Tonight on Sunday ` Glenn Roderick Holland. He's been living comfortably in the suburbs. It's Mr Holland playing his games. But he's a menace around the globe. The department would very much love to catch me breaking the law, but they can't, because I don't. A man and his camera. They're not very pleasant, for me personally, to, uh, view. I believe he's very dangerous to children. How did he get away with it for so long? Gidday, Michael. Gidday, Michael. Gidday. Gidday, Michael. Gidday. How are you? Michael J in his finest role. CLAP! The pin-up for Parkinson's. That's all he wants to do is cure Parkinson's, and... We can all go home then. We can all go home then. LAUGHTER A rare no-holds-barred encounter with Michael J. MAN: Here come the Breakers! MAN: Here come the Breakers! CROWD CHEERS And why we love the Breakers. Go, Breakers! Yeah! Good guys, winning guys. We actually have a really loose rule, and the rule ultimately is we have got a no-dickheads policy. The Breakers were just on fire. The Breakers were just on fire. Yeah, they're on fire. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012 Kia ora. I'm Miriama Kamo. He's lured hundreds, possibly thousands of young girls into his trap, telling them their faces, their bodies are unforgettable. Glenn Roderick Holland's own face is certainly one you won't want to forget. He's a photographer who started out lurking around Auckland shopping centres, often just evading the law, then went on to abuse girls all over the world. NZ authorities zeroed in on him when he recently returned to this country, and they tested a brand-new law designed to stop sex offenders such as Holland. And just to reassure you ` the images he imported are classified as objectionable, so you won't be seeing them in this story. Janet McIntyre reports. He's a predator, but he wants us to believe he's a victim, gravely ill, wrongly accused by police. It's Mr Holland playing his games, trying to manipulate anybody and everybody around him. So ill, apparently, during a recent five-day court appearance, he had his lawyer wheel him in and out. I have seen him walking around outside of court without a wheelchair, without aid of crutches. And so did we ` out of court, into the car park. Just a week earlier, at a leafy Epsom address where he's lived for the past few years, our camera caught Glenn Holland again on his feet... Hello, Mr Holland. > ...and at first unaware how our paths had crossed before. Hi. Janet McIntyre from TVNZ. Oh yes. Oh yes. Hi. How are you? Oh yes. Hi. How are you? Yes. Does he have any sense of the harm he's done? > I don't believe he has. I believe he's living in a fantasy world ` uh, his own fantasy world. A fantasy world spanning six countries, for at least three decades. Glenn Holland has made a career out of preying on young girls for his own pleasure, fuelled by his utter belief he has the right to do it. Is he actually dangerous to children? > I believe he is, yes. I believe he's very dangerous to children. Auckland detective Tony Bruce of the Child Exploitation Team has had Glenn Holland in his sights, but out of reach. He's almost been Teflon-coated, where he's slipped through the cracks, um, whether by good luck or by good fortune. So although he was out there, there wasn't the legislation in place at that time to, uh, prosecute him. Sunday also has been following Glenn Holland, annoyingly for him. He was once forced to shut down his lucrative website because of our investigations. He's always maintained to us that what he makes is not child pornography; it's art. These are young ladies, Mr Holland, um, without very many clothes on. In fact... He first grabbed headlines in Brisbane in the '80s. They're the sorts of things you'd see in a Playboy or Penthouse. With a chat-up line unchanged over the decades, he was promising young girls in shopping centres modelling careers if they'd just take off their clothes. Well, that was Glenn Holland, and if you should see him down at your local shopping centre, lock up your daughters. In the '90s in Auckland shopping malls, the same complaints. Holland was charged with sexual assault on two girls, but the charges were dismissed in court. The judge did not feel that the activities had gone far enough to constitute, uh, the charge of indecent assault. After another complaint, he was convicted and jailed in Australia. This Auckland girl was molested by him when she was 11. He'd lured her to Sydney. He was so good... at persuading my parents, um, and it was all lies. Basically he, um, tricked them, he fooled them. In 2005 we tracked Holland down to Germany, where, after marrying a transsexual, he'd gained residency. But that didn't hinder him photographing and then trying to seduce Eileen Beintner, 14 at the time. Yes, he touched, um, and kissed my whole body from the breasts. Breasts, is that right? And, um, I said, 'Stop it.' He said that other models would like it and then came to him to get that. But police in Hamburg were thwarted. The problem is we know about his past ` his, um, criminal past ` but, um, we... we can't investigate in any way, because there's no crime. We need a crime. Then in 2009, having been investigated, arrested, at times even convicted