how a family's love pulled their son back from death's door. You're my hero. I'm really proud of you. Plus, the liquid wizard who'll blow your mind shares his tricks of the trade. It's the best. That's why we're alive, right? Due to the live nature of Close Up, captions for some items may be incomplete. ONE News captions by Hannah Reynolds and Faith Hamblyn. Close Up captions by Pippa Jefferies and Glenna Casalme. It's the middle-of-the-night phone call that every parent dreads ` 'Your son is in hospital.' When Robert and Vicki turned up, they found their son (25) had been bashed in Courtenay Pl after stepping in to stop a row. Robert Jr was left blind, bruised and severely brain-damaged. Doctors said he may never walk and talk again. But as Jehan Casinader found, his family refused to give up hope. Nice to meet you. Hello. What's your name? Robert. Robert? Yeah. We've already brought him up once, and we're having to bring him up again. Do you know how old you are, Robert? 22. 22? Yeah. You're a little bit older than that, actually. Oh, wow. 26. 26? You're 26 years old. Shit. Inside, he's broken at the moment, and he's trying to repair. Does he know who he is? I don't know. Have you got any brothers or sisters? Nah. I think you might have a sister. Oh, might have a sister? Even if it's going to be years, we're still determined that we're going to get Robert back. We don't care what it takes. They watched him grow from boy to man. Now, just like his nephew, Robert is back to being a boy. In my mind, I thought he was just going to wake up and say, 'Phew, you know, I'm back.' I... But it hasn't been like that. We're having to go the whole hog. INTENSE MUSIC Robert travelled to Wellington for a night out during the World Cup. His parents got a call to say he was in hospital. As soon as we heard it, I knew that it was a major. Then we heard it was an assault, and that made it worse. Being in ICU, you know automatically that it's life-threatening. It's believed Robert stepped in to stop an altercation between a man and a woman. He punched the man, who chased Robert into a car park and bashed him. A witness says Robert was repeatedly kicked in the head while he was lying unconscious. What was it like seeing him in that state? To not recognise your own child was devastating. It was, like, 'Oh my God, how could that happen?' Just didn't look like my brother. I couldn't believe how big his head was and the mess he was in. It was almost surreal at times. I kind of felt like I was floating off somewhere and thinking, 'No, this isn't real. This can't be.' Nine months on, Robert doesn't know he's had an accident. You spent a bit of time in hospital. True, did I? You did spend some time in hospital. Honestly? Yeah. Seven months. Seven months? Seven months in hospital. Oh hell. All he did was thrash around in the bed. He, you know, rocked and rolled and kicked, and his arms just moved uncontrollably all the time. Because he also had no sight for quite a few months, he was frustrated and he would walk into things and he'd get hurt. I think you look pretty beaten-up. Yeah, I look pretty beaten-up. He got hospital infections, and he had to have, you know, operation after operation to get that sorted, and then he had to have reconstructive surgery on his face. We had so much support from family and friends, and we used to do rosters so someone was always in the hospital with him. Doctors said Robert may be in hospital for two years, never to walk or talk again. But what happened next was remarkable. You could squeeze his hand, and sometimes he would squeeze back to you. His eyes were, sort of, opening for longer periods of time. REFLECTIVE MUSIC As Robert began to heal, his family did too. Oh, he's beating you, Robert. As I was driving back to the hospital, a voice came over and said forgiveness is my way forward. And I said` And it was out loud. And I said, 'What? Who's that?' And it said, 'Forgiveness is your way forward.' If you read the Bible, it says forgive thy enemy, at the end of the day, and that would be the hardest thing you could ever do out of that whole book, and that's what I've done, because otherwise it will chew me up inside. All the way to the edges, mate. The family is now solely focused on Robert's recovery. At 