Tonight on Close Up ` new revelations in the ACC saga. John Key is named in support of a multi-million-dollar insurance claim. The test proving that you might not be as good behind the wheel as you thought. I drive all right cos I say so. But that doesn't stack up against any requirements. And could yoga be the number-one way to relax? Bend the knees. Really, I mean. Really bend them. Really bend them. Due to the live nature of Close Up, captions for some items may be incomplete. ONE News captions by Faith Hamblyn and Glenna Casalme. Close Up captions by June Yeow and John Ling. Fresh revelations tonight in the ongoing drama surrounding ACC, privacy issues and senior National Party figures, which has already claimed one cabinet minister. A letter leaked to Close Up draws a link between John Key and attempts by former National Party president Michelle Boag to persuade an insurance company to pay up $14m. It's the latest twist in a saga that started with Ms Boag advocating for her friend and former National Party activist Bronwyn Pullar, who suffered a head injury in 2002. This is the letter sent to me anonymously. It's from Sovereign Insurance to Michelle Boag back in 2007. A letter that names National Party heavyweights, including John Key and former prime minister Jenny Shipley, in an attempt to get more than $14m dollars to settle an income insurance claim by Michelle Boag's friend Bronwyn Pullar. It was a claim Sovereign said was greatly in excess of her entitlement. Michelle Boag and Bronwyn Pullar are close friends and have a long association through the National Party. I am proud of the heritage of the National Party. Bronwyn Pullar helped Michelle Boag successfully campaign for the National Party presidency. The wider party links emerge in the leaked correspondence, with Sovereign noting... John Key was at the time National Party leader and in opposition. But after the resignation of Minister Nick Smith for writing a letter of support for Miss Pullar,... I made not one error of judgement, but two in dealing with a conflict of interest in respect of a friend. ...the Prime Minister described his own relationship to Miss Pullar as: I first met her when I came into politics in 2002. She was, uh, friends, at that point, with Michelle Boag. I'm sure continues to be so. I saw her at a few National Party events. For the life of me, I can't remember seeing her ever since I've been the Leader of the Opposition, so it would be a good five or six years. So did he know his name was included on a list used to press a $14m claim against Sovereign? John Key, who was in Christchurch today, then heading to Queenstown, did not want to go on camera, but issued this statement: And what of the other influential party people named? Sir Selwyn Cushing told me he had gone in to bat for Bronwyn Pullar, and Sovereign's then-CEO conceded to him they had handled it badly. The letter claims former minister but then-MP Wayne Mapp also had a meeting with Sovereign. I simply facilitated some meetings. They were very professional and proper meetings, and they ultimately led to a settlement. After addressing Cushing and Mapp, the letter again refers to that prominent list. In terms of that list, the list of supporters, who was it who put that together? Well, I'm not aware of who put that together. I've not seen this particular letter myself. Uh, as I say, what I did was assist Bronwyn, who was assisted by Michelle, for her to be able to get, you know, compensation for her injuries based on the insurance policy that she was paying for. Then what about former prime minister Jenny Shipley? Hello, it's Mark Sainsbury speaking. Dame Jenny said she was not aware of any list and had not attended any meetings, but did not want to get drawn into it. The Sovereign letter also addresses what it considers threats by Miss Boag if they don't pay up the multi-million dollar claim. And what of the central figures in this story? Sovereign Insurance, which is now part of the ASB group of companies, eventually settled a lump sum payment thought to be around $1m. Well, I'm just spoken to Michelle Boag, who was on the Queenstown golf course. Initially, she said she couldn't remember any letter and then she doesn't even remember writing to Sovereign herself and that she often doesn't keep letters. When prompted about the list of prominent people, including, uh, John Key, she said that was Sovereign's definition, and she had never supplied any list. On the issue of threats to go to the media if Sovereign didn't pay up, she said that was redundant as she'd already, at that stage, talked out in the media, a fact recorded in Sovereign's letter. Regarding the $14m+ claim, she said Bronwyn Pullar may well have had actuarial advice to claim that much. And Bronwyn Pullar has not returned our calls. Now, we've been unable to confirm who wrote that list of 28 prominent people ` been unable to verify that it exists ` but the letter itself raises some serious concerns. Joining me now Otago University political scientist Bryce Edwards. this looks like an extraordinary powerplay. it is. It's an insight into how the political class operates in New Zealand. Michelle Boag was the president of the national party. She brought John key into Parliaments. nothing necessarily illegal about this, but it brings up a sense of legitimacy. will the public see it as being legitimate? in political science we describe corruption is not something is being illegal but using connections to pursue private gains. this is what Michelle Boag was doing here. it has a pretty bad stink about it government are very vulnerable be says