around the world, he takes his chances coming home for a hip operation. He's stopped at Auckland Airport, his camera seized. His demeanour is very relaxed. Um, he states that there is nothing objectionable on there. He wants his goods back, and he's quite confident that we're not going to find anything on there that will, uh, be considered objectionable. This customs investigator ` we'll call her Donelle ` says it's Holland's standard line, even though he's been caught red-handed before. He has convictions for importing child pornography, and it's no surprise his hard drives are loaded with more objectionable images. They're not very pleasant, um, well, for me, personally, to, uh, view. They're of young girls. They progressively get worse and worse and worse and zoomed in, um, on genitalia. Uh, they're... they're very personal, and, um, I would describe as 'disgusting'. How many images would you have seized from him over the years? Uh, oh, it would be into the tens of thousands. Um, you know, the last one, there was just a one series ` uh, nearly 5000 images. Bruce, an electronic forensic whizz, is NZ Customs' go-to man when it comes to cracking computers. Even the images Glenn Holland has tried so hard to hide, Bruce has found. Oh, he's tried different methods in the past. He's pretty clever. Um, he's used encryption. There were some images, or several hundred images, that were actually deleted, and, um, yeah, using specialised techniques, I was able to recover those. So you were able to recover this material effectively from nowhere? Yeah. A normal user wouldn't have been able to find it. It was that material, images deleted by Holland but recovered by NZ Customs, that would be the basis for a criminal trial in Auckland last year ` images taken in his Russian wife's apartment of his own two stepdaughters, one performing a sexual act on a man. Coming up ` would they be enough to get Glenn Holland convicted and jailed in NZ? The noose around his neck's got tighter and tighter. So tight he collapses in court. Again, it may have been part of his game. And taming the predator ` can it be done? Believe me ` he won't stop. He will strike again. These guys go on into their 80s and 90s. You need to know these new rules. This is rule change number one. When you're turning right, you must now give way to left-turning vehicles. Think ` Let's see that again. If you're turning right, give way. 1 Glenn Holland has been living a quiet, comfortable life in central Auckland, within a kilometre of five schools, while awaiting trial for child sex charges. Are you still taking, um, photographs? Still in the business? Are you still taking, um, photographs? Still in the business? No comment. What do you think about the children that you've treated badly? 67-year-old Holland returned here from Moscow with thousands of sexualised images of girls aged from 5 to 11, including images of his own two stepdaughters. One shows a 6-year-old performing a sexual act on a man. It can't be more graphic than that. It's... You know, it's child pornography. So, was the girl's mother unaware Glenn Holland was taking these pictures? She knew that he was taking photographs of the girls, but, um, only, uh, nice photographs, she said, beautiful ones. So how did she react when she saw these pictures? Oh, she was devastated. Uh, if she'd been aware of these sort of photographs, she wouldn't have been as shocked and upset and traumatised by the whole thing as she was. How could she not know this was going on in her own home? She trusted him. You know, they'd been in a relationship for some time. You know, the girls looked on him as a father figure. You know, they did care for him. Um, it's quite poignant ` at one point prior to the trial, I was speaking to the oldest girl, and she told me that she had no idea what she was doing was wrong. So that's how convincing this man was. He groomed the girls and their friends to like him. His own camera images show him going to extreme lengths, even taking off his own clothes to make them feel comfortable. Quite clearly he's creating a game here for them. Oh yes, definitely. Whether it's dress-up, makeup, wigs, fancy clothing, it sets a scene that he requires, um, to keep these girls and possibly their parents at ease. To do what he's done almost right under the parents' noses for so long, um, I think he's very intelligent, very smart and very manipulative. And very successful he's been over the years, selling images of his victims over the internet, often unbeknown to them. That's you. That's you. Mm. To see that in this moment now, it's, um... it's a shock. It's unbelievable. Even images he took back in the '90s. (SIGHS) Bastard. Sunday's investigation in Germany seven years ago resulted in him shutting down his pay-to-view website. We sit here and mind our own business, and if other people would only do the same, the world would be a much happier place. But he's found other ways to trade. And already some of his most recent images have appeared on hard drives in Auckland ` images of his explicitly posed stepdaughters. They will definitely feel the effect of this, um, for the rest of their lives. You know, these images will be there following them, um, in