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Killing of Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen

OVERTURNED1989Bush near Thames, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand4 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Sven Urban Höglin, 23, and his fiancée Heidi Birgitta Paakkonen, 21, Swedish tourists from Storfors, Värmland County, went missing on 8 April 1989 while walking in bush near Thames on New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula. They were reported missing in May 1989, prompting a major investigation known as Operation Stockholm. Police, local residents, search-and-rescue teams, and military personnel conducted what has been described as the largest land-based search undertaken in New Zealand, centred on an area called Crosbie's Clearing.

David Wayne Tamihere, born 1953, was linked to the couple after one of three tourists he had given a lift to recognised photographs of the couple's white Subaru, which Tamihere admitted taking from Tararu Creek Road. Tamihere had a prior manslaughter conviction from 1972 and had pleaded guilty to a 1986 rape while fleeing on bail, during which time he was living in the Coromandel bush. He was arrested on the rape charge on 24 May 1989 and was later charged with the couple's murder.

At trial in October 1990, the Crown's case relied largely on circumstantial evidence, including disputed eyewitness identification from two trampers and testimony from three prison inmates who said Tamihere had confessed to the killings while in prison. Tamihere was found guilty of murder and theft in December 1990 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a ten-year non-parole period.

In October 1991, Höglin's skeleton was found near Whangamatā, 73 km from the alleged murder site, still wearing a watch police had claimed at trial Tamihere gave to his son — contradicting key prosecution testimony. Tamihere's subsequent appeals in the 1990s, including to the Court of Appeal in 1992 and for leave to the Privy Council in 1994, were unsuccessful. Paakkonen's body has never been found.

One of the prison informants, later identified as Robert Conchie Harris, swore an affidavit in 1995 retracting his trial testimony, alleging police had directed him and offered money and parole assistance. Harris later tried to withdraw the affidavit but was ultimately convicted on eight counts of perjury in 2017 following a private prosecution; he died in prison in September 2021. In 2023, Bob Jones stated that the late lead detective, John Hughes, had told him he fabricated evidence against Tamihere.

Tamihere was released on parole in November 2010 after twenty years in prison and has continued to maintain his innocence. In April 2020 he received a royal prerogative of mercy, allowing a further Court of Appeal hearing in November 2023. In July 2024, the Court of Appeal found the informant evidence should not have been admitted and that this constituted a miscarriage of justice, but concluded there remained sufficient evidence to be satisfied of guilt beyond reasonable doubt, and upheld the conviction. On appeal, the Supreme Court of New Zealand released a decision on 31 March 2026 overturning the Court of Appeal, quashing Tamihere's convictions, and ordering a retrial, citing the unfair use of jailhouse informant evidence and concerns about changes to the Crown's case after Höglin's remains were discovered.

Key facts

Victims
Heidi Paakkonen, Urban Höglin
Date
1989
Location
Bush near Thames, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
Case status
overturned

Case timeline

  1. 1989-04-08

    Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen go missing while tramping near Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula.

  2. 1989-05

    The couple are reported missing, triggering a large-scale search operation.

  3. 1989-05-24

    David Tamihere is arrested on an unrelated 1986 rape charge, two days before the disappearance becomes public news.

  4. 1990-10

    Trial of David Tamihere begins, based largely on circumstantial and informant evidence.

  5. 1990-12

    Tamihere is convicted of murder and theft and sentenced to life imprisonment with a ten-year non-parole period.

  6. 1991-10

    Höglin's skeleton is discovered near Whangamatā, 73 km from the alleged murder site, still wearing his watch.

  7. 1992-05

    Court of Appeal rejects Tamihere's first appeal.

  8. 1994

    Tamihere is denied leave to appeal to the Privy Council.

  9. 1995-08-25

    Witness C (Robert Conchie Harris) signs an affidavit retracting his trial testimony against Tamihere.

  10. 1996-07-17

    Harris publicly admits lying at Tamihere's trial in a broadcast interview with Paul Holmes.

  11. 2010-11-03

    Tamihere is granted parole.

  12. 2010-11-15

    Tamihere is released from prison after twenty years.

  13. 2017-05

    Bushman Alan Ford finds discarded clothing near where Höglin's remains were found; police later destroy the items.

  14. 2017-08

    Robert Conchie Harris is found guilty on eight charges of perjury relating to his original trial testimony.

  15. 2018-04-26

    The identity of Witness C is publicly revealed as Robert Conchie Harris.

  16. 2020-04-21

    Tamihere is granted a royal prerogative of mercy, enabling a further Court of Appeal review.

  17. 2021-09

    Robert Conchie Harris dies in prison.

  18. 2023-11

    Journalist Mike White reports Bob Jones's claim that detective John Hughes admitted fabricating evidence against Tamihere.

  19. 2024-07

    Court of Appeal finds a miscarriage of justice occurred due to inadmissible informant evidence but upholds Tamihere's conviction.

  20. 2024-12

    The Supreme Court of New Zealand announces it will hear Tamihere's appeal.

  21. 2025-08

    Supreme Court hearing takes place.

  22. 2026-03-31

    Supreme Court overturns the Court of Appeal decision, quashes Tamihere's convictions, and orders a retrial.

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People

  • Heidi Paakkonen

    VICTIM

    Swedish tourist, aged 21, and Höglin's fiancée, who disappeared with him on 8 April 1989; her body has never been found.

  • David Wayne Tamihere

    CHARGED

    Convicted of the murders and theft in December 1990; the Supreme Court of New Zealand quashed the convictions on 31 March 2026 and ordered a retrial. He maintains his innocence.

  • John Hughes

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Detective who led the police investigation; claims that evidence against Tamihere was fabricated were later raised in media reports and court proceedings. He died in 2006.

  • Urban Höglin

    VICTIM

    Swedish tourist, aged 23, who disappeared while tramping near Thames on 8 April 1989; his skeletal remains were found near Whangamatā in October 1991.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Bush near Thames, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

-37.1383, 175.5406

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Swedish tourists Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen disappeared while tramping on New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula in April 1989. David Wayne Tamihere was convicted of their murder in 1990, largely on testimony from prison informants, one of whom was later convicted of perjury. His conviction was upheld on appeal in 2024 despite findings of a miscarriage of justice, but was quashed by the Supreme Court of New Zealand in March 2026, which ordered a retrial.
Where did the killing happen?
Bush near Thames, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: overturned. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in New Zealand

Sources

  1. OFFICIAL / AGENCYTamihere v R [2026] NZSC 22Supreme Court of New Zealand · 2026-07-13
  2. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Urban Höglin and Heidi PaakkonenWikipedia · 2026-07-05
  3. OFFICIAL / AGENCYIndependent Police Conduct Authority — document referenced in the Tamihere caseIndependent Police Conduct Authority · 2026-07-05
  4. OFFICIAL / AGENCYNew Zealand Parole Board decision of public interest — David Wayne Tamihere (2011)New Zealand Parole Board · 2026-07-05

Record history

First published
JUL 13, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 13, 2026

  1. JUL 13, 2026Correction

    Catalog QA: Set the trip/disappearance onset and current quashed-conviction posture.

  2. JUL 13, 2026Correction

    Catalog QA: consolidated duplicate /cases/murder-of-urban-hoglin-and-heidi-paakkonen into this canonical dossier.