court cases in the 1880s introduced New Zealanders to the
sinister practices of baby farmers: paid caregivers who neglected children in
their care, concealed their deaths or deliberately murdered the infants.
As a consequence of the post-war economic boom there was increasing demand for consumer goods. The 1956 census revealed that more than half of New Zealand homes possessed washing machines, refrigerators and electric ovens.
Joseph Sullivan claimed to have acted solely as a lookout for the gang, and informed the police about the killing of James Battle, incriminating the others
Depositions against the gang began on 2 August 1866 and attracted great excitement. It was only now that it was revealed that Sullivan had informed on the others.
In 1895 Southland's Williamina (Minnie)
Dean became the first – and only – woman to be hanged in New Zealand. Her story
exposed the stark realities of paid childcare and the lack of choice that
many women faced in this period.
The 'Crimes against Morality' section of the 1893 Criminal Code included punishments of flogging, whipping and hard labour for homosexual acts. These provisions continued until removed under the Crimes Act 1961.
When Joseph Sullivan returned to Hokitika to give evidence about the robbery of the Hokitika police camp and the murder of George Dobson, a mob called for him to be lynched
Venn Young (left) stands with two National Party members in 1980. In 1974 Venn Young introduced a Crimes Amendment Bill to legalise homosexuality for those 21 and over but failed to get it passed into law.
In 1950s New Zealand there were a number of serious criminal cases involving young people. Such court cases received heavy media coverage and intensified public fears about delinquency.
Dunedin gaol where Joseph Sullivan was kept from 1868-74. Richard Burgess and Thomas Kelly (then Noon) were sent here from 1862-65 for robbery and associated charges
While attending Christchurch Girls' High School, Pauline Parker met Juliet Hulme and formed the
friendship that was to radically change the course of both their lives. In 1954 the pair were convicted of murder in a sensational case, later dramatised in Peter Jackson's film Heavenly creatures.
The sensational murder trial of Daniel and
Martha Cooper revealed that the difficulties facing single mothers and unwanted children continued well into the 20th century.
Walter Bolton was the last person to be executed in New Zealand when he was convicted of poisoning his wife, Beatrice. He was hanged for her murder at Mount Eden prison. The death penalty for murder was abolished in New Zealand in 1961, and there were claims that this was due partly to the circumstances surrounding Bolton's case.