one way or the other, um, forever. He should have been watched here since the '80s. If he'd been watched closely, I don't think he would have been able to get away with the crimes he's been able to get away with. Former ACT MP Deborah Coddington has outed more almost 600 paedophiles and sex offenders, including Glenn Holland and his crimes. All we know about are the ones he's got caught for. In Parliament, she proposed a bill making it mandatory for sex offenders' names, addresses and other details to be formally registered. So that police can give this information to communities if they think it's necessary ` for people like Glenn Holland ` to keep a community safe. The bill lapsed when Deborah Coddington left politics, but she believes it's relevant now more than ever. People like Glenn Holland couldn't operate under the radar. For instance, every time he moved around or went overseas and came back again, he would have to re-register, so he would be watched all the time. We know with know with recidivist offenders that if they are less likely to get away with their crimes, they are less likely to reoffend. But it was another law that would be put to the test when Glenn Holland was finally brought to trial late last year. A brand-new offence under the Crimes Act ` sexual conduct on a child outside NZ. Glenn Holland probably never would have guessed when he was offending on children so far away from home, he would eventually be held to account in a courtroom in Auckland. And the Crown's submission is that Mr Holland is a man in denial. In the Auckland District Court, he was confronted with the testimony of the stepchildren and the estranged Russian wife he betrayed. They appeared in person. Clearly and obviously, there has been damage done, and it is long-lasting and incalculable and will, uh, last throughout the, uh, lives of not just his ex wife, but also the, uh,... well, the children, particularly as they grow up. Ironically, after Holland's years of exploitation of children, the case came down to just one shocking photograph ` one image of a 6-year-old girl performing a sexual act on a man. The question was: was it Glenn Holland who took the photo? I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt, uh, that the accused, uh, took that photograph. It was posed at his direction, and accordingly he is now convicted of that charge. Holland fell ill just as he was about to be sentenced and had to be taken to hospital. But finally this month he was jailed for three years, Judge Field saying Holland remained a risk to young children and a message of deterrence had to be sent. Um, I believe he's had a hard time in custody. He's been assaulted on three occasions, um, but then, jail isn't meant to be a pleasant place. Do you think he'll be deterred by this jail sentence? It's hard to say, but I don't believe so. I believe these types of offenders, um, will continue. It's hard for them to change the nature of their lives, and three years in jail ` I don't think will do that for Mr Holland. Well, in fact, Glenn Holland will be eligible for release in one year, which means he could be home for Christmas. That's because he was in jail in early December before he was sentenced. Well, next ` Michael J Fox living with and laughing about Parkinson's. Oh, thanks. DRINK FIZZES DRINK FIZZES Oh, Jesus Christ! What the hell! What the hell! Sorry. What the hell! Sorry. Did you shake that up on purpose? Parkinson's. Now, a rare and special interview with one of Hollywood's biggest stars ` Michael J Fox. After he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he kept it secret from the world for seven years. First there was denial, then depression, and then he turned to the bottle. But finally, with the support and love of his family, he turned to finding a cure. These days he's recognised as the one person doing more than anyone to beat this cruel condition. Now, this is a frank, nothing-off-limits interview. At the age of 29, at the height on his fame, Michael J Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Gidday, Michael. How are you? Gidday, Michael. How are you? Gidday. Good, thank you. I'm Rahni. 'Michael is now 50.' Please sit down. 'He rarely gives interviews, and when he does, he takes medication beforehand to steady the shaking.' < How are you feeling today? You all right? 'He can never guarantee when it will kick in.' You ready to go now? You ready to go now? Yeah, I... We can go. You ready to go now? Yeah, I... We can go. Yeah? When you have Parkinson's, you deal with what you call on-offs. And when you're on, it's great, and, like, I'm on right now, and it's... I don't care what it looks like, but it's comfortable. I can sit and be still, and I can speak coherently, and I don't have the cognitive issues that come with being interrupted by tremor. But I can just as easily be off. Really, it's an interesting moustache. And now nobody could wear it. You know? Oh. Thanks. DRINK FIZZES DRINK FIZZES Oh! Jesus Christ! What the hell? What the hell? Sorry. What the hell? Sorry. Did you shake that up on purpose? Parkinson's. In recent years, Michael has embraced his Parkinson's in TV roles. And it makes me do this. And this. And... Argh! But the