26, he's a trained builder and a talented mechanic, but Robert doesn't know any that. How's that looking? He's suffering from severe post-traumatic amnesia. You're his parents. Does he know who you are? > He knows who I am. Yep, he does, but he can't` he doesn't say, 'Hi, Mum.' You want to grab a spoon? It's like the filing cabinet in Robert's brain has fallen over. This way, mate. In the drawer there. He's learning the basics again. He has no memory. If we can restart building his memory, then maybe things will start coming back and life may be a little easier for him. ELECTRONIC MUSIC For Robert's brain, if there's no pain, there'll be no gain. Can I stop? No, you've got a minute to go. Let's go, Robbie. His movement is not restricted by his injuries, rather his brain damage. All on you, Robbie. Spend a bit of time with Robert, and it won't be long before you hear that childlike giggle. What? Is that your leg? GIGGLES: Yeah. Vicki says it's not the same laugh he had before his brain injury. But compared to the time he spent on anti-agitation drugs in hospital, she's just glad he's laughing. What would the old Robert think if he saw himself now? > I know that he would want people to know the consequences of what happens with violence. And what's your nephew's name? Robert's recovery has taken an emotional and financial toll on his family, but they believe they won't need to care for him forever. You expect your kids to grow up and get jobs, get married. Do you think those things are still possible for Robert? (SIGHS) I think it's possible. No one can tell us where this is all going to end or how it's going to end. But, yeah, I'm confident that Robert is going to come back to us and meet that someone special, and he'll be a wonderful dad. I asked him about two months ago down at the beach. I said, 'Why are you still here, son?' and he said, 'My journey hasn't finished yet.' And that was a pretty intelligent answer from someone that's has a major head injury. I can't do squats. Just come on. Try it. Put your hands out and go down. No, I can't. BOTH LAUGH LAUGHS: No, I can't. I'll give you a hand. (LAUGHS) Come on, bend your knees. (LAUGHS) That's it. Keep on going. It feels like it has taken years and years and years, but it's only been nine months. But when we look back from day one to now, he's made huge progress. Come on, Karnie. You show him. That's it. Away you go, Uncle Rob. (LAUGHS) Get him down. Let's get him down, Karn. Pull him down. You're my hero, I'm really proud of you, and, yeah, I just love him to bits. A bit better. (LAUGHS) He just didn't want to go. He loves his family too much, and it's his strength that's got him through this. A man (21) has been charged with wounding Robert, causing grievous bodily harm. The case is before the courts. There are times when you think common sense must prevail here. I mean, rules are rules ` we all get that ` but some things just need to be put right. Because if they're not, it's just madness. We think the plight of the Jebbs, who have lived here for a few years, is a case in point. They're the English family we told you about last night. Their daughter and sister Christine has been told she must go back to the UK, even though Mum, Dad and sis can stay. How is this possible? The Associate Minister of Immigration, Kate Wilkinson, has the power to fix it, but she won't, and, boy, did you let her have it. Clive Davey said... COME ON, SHOW COMMON SENSE. 'Too right,' wrote John Day. It's... Ray Marshall said... and Neville of Timaru said... So, Minister, it's not too late to change your mind. Christine Jebb certainly hopes so. She's after the break. It makes me feel really good to know that in a way, I guess, NZ are behind me and they also feel that I should have residency. Because you can contribute here. Yeah, definitely, and that's what I'm doing at the moment. I'm working. The Jebb family are leaving the country, and it's the last thing they want to do. They love it here. They're from England originally ` Owen, Jacqueline and their daughters, Pamela and Christine. They've made a new life for themselves ` good jobs, business, the works. Well, almost. One of the daughters, Christine, can't stay. She's had her application for residency turned down. The family