Edward Thomas Te Whiu was one of the last four New Zealanders to be executed for murder. He was hanged at Mount Eden Prison in August 1955, after he had killed Florence Smith, a 75-year-old widow, in Ngararatunua, near Kamo, during a burglary on 28 April 1955. At the time of the murders, Te Whiu had been on probation for cashing a forged check.