biggest challenge of his life is off-screen. It's his quest for a cure. And now the actor-turned-advocate has a new partner ` Australian father-of-three Clyde Campbell. Am I going to be Clyde That's Got Parkinson's or am I gonna be Clyde That Does Something About Parkinson's? I wouldn't put it past an Aussie to figure it out. Gidday, Michael. It's good to see you. Working together, their plan is to cure the disease. He has no other agenda than to cure Parkinson's. That's all he wants to do is cure Parkinson's, and... We can all go home then. We can all go home then. We can all go home. Yeah. Yeah. We can all go home then. We can all go home. Yeah. Yeah. LAUGHTER All right. All right. OK, McFly. Get a grip on yourself. It's all a dream. It's just a very intense dream. In the '80s and '90s, Michael was living a Hollywood dream, starring in some of the biggest movies and TV shows of the time, a Teen Wolf... and a teen pin-up. You really think you're hot stuff, huh, Alex? You really think you're hot stuff, huh, Alex? Pretty hot, yeah. His big break as Alex P Keaton on Family Ties came in 1982, and it came in the nick of time. Aha! Right again. This is child's play. < By the time you got to Family Ties, you were really on skid row. Yeah, I was broke. When I was negotiating the deal for it, my phone service was cut off, so I was using a payphone at a chicken... fast-food chicken place in my neighbourhood. And I was passing it off as my phone, it was like my office. And so I was on the phone negotiating, uh, this contract for, like, hundreds of thousands of dollars. I'm from the future. I came here in a time machine that you invented. Now I need your help to get back to the year 1985. In 1985 Michael was in such high demand he was juggling jobs ` shooting Family Ties during the day and Back To The Future at night. Whoa! Whoa! Wow, look at him go! The blockbuster of the year was rewarded with a royal screening with Princess Diana. I was right next to her, which was really exciting and cool, um, except that as soon as the movie started, I had to go to the bathroom, and it was instant and it was urgent, but they'd just gone through the rules with me that I couldn't speak to her unless she spoke to me first, and I couldn't stand up unless she stood up, having to pee the whole time. And, um, so I just sat there for two hours. And so sitting with,... being, like, on a date with the princess at the movies was destroyed by the fact that I was just... I mean, I filling up. My eyes were getting watery. By now, Michael was Hollywood royalty. I had five cars. You know, it was crazy. < You were riding high. You were at the height of your fame. You thought basically that you were pretty damn good at that time. Yeah, it was a charmed life. It was just a charmed life. Alex P Keaton, Sophomore Hospitality Committee. Alex P Keaton, Sophomore Hospitality Committee. Congratulations. It was around this time that Michael met actress Tracy Pollan on the set of Family Ties. I am a very nice person, except when I'm around people like you. She had a small part,... I happen to like people like me. ...and he was the big star with the out-of-control ego. We had all gone separately for lunch and came back from lunch and we were doing a scene. And she literally walked in the door into a scene ` we had an entrance ` and I opened the door, and she'd said her line to me, and I could smell garlic, so I just said, 'Whoa, scampi for lunch, babe?' < You were being a bit of smart-arse. I was being a smart ass, and that's what she said ` she said that I was being rude and, 'You were a complete and total <BLEEP> asshole.' And I was, like, 'Wow.' I mean, no one talked to me like that. And you know what? She was right. And I fell in love. In 1988, they married. A year later, they had their first child, a boy called Sam. OK, Mr Tidwell. In 1991 Michael was shooting Doc Hollywood. And was during Doc Hollywood that you saw the first sign. Yeah, my pinkie started to twitch. My hand would shake, and I was developing these symptoms. And I went to a neurologist, and he diagnosed me, and I was 29 years old, and I didn't see it coming. < You were in denial, weren't you? < You were in denial, weren't you? Oh, yeah. I thought it was BS. There was no way I could have Parkinson's. < You said, like with everything else, you were looking for an angle, you were looking for a way out. Yeah. I thought it was negotiable. 'Call my agent. Can you get me out of this?' < (LAUGHS) Yeah. 'This can't happen to me!' 