Paula Penfold is a New Zealand investigative journalist. She is best-known for her investigation into the wrongful conviction of Auckland man

Teina Pora Teina Pora (born 1975) is a New Zealander who was wrongfully convicted of murdering a woman he had never met, named Susan Burdett, when he was aged 17; he served 20 years in Paremoremo prison from 1994, until he was paroled in 2014. In 1992, ...

for murder and rape.

Career

Penfold began her career in radio, working for

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...

and

The Radio Network New Zealand Media and Entertainment (abbreviated NZME) is a New Zealand newspaper, radio and digital media business. It was launched in 2014 as the merger of APN New Zealand (a division of APN News & Media), the Radio Network (formerly part of ...

for eight years, before moving into television with

TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...

in 1998. She then moved to

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...

in 2003 and spent the next 13 years working in current affairs across

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

, 3rd Degree and 3D. At 3D she spent three years investigating the wrongful conviction of Teina Pora, who spent 21 years in jail for the rape and murder of Auckland woman Susan Burdett in 1994. Her stories contributed significantly to the eventual quashing of his conviction and a $2.5 million dollar payout from the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

. 3D was cancelled by TV3 in 2016 and Penfold moved to Fairfax, establishing the long-form documentary investigative unit Stuff Circuit with two of her former colleagues. She was named 'Reporter of the Year' at the 2019

New Zealand Television Awards New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

''Stuff Circuit Documentaries''

* ''Big Decision'' (2019) * ''Alias'' (2020) * ''False Profit'' (2020) * ''Emma'' (2020) * ''Deleted'' (2021)

Personal life

Penfold was married to TV3 anchor and journalist

Mike McRoberts Mike McRoberts (born 1966) is a New Zealand television journalist and news anchor. He presented ''Newshub Live at 6pm'' on Three from 2005 until its last broadcast on 5 July 2024. McRoberts is the Te Ao Māori Editor at the National Business R ...

for more than 20 years. They split in 2018 and have two children together.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penfold, Paula Year of birth missing (living people) Living people New Zealand investigative journalists