says it's all of us or none of us. Michael Holland with an update on bureaucracy gone mad. She's still not welcome to live here long-term, but still, she's smiling. You certainly haven't lost your sense of humour over this? Of course not. I've got to stay happy, at the end of the day. If they don't give me residency, I've got to move on. Behind the facade though, bewilderment and indignation over why her mum and dad and younger sister have all been granted residency, yet Christine Jebb can't stay beyond the end of her work visa in December. EMOTIONALLY: I am going to have to go back to the UK. It hurts? A lot. I feel angry that a country has a right to rip a family apart. I don't like that. To think for one minute that three of us can get residency status and one cannot is just beyond me. It's ludicrous. What people have been saying to me today is... I think your situation is absurd, and it's a break-up of family. Disappointed by our government's response. Here's a sample of some of our feedback. Yup. Feast your eyes. READS: Absolutely nuts to divide a sensible, hard-working family. Sometimes our politicians are like ostriches. Head-in-the-sand ostriches? I agree. (READS) Has common sense gone completely out the window in this country? It's time we got it back. Our own government is endeavouring to stop the brain drain. In this case, we're getting them in and kicking them out. It makes me feel good, and I still think there is hope out there and that I can get residency. If Richie McCaw wants to come my way and marry me, that would be amazing. We both work hard. We've never done anything wrong. As it transpires, work is what Christine (24) did do wrong. Opting out of a teaching diploma at Auckland University soon after her arrival in 2009, she transferred her study visa to a working holiday visa and went to work. If I didn't work and just sat on my bum, I actually would have got residency, because I would have been a dependant. But because I went and got a job, I can't stay in NZ. In other words, if she'd skived ` taken life easy until her residency came through... She earned above a certain threshold which deemed her to be independent, not dependent. ...she'd now be in the same position as Pamela (22), who entered as a dependent child and was accessed accordingly. READS: Simply outrageous. To send the sister back to Britain because she chose to work instead of sit on her bum, is not right. Poor you, you deserve a little more support. Oh, thank you. It's much appreciated. READS: Hi. I would marry her to keep wonderful people like this in our country, and I'm the same age, so it would be OK. Keep hard-working people here. There you go ` a proposal from Joshua. Oh, no, but I'm still keen for our Richie, I'm afraid. You better apologise to Joshua, then. Sorry, Josh. Is it going to be all right? I hope so. Well, actually, no, it will be all right, because we're sticking together as a family, so we will continue to be happy, definitely. We do want to be in NZ, and we are still fighting. If you can be happy here, so much the better? Yes, and the sooner the better as well. So here to work us through the finer detail is immigration lawyer and chairman of the NZ Association for Migration and Investment, Simon Laurent. GOOD EVENING TO YOU. IS THIS BUREAUCRACY> ARE THE IMMIGRATION RULES SO COMPLEX THAT PEOPLE CAN FIND THEMSELVE SIN THIS PREDICAMENT? I FIND THIS OFTEN. AND THERE ARE NO FLAGS THERE? IF I COME IN AND DO THIS IS NO ONE GONNA SAY HOLD ON, YOU'LL HAVE A PROBLEM LATER? THE FLAGS ARE THERE, BUT ARE HIDDEN BEHIND OTHER FLAGS. THE POLICY IS COMPLICATED. CAN YOU UNDO IT? NOT DIRECTLY. THERE ARE WAYS. IT DEPENDS ON EACH INDIVIDUAL'S SITUATION. WE CAN SOMETIMES FIND SOLUTIONS FOR PEOPLE, BUT SOMETIMES IT GOES TOO FAR. ISN'T IRONIC THAT SHE WENT TO FAR BY GETTING A JOB AND WORKING. YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND SEE THAT THE POLICY MUST BE UPHELD. THEY HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO DECLINE HER. SO THEY DID THE RIGHT THING, TECHNICALLY. IS THAT POSSIBLE IN THESE RULES? AND PEOPLE CAN SAY HAVE A HEART? SHE COULD'VE GOTTEN A SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE UNDER A TRIBUNAL. SHE POTENTIALLY HAS THE RIGHT TO APPEAL? NOT SINCE HER FAMILY'S