'Who do I have to screw to get off this picture?' Being diagnosed with Parkinson's at 29 is extremely rare; most patients are over 50. Michael's first response was to drink heavily. I struggled with it and tried to... to bury it in drinks at first because it was just so` I couldn't get my head around it. You were heading in a bad direction. Yeah. One day I just woke up on the couch, uh, the sun beating on my face and my son crawling on me and` and, uh, trying to wake me up. And I looked up at Tracy and I just` and she was not mad, she was not upset; she was just bored of it. And that was the scariest thing in the world, and I just knew, 'I've gotta change this now.' No one knows what triggers Parkinson's, but more than 80,000 Australians have it. Neurons in the brain are damaged and it causes tremors, loss of balance and impaired speech. WOMAN: Does it feel symmetric when you do that? WOMAN: Does it feel symmetric when you do that? No. This is a little slow. For a long time ` seven years ` Michael kept it secret. He continued to act, hiding the symptoms for as long as he could. At home, his family was growing, but his condition was worsening. Michael and Tracy have four children. If you are that loved and you're that supported... (LAUGHS) You gonna cry? Yeah. Michael's decision to go public in 1998 gave those suffering from the disease a powerful voice. He started a foundation bringing together the world's best research and providing funding for the most promising studies. In 12 years, it's raised $285 million. Room full of smart people. Michael has done more for Parkinson's than any other patient. I just wanted to, uh... A couple of things ` my meds were kicking in about 10 minutes ago and I was feeling great, and the bottom dropped out, so do something about that, will ya? When you get famous or you have some lucky breaks and all of a sudden, it's all about you. And then you get a little bit older and you have some experience ` where it can be difficult, trying experiences like Parkinson's or whatever ` and then you realise it's not all about you, and then it's so liberating. There's a lot of pressure to do something correctly. You want to talk about pressure, try taking up golf in your 40s with Parkinson's. It's important to find a golfing buddy with a sense of humour, like my friend Bill Murray. Once Michael J Fox sets a goal, nothing gets in his way. It's just the excitement of, 'Where could this go next?' 'Where could this ball go?' More than anyone I've ever played with. Your goal is to put your foundation out of business? Yeah, we're a business without a business. Our bottom line is... is... is, 'What can we do today? 'Who can we find today who's gonna get us closer to what we trying to get done?' Did you enjoy that today, girls? Did you enjoy that today, girls? GIRLS: Yep. Did you enjoy that today, girls? GIRLS: Yep. What did you enjoy the most? Saying Dad was crazy. Saying Dad was crazy. Saying Dad was crazy! Clyde and Carolyn Campbell, kids Josh, Zoe and Phoebe are new recruits to Michael's global search for a cure. Who wants to have a little play in the water here? That's it. Clyde is a self-made millionaire from Sydney. His Parkinson's symptoms surfaced two years ago. 60 of us in a meeting. I was about two minutes into the opening address, um, as CEO for the company, and I started to shake. The papers I held in my hand started to tremble, which is really unusual for me. So half the brain's saying, 'Deliver the speech, tough it up, get through.' The other half of the brain's going, 'What the hell's happening here?' The hardest moment was telling the kids. Zoe spoke about it at a speech at the school 12 months later. She said, Oh, whenever Dad calls us together as a team,... 'there's normally something wrong.' He told us he had Parkinson's, and I was very shocked. And the next day I asked him if that meant he was going to die, cos I thought everybody with a disease died. But he said, 'No, it's just a disease that makes me shake.' Can I ask you ` you are very optimistic, but are you a little bit frightened for the future? > Um,... there is an element, there's absolutely an element, but, um... Sorry. This is one of those moments. (CHUCKLES) This is one of those moments. (CHUCKLES) Aw. You right? Yep, I'm good. Yep, I'm good. Good. Yep, I'm good. Good. So you didn't want to be a victim? > I didn't want to be a sook about it. For myself, it was all about how to find a cure. His search for the scientists closest to a cure led Clyde to New York City and to a man with just as much drive and determination to solve the riddle of Parkinson's disease. Hey you, buddy. Hey you, buddy. Good to see you, mate. Good to see you. How you doing? Good to see you. How you doing? Yeah, really well. Clyde and Michael are now working together on a ground-breaking study called PPMI. We're really excited about having a presence in Australia... Looking for the trigger that causes Parkinson's ` that's the key to finding a cure. It involves extensive medical tests on patients in the US, Europe and Australia. It's the biggest research project the Fox Foundation have ever done ` $45 million worth of funding internationally. And what it is ` it's benchmarking Parkinson's so we understand the progression of Parkinson's disease. That doesn't sound that sexy, but it's incredibly valuable. 