today's reputations. Once reputation sinks in the government is embroiled in cronyism, it quickly falls apart on the basis of that. And that's why was seeing people striking back pretty quickly. They have too. this doesn't a one-off letter. It's connected with an ongoing saga. we are seeing there is a linl of politicians and politically connected people using the office to do that. who is leaking this? this seems to be a factionin the national party. This is dangerous because unlike the usual course, things are a lot more bitter. we can see a lot more mud come up over the next coming days. people are saying that doesn't feel right. that's right. People don't like this because they deal with ACC and other companies, and they don't have the protection of using John Key's name. There is an unfairness here. should John key front up tonight? he should have. He said he was a part of the team, but that doesn't mean he hasn't contacted Michelle. others like Wayne Mapp have fronted up. this seems to be a war between Labour and National, and it's getting quite nasty. Usually in politics with we don't delve into other people's lives, but that is where they seem to be going thanks Bryce Edwards. If you're Facebook friendly, go to Facebook.com/CloseUp. Coming up ` Matt McLean takes the test showing us what we're doing wrong on the road. If you look at our statistics, where NZ stacks up against other countries, we're not flash. And just how beneficial can yoga be. There's the potential for it to be a life-transforming experience. It's no secret that our roads can be a dangerous place, but not for you, right? Because you're a good driver. Well, at least that is what everyone likes to think. Well, a new driver training exam is putting that to the test. Does it work and what can it tell us? We sent Matt McLean out with four drivers to find out. FUNKY MUSIC Is this the right time to tell you I'm not the world's best driver? Four drivers; one reasonably simple test. FleetSafe NZ is a diagnostic tool to identify the level of risk in drivers. The level of crash risk. Peter doesn't sugar-coat it. Our crash stats are terrible. It's measured by the individual. It has a self-serving bias. And like I said, 'I drive all right cos I say so.' But that doesn't stack up. So, at Boomrock, they put our skills to the test. < What kind of a driver do you think you are? Oh, not too bad. I've done quite a lot of driving. So, yeah, not too bad. Time to see what kind of driver James actually is. Get her up to 60 K's and just keep on going straight along. Keep on going. I'll tell you when to brake. Keep on going. Brake! Hard as you can. Hard as you can. Yep. That's good. What you're doing at the end there is what you need to do from the word go. As quick as you can, push that pedal all the way to the floor. What we're gonna do with this next exercise is just a slalom setup. That's good. That's good. Oop, and you just nicked that cone. Did you find yourself looking at that cone at all? Yeah, I did. Yeah, that just means the car will automatically gravitate towards it. Michelle is next up. < What kind of a driver do you think you are? Um, cautious and,... yeah, I would rate myself as a reasonably good driver. I've never had any serious accidents. Yeah, I think I'm OK. < A couple of little pings here and there? Well, when I was 16, I did run up someone's bum. (LAUGHS) Keep on going. And brake! As hard as you can! As hard as you can! BRAKES SQUEAL Hear that crunching noise? That's the power of ABS brakes. These guys reckon it's often the difference between having a crash and not. You started squeezing it down to start with as opposed to slamming it down. I think I'm a pretty safe driver. Not too speedy or anything, but I think I'm pretty good. And stop! Hard as you can! Hard as you can! Maddy, it should be pointed out, ended up with the whole car past the cones we were supposed to stop in front of. (SIGH) OK. My turn next. I'll let you in on a badly kept secret. I've written off one of my cars before. You probably should've told me that before. Yeah, sorry. I probably should have. So Jamie the instructor was clear ` slam your foot on the brake. That's gonna stop the metres that you travel in the car, and that could be the difference between having a child just in front of your car and one underneath your car. Keep on going. Stop. Yeah, that was good, but you didn't kick in full ABS. So you were pushing hard. You were very firm and quick, but you could push that another half an inch, another inch, and that will get the ABS kicking in 100%. OK. It's important to get there as quick as you can. Ooh it gets the heart racing, doesn't it? It does. And that's the thing. In an accident, it's gonna be 10 times as bad. The adrenalin starts pumping, you get flustered, and everything happens exceptionally quickly. We sat James, Michelle and Maddy down to deliver their results. James had an average reaction time on the first lap, but was much faster on the brake on the second. Michelle had strong reaction times on both laps. Maddy, on the other hand, increased her reaction time by nearly 0.8 of a second. One ear was on the instruction. Your reaction time went out. So easily identifiable ` distraction plays a big part in safety. Your reaction time was seriously affected. From that, there's an overall rating ` high, medium and low-risk driving. Maddy, here, unfortunately, you have come out as a high-risk driver. The other two, James and Michelle, you've come out as medium-risk driver. Who was surprised by their result today? Me! You were? You didn't think you were a high-risk driver? No, no. I thought