Fun Facts - New Zealand's last execution 18 February 1957 - Walter Bolton, a 68-year-old Whanganui farmer, became the last person executed in New Zealand. Convicted for the murder of his wife, Beatrice, he was hanged at Mt Eden prison following a controversial trial. - Beatrice’s tea had contained traces of arsenic, and, over the best part of a year, she had consumed enough to kill her. Investigators found traces of arsenic in water on the Boltons’ farm and in Walter and one of his daughters. The defence argued that sheep dip had accidentally contaminated the farm’s water supply. - The idea that Beatrice’s death was a result of accidental poisoning lost credibility after Bolton admitted to an affair with his wife’s sister, Florence. The jury returned with a verdict of guilty. (Read more at https://nzhistory.govt.nz/walter-bolton-becomes-the-last-person-to-be-hanged-in-new-zealand)