'So you find Clyde motivational?' Oh, absolutely. I mean, he could... he could sit back and just... He can afford to live a private life and to not get involved and to just deal with himself and deal with his own issues, but` but Clyde's enthusiasm and his purity of motive is contagious. Finding the cure for Parkinson's ` we all have to work together. You've got no doubt you're going to find a cure? Oh yeah, we're going to get it done, because we're looking under every rock and up every tree. We're in the future! We're in the future! Future? Marty, what do you mean? How can we be in the future? I don't know how to tell you this, but you're in a time machine. If you could go back in time, really, you wouldn't change the fact that you got Parkinson's, would you? No, I wouldn't. I absolutely wouldn't. I mean, there's no... I wouldn't at all, because this... this path that I'm on is... I mean, like you said, it's so amazing. Your nana told you you were destined for greatness. Yeah. Yeah. Do you think maybe this is what Nana was referring to? It may have been. It may have been, because this, certainly, you know, I always say, uh, I gave up my job to do my life's work. This is going to be the best shot of the day. Wow. That was the best shot of the day. Optimist. Optimist. Nice. Well, About 10,000 Kiwis are affected by Parkinson's ` that's one in 500. It's usually thought of as an old-age affliction ` average age about 59. But like Michael J Fox, about 10% of sufferers are under 40 and considered to have early onset Parkinson's. If you want to know more about Parkinson's, there are some details. You can call Louise on... or go to the Parkinson's NZ website. Well, up next ` we're inside the winning-est and nicest ball club in the land. MAN: Get ready to make some noise! Here come the... Breakers! CHEERING Here comes the number 24, Dillon Boucher. We all love a winner, and the NZ Breakers are winners. The Breakers ` the professional ball club owned, operated and adored on Auckland's North Shore. They've popularised basketball ` families love them; they fill the stadium every time they play in town. And what's even sweeter is they're on the brink of being back-to-back champions in a league run by Australians for Australians. The secret? They're a family run on a business footing. Here's Greg Boyed and The Breakers. MAN: Are you ready to make some noise? Here come the... Breakers! Breakers! CHEERING In the Australian National Basketball League,.. Here comes the number 24, Dillon Boucher. ...it's ironic that a team from NZ stands head and shoulders above the rest. We're there because, uh, we're the better team. Whoo! And, as you're about to find out, this team's success is no fluke. MAN: The Skycity... Breakers! Breakers! CHEERING We haven't just happened to stumble across, you know, 12 guys that are good at basketball. It's a matter of finding that balance to be good basketball players, but also, you know, good guys off the court as well. MAN: Another sell-out crowd. The Breakers are just on fire. MAN: Yeah, they're on fire. Crowd's pleasure as well. Really risen up to the challenge. We actually have a really loose rule, and the rule ultimately is we've got a no-dickheads policy. MAN: See that Gary Wilkinson dunk! There's gonna be no other organisation in the world that will be like this one. CROWD ROARS It's Monday morning on Auckland's North Shore. The team have just returned from a defeat at the hands of lowly Wollongong. The change we wanna make from going in last time is... They face the same team again later in the week. ...with our red 40, this time, it's gonna be` we're gonna jam it first, all right? So we're gonna jam. SCATTERED APPLAUSE This high energy, high achieving group of sportsmen is a team nine years in the making. We've gone from almost the team that was laughable ` when the Breakers started, we pretty much were approaching games like 'if we play well we might win', whereas now we expect to win every game. If anyone should know how far the Breakers have come since that first game in 2003, it's Dillon Boucher ` he was there at the very start. MAN: ...of play. The Breakers! We were quite naive coming into the Australian league. We won our first game in overtime at North Shore Events Centre, and we honestly thought we were gonna win the league, you know? We'd played Adelaide, who had won championships before, and we really believed that this team was gonna win the championship. And we were... we were sorely mistaken. It took another eight years for the club to go the distance and win the Australian championship. So what changed? MAN: You have got to be kidding me! We` We've developed a winning culture within this club. We believe we'll win the next game on Thursday. But you're saying you're gonna win cos you are a better team. It's not an arrogance thing, though, is it? No. Well, I guess we have learnt that off the Australians. You know, that's how they beat NZ a lot of times at a lot of sports is because they have that belief. Part of that newfound swagger comes in the shape of Aussie CJ Bruton. Have a look ` put it back on, have a look ` and then get back to me. I've done part of what I said I would do when I came to NZ ` I said I wanted to help them win a championship and, uh, I also wanted to` to lead and help these young kids get better, and they're doing that every day. A veteran of Perth, Brisbane, Wollongong, Sydney, Canberra and America's NBA league, CJ, it seems, has finally settled down. This is the most I've spent in one place in my career, and, uh, you know, when you've had the journey I've been on with all these other places, obviously, they've done something well here for me to stay this long. They know where the Brutons hearts lie, and obviously, um, they are a very special part of our family ` uh, Paul and Liz and also