I was quite safe. I'm a nana driver, I've been told, So to find out I was high risk was a shock. What they're saying is there's a high risk that you'll have a crash on our roads. Yes. I know. It's definitely not a good thing to be told, so it's a bit of a worry. What will you do from here? Try and work on my driving a lot more. Like, being a lot more aware of what's around me. Don't get distracted. My lack of peripheral vision really quite frightened me. What will you take away from today when you hit the roads again? Not to be complacent. Not to just be concentrating on my windscreen and my steering wheel. I really need to be looking around. As for me? Your reaction time is better than most. OK. It's very good. And you actually had some improvement on the second lap. You're under 0.5 of a second reaction time, which is actually very smart. It was my fuel efficiency, which is poor, that made me a medium-risk driver. If you're a fuel-efficient driver, we have the evidence to suggest you're a much safer driver. So you're winning on both ends of the scale ` in the pocket and in your personal safety. Coming up ` Alexi O'Brien finds out if yoga is really the best way to unwind. How does you yoga make you happy? It doesn't make you happy. It uncovers the implicit joy that there is just in being alive. Yoga is an ancient discipline that's become a global phenomenon. It's practiced by millions around the world, and although it began in India as something just for men, now increasingly women are taking over. And one of the most sought-after guest teachers on the planet lives right here in rural Canterbury. Alexi O'Brien caught up with yogi Donna Farhi. SERENE FLUTE MUSIC Physically, when I've completed the practice, I feel really light, energised. Yoga means to unify, uh, and yoga itself is a centuries-old spiritual tradition that's also a science, and it's also an art. To create! ALL: To create! To commit! ALL: To commit! To unite! ALL: To unite! And it's unifying millions around the world. Millions of women, it seems, of all ages and sizes. Classes full for a practice once meant only for men. Women taking over in a bid to cope with the break-neck speed of modern life. And so, from the busy, busy of urban living, of city life, we pause for a moment. I think people are desperate to find any kind of` any tool to deal with the levels of stress that they're experiencing. SERENE FLUTE MUSIC American-born Kiwi yogi Donna Farhi spends at least two hours a day on the mat in her Canterbury home. Yoga was offered as an elective at school. And in those days, you had to be really weird ` uh, a dork, you know, today's version of a dork ` to choose yoga as an elective option, and I went along, and I felt so profoundly different after that yoga class that I was immediately hooked. The root word Suk means good. 30 years later, she's still hooked and is now one of the most sought-after guest teachers in the world, travelling to teach for up to four months of the year. When she's not in the studio, she's on the farm. I really love being a nobody here. Living in the country gave her time to write four books on yoga practice, teaching and spirituality. She's also featured in this upcoming documentary, Yogawoman, about the explosion of women in yoga. WOMAN: In the Indian scriptures, women were listed as obstacles for enlightenment. They might show up for class saying, 'I want to lose weight,' but you scratch the surface, and what people really want is they want to be happy. How does yoga make you happy? It doesn't make you happy. It uncovers the implicit joy that there is just in being alive. Some even say they're alive because of yoga. There were so many challenges last year, you know. I lost my house, we started a new business, my brother passed, and I know, for me, that without yoga, I don't think I could have coped. Bend the knees. Really, I mean, really bend them. Really bend them. This gathering in Christchurch helping locals stay centred despite the shaky ground. As you exhale, releasing any unnecessary tension. It doesn't mean that we don't have bad days. It means that I have the skills to turn that around. SERENE FLUTE MUSIC Breathing is one of the most important functions in the body, and the science is in on it as well. You're saying that medicine backs yoga? It's definitely backed by science. It's definitely back by the medical community, but, really, the proof is in the pudding. You have to do the practice to get the results. OK, let's just give it a go. And I lie down first? Mm-hm. It creates a feeling of deep relaxation through being here even just for a few minutes, Some people even fall asleep. I was about to say give me 60 to 90 seconds and I'll be gone. And you'll be gone. So there's the potential for it to be just a routine or there's the potential for it to be a life-transforming experience. Ohh.... (CHANTS IN SANSKRIT) To take the spirituality out of the practices is like going to a cafe and ordering, uh, cappuccino and saying, 'Milk, sugar, hold the coffee.' (LAUGHS) You're taking the yoga out of the yoga. In case the boys are feeling left out, rest assured, there are now yoga classes just for men in the United States, called 'broga'. And the documentary Yoga Woman will have a series of one-off screenings throughout April. You can find all information on that and regarding the film at the website www.YogaWoman.tv. Time for your feedback now, and this is what you've got to say on our revelations in that Sovereign letter. Brian had this on the growing scandal: Trudy says,... That's NZ Close Up. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air.