The best of: Martin van Beynen
Thursday, 7 November 2024
Investigative journalist Martin van Beynen worked at The Press for more than three decades becoming highly respected for his unflinching pursuit of the corrupt and hapless.
He is still known throughout New Zealand for his research and writing for Black Hands, a podcast on the Bain family murders.
While he is now semi-retired, much of his work remains relevant and compelling. Here are just a few of our favourites from the last 18 months.
Bernie Prior: The Governor’s Bay guru
How did a Reading man, who worked as a window dresser in London, move to a small New Zealand settlement in Canterbury and establish a global reputation as a spiritual leader?
Read the full story here.
'Don't touch this guy, he’s a cowboy’
A landscaper’s shoddy workmanship and unreliability came back to haunt him after an angry client set up a website chronicling his disastrous experience.
The website unearthed tales of woe from the landscaper’s many disappointed clients over several years, many of whom paid deposits for work which was never completed.
Read more about him here.
Is Lyttelton Port a basket case?
The World Bank’s Global Container Port Performance Index ranks 405 global container ports for efficiency based on ship turnaround. According to its index, the Lyttelton Port Company is one of the world’s worst operators, ranking 385, just beating Port Sudan and Luanda in Angola.
How can that be?
Read more about the challenges facing Lyttelton Port and its ambitious plans for the future in this indepth feature.
Hanmer builders go bust
The collapse of Hanmer Building Solutions in September owing about $1.3 million left a number of contractors out of pocket and several locals in the north Canterbury town with half-built homes.
The company is owned by a well regarded local family, the John Phillips, so its failure was a particular shock to the small community. Read more about it here.
Justice for Angela Blackmoore
Friday night and Jeremy Powell, a fitter and welder for a company making wood burners, had gathered with a few mates to relax before the weekend. The 45-year-old was on his sixth bourbon and coke and feeling even better after a few lines of MDMA when he got a phone call.
It was police detective Tom Fitzgerald. He was calling about the cold case murder of Angela Blackmoore on August 17, 1995.
Read the full story of how the killers nearly got away with the cold-blooded murder of this young woman, pregnant with her second child. Click here.
The Mainland’s most powerful families
The Press Power List 2024 was a series of stories looking at those who wield influence across the Mainland.
One particular story was devoted to the powerful dynasties of the South Island whose influence spanned generations.
Martin’s story reveals that such dynasties can be found in nearly every major industry on the Mainland. Read more here.
A Shameful Episode - The ruin of Justice Bill Wilson
This four-part series takes an unprecedented look behind the wigs and gowns of the upper echelons of the New Zealand judiciary, to tell the complex saga behind the downfall of former Supreme Court Justice Bill Wilson.
The fascinating series traverses Wilson’s meteoric rise through the legal profession, culminating in his elevation to New Zealand’s highest court, before a phone call set in motion the unravelling of a promising career.
Read Part 1 here, and Part 2 here and Part 3 here and Part 4 here.
How not to walk Te Araroa
Following his retirement, Martin decided to tramp a stretch of the Te Araroa trail. It didn’t go that well for him.
Read his account here.
Who is Martin van Beynen anyway?
Finally, a profile of Martin van Beynen published to mark his semi-retirement by fellow senior writer Philip Matthews. It’s a beautiful read which you can find here.