the Breakers. He's referring to Paul and Liz Blackwell, the club's publicity shy owners. The Blackwells, who also own the Albany Pak'n Save, made it clear from the outset that they didn't want the story to be about them, but it really is quite a story. (LAUGHS) Supermarkets are a business which is 24-7, and so it's very easy to get caught up in it all and become incredibly selfish as you work through. Liz basically said to me` she said, 'You know, we're not doing enough together. What are we going to do?' First they bought some corporate seats, then sponsored a couple of games, and things moved quickly from there. And it led to us being standing there at the beginning of the season three having 100% ownership of it. You don't buy a sports team in NZ, though, to make money out of it. So how that side of it work? Our goal very much is to make it, uh... to make a profitable club, because that allows sustainability. It allows that parcel is a ball; someone else can pick this up and run with it and take it to the next stage. You wanted him out of the shop and spending more time with the family, but I'm guessing buying a basketball team wasn't quite what you had in mind. No. If someone had said to me two, five years earlier, 'Oh, you're going to be owning a sports team, 'or a basketball team,' I would have said, 'No, I don't think so.' We've been able to do so much together, and our family are all passionate about basketball. They all just love it, especially our little 6-year-old. He has, um, great ideas about being the next... (CHUCKLES) Breaker, the next CJ Bruton. Listen, which side are we gonna stand on? This side or the other side? When we first heard about the family thing with the Blackwells, we thought, 'Hmm,' but it obviously works. How important is that? They're it. You know, you don't meet people like this every day. And, you know, businesses is business, and you can be cut-throat and be brutal all you want to be. Uh, but Paul and Liz ` they're genuine, and you just don't... you don't see that every day. Just in their own family life, to open their home to us all ` you know, when I first heard, 'Are you crazy?' You can't just do that, you know? To... Lots of` A lot of black people, see, they come in and take all your stuff, eh? 'What's that? That's mine? OK, I'm out.' (CHUCKLES) He came over not... probably not going to sign with us, and again he came to our home for lunch, um, and immediately felt like he was at home straight away and this is where he wanted to be. I don't think that I'm ever gonna find a, uh... a team like them, a club like them, because they're so family oriented. They treat you like a person and allow you time to grow and fit into the... the mould that they've created here, and it's just fantastic. Gary Wilkinson, 6'9", monster on the court and devout Mormon from Utah. One on two! One, two, one! He also has a somewhat chequered past. Really enjoyed the party scene and, uh, made that a big, big part of my life. I mean, I didn't touch heroin, I didn't touch methamphetamines, but pretty much everything else was... was fair game for me. 10 years on, and it seems a reformed Gary Wilkinson is just the sort of guy the Blackwells want around. We are a club of second chances, and if they're worth giving them a second chance, that's great. And he's just been the most wonderful member; him and his wife, Jess, and their little baby Jordan ` they're just a pleasure to have here. And they do ` they epitomise everything a Breaker is about. So good players, good people ` which is the most important? Ultimately, a good person is someone who's gonna work hard and be the best they can be. Why wouldn't you wanna be involved in that? Uh, so we actually have a really loose rule, and the rule ultimately is we've got a no-dickheads policy. And we don't want any dickheads ` we want people who are gonna work hard and be the best that they can be. And talent ` yep, you've got to have talent too. But, uh, talent ` a talented dickhead probably isn't gonna be in the Breakers. Dickheads need not apply? > Dickheads need not apply? > Yeah. With this in mind, I thought I'd try my luck on court. The name of the game ` put this thing in the hole. The team that hits the most shots wins. Right. You gotta keep it in line with your head. Right. You gotta keep it in line with your head. So there's no pressure here. Straight line. Straight line. BOTH WHOOP Good touch. Good touch. Good touch. Good touch. (LAUGHS) Nah. Ooh. Hang on. That was a great start, wasn't it (?) Cut that one. Now, there you go. Now, there you go. Perfect. See, if we edit that, it'll look like I made two in a row. Yep. Absolutely cutting it. Don't take our shots that we made over here, and use them of your edits of you just shooting` I totally am going to. > I know how this works, this camera business here. I've seen it before. It's tricky. It's tricky. MEN SHOUT It's match-day morning for the NZ Breakers at the North Shore Events Centre, and the team comes in for a shoot around and muffins and brownies. Ever since owner Liz Blackwell has been baking, the boys have been winning. Oh, we change it up ` sometimes we have brownies, sometimes we have muffins. But it seems to be brownies seems to be the winning, um,... winning choice at the moment. But not everything is so sweet this morning ` it looks like Dillon Boucher has picked up an injury. Uh, it's going well till a few minutes ago, and then just I went to take off and it just gave out on me. You know, I still hold hope that there's a chance I will play tonight. I'll speak to the medical team and see what they can do for it. Yup, I'm on my way. Where do I need to go? Sweet, thanks. Gotta go get an MRI scan, so I'm leaving now to get an MRI scan. So... fingers crossed. (CHUCKLES) Owner Paul Blackwell's on court rallying the troops. When was the last time you saw your boss do this? How are you, Mr Corletto? You all right? How are you, Mr Corletto? You all right? Good, yeah. Fast-forward seven hours and it's all on as the fans flood into the stadium. Go, Breakers! Yeah! But what about Dillon and that foot injury? How did you get on? How did you get on? I'm gonna give it a go out there, get it strapped up. Typically for this team, the dressing room looks pretty relaxed. And then its show time. MAN: Here come the... Breakers! CROWD CHEERS For the owners, it's going to be a another nail-biter. Confident, Liz? Confident, Liz? Absolutely. I know we're gonna do it tonight. MAN: In comes Dillon Boucher. He has a toe injury, but Dillon's good to play. It's a five-point lead for the Wollongong Hawks. Wilkinson! Here we go. Rolling back the years. The shoulder stutter. Puts it up. Oh yes! CJ Bruton. Actually got a little bit of luck. He lost his footing near the end, and it turned into a great fake. He faked himself out and the Wollongong Hawks do have a two-point lead. They lead the Breakers 40 to 38. It's another half to go, and we'll see what happens. Pretty close. Pretty close. Very close. It's edge-of-the-seat stuff up in the stands as well, for the players' wives. What's he like on game day? What's life like on game day? > Uh, he's asleep! (LAUGHS) No, they have, um, a shoot around in the morning, and then he'll come home have something to eat, and then he goes to sleep. And he sleeps pretty much until, uh, half an hour before he has to leave. He'll get up and grab a quick bite and then come to the game. So game day at the Bruton household is just 'be very quiet'? > Yes, it's all about the kids being quiet and letting Dad sleep. Back on the court, we're about to see if all that sleep has paid off. MAN: Tipped. Leon Henry with a breakaway. Showtime! Bruton in sight of Wilkinson ` great position. Lobbed that shot over Larry Davidson's defence. And that'll do it here at the North Shore Events Centre. The Breakers have a 10-point win over the Wollongong Hawks. Make it eight points. They beat the Hawks 82-74. How you doing? How you doing? Much better now. Pleased it's all over. You'd have to be pretty proud of your boys, wouldn't you? You'd have to be pretty proud of your boys, wouldn't you? Yeah. Absolutely. They were great. Nah, they worked hard, and they, uh, toughed it out. Toughed it out. Despite a tough and very close game, the players don't head straight for the dressing room. Yeah, just happy to be out there, and obviously, getting a win's a bonus. Oh, I really didn't think I was gonna play, to be honest. Um, once I got out there and warmed up, the adrenalin kicked in, and, um, I'll be paying for it tomorrow. It also seems sleeping all day can make some Breakers a little forgetful. Oh, I left my spandex at home, and then I realised that I didn't have my headband. I dove out of the house pretty quickly. My mother-in-law's in town, and I just grabbed some stuff and ran out thinking it was all in my car. Anyway, but luckily, my son came to the party, as you see, yeah, that's Rio. He had the headband on, so I was, like, 'Son, can I get that?' 'Yeah, Dad.' That's why when I made the first, I had to give a point out to him. And a point out to his teammates. Hey, some games are gonna have to be a dogfight. Hey, you can't give up. And if Gary Wilkinson dives for a loose ball out of bounds and bangs into the chair ` I saw that. you know, so, hey, he shows his desperation, that means that I need to do the same thing. So we've got team togetherness, success on the court and time for the family. It's almost enough to convince you these guys are living the dream. Little old NZ ` it's pretty good. We're sitting on a beach and playing in the middle of summer ` I mean, what more could you want? We caught up one final time with the team the morning after at Takapuna Beach. You've done one too. Go see Mum. Say, 'Poohs, Mum.' Typically, it was a family affair. It's looking like I'm caught up in a coffee group. Are you lost? Are you lost? Shouldn't I be down there? So for the Breakers, another victory and more proof they've hit on a winning formula. It is everyone that makes the team, and we don't feel it is about us. And we don't want... we don't need the spotlight, we don't want it. It's just something we like to do and put back into the community. And the Breakers will play their first semi-final match against the Townsville Crocs at the Vector Arena in Auckland this Friday. So if it's not a sell-out already, well, it's bound to be. Fingers crossed for them too. That's it for tonight. We'll see you next week.