DECIDED. IS COMMON SENSE PART OF IT AT ALL AT ANY LEVEL? I THINK IT'S DANGEROUS TO GENERALISE THAT THE IMMIGRATION POLICY IS A MESS. THERE'S SOME GOOD WORK BEING DONE OUT THERE. DO YOU HAVE SYMPATHY IN THIS CASE BECAUSE IT'S CASE WHERE IT'S GONE AWRY? THE WHOLE SITUATION IS ONE WHERE IT SHOULD BE JUST UNRAVELLED. SHE SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN OTHER WORDS? IN MY VIEW, THE DISCRETION AVAILABLE TO MINISTER SHOULD BE USED MORE GENERALLY. I THINK SO. IT'S PERHAPS A WAKE-UP CALL. THERE'S A LOT OF NEGATIVE FLACK COMING BACK AT THE ASSOCIATION MINISTER. LET'S LOOK AT WHAT THE OBJECTIVE OF IMMIGRATION POLICY. THERE'S TWO PARTS OF IT ` FACILIATE PEOPLE GETTING IN AND SOME PEOPLE NOT GETTING IN. THE FACILITATION -- THE USE OF MINISTERIAL DISCRETION IS GOING TO HELP. THE USE OF MINISTERAL DISCRETION IS A WAY TO GET A BENEFIT FOR THE COUNTRY. We're going to keep on at the Minister about this, and we appreciate your support. If you think Christine's had a raw deal, let us know. You'll find the link on the Close Up website, tvnz.co.nz/closeup, or, of course, email us ` closeup@tvnz.co.nz After the break ` just add glycerine and water and this guy ` he's the magic ingredient for perfect bubbles. For Louis Pearl, bubbles are more than just dishwashing detergent; they're liquid magic. From fog-filled bubbles, to trampoline ones, to people inside bubbles, the self-confessed big kid has been mesmerising audiences for 30 years. And as Matt Chisholm found out, his bubble is yet to burst. GRAND MUSIC Oh, that actually looks like planet Earth. I love that people love bubbles. Bubble. Bubble. (SHOUTS) Bubble! (CHUCKLES) (GRUNTS) It's absolutely amazing. They fascinate everybody. People think bubbles are for 2 and 3-year-olds, and then they see what you can do. I've put 30 years of my life into saying, 'OK, what else can I do? What else can I do?' That's a square, smoke-filled bubble? It's cubist art. Cubism. I've heard about that, Louis. It's Picasoesque. Can you explain to me the science behind that? Well, not while I'm blowing through this thing. (GUFFAWS) > So, Louis, you're at a cocktail party; you're meeting some new people. They say, 'So, Louis, what do you do? I am a bubbleologist. And how does that go down at the party? Oh, everybody wants to know about it. If you add helium, then it will start to lift, and you see the swirling even better. If only that bubble could talk, Louis. It would say it's getting high. FANCIFUL MUSIC What's involved in making bubbles? I'm making a super liquid. (CHUCKLES) The best dishwashing washing-up liquid you can find. Louis, I don't do any washing-up. (LAUGHS) Good for you, Matt. I use distilled water, but you can use any good water. Then I put in glycerine, so if you have a cup of water, it evaporates. If you have a cup of glycerine, it does the opposite ` it pulls water in; it will start to overflow. OK, so now put a baby in. There's a baby. And... deliver. What do you think you'll do when you grow up? Grow up? Sorry, that's not gonna happen. I'm a bubble guy. (LAUGHS) I get paid to be a kid. All right. OK. Three, two, one. Oh. Oh. Who won? I'm not sure. (LAUGHS) We need an adjudicator. We both won. Louis, how did you get in to this? How do you become a bubble man? OK, when I was about 20 years old, I was at uni, and we were goofing around late at night rolling up pieces of paper. I can relate to this, so far. We blew giant bubbles, so I made a toy. I actually... started a toy company and started making these toys, and I stood out on the street selling these toys one by one, blowing bubbles. I eventually sold them to hundreds of stores, thousands of stores all around the world. 23 years later, I sold the company. I had 147 toys. Because I started the company by demonstrating, I started learning tricks. FANCIFUL MUSIC So how did you go from birthday parties to Auckland's Civic Theatre? I started at a birthday party and then I moved up. I started doing schools, and then I started doing theatres and bigger theatres and bigger theatres. How much longer will you keep your hand in it. You're 55 now. Forever, you know. I don't feel 55. I'm sure nobody whose 55 will admit that they feel 55, but` Especially one who's blowing bubbles. Yeah. When you're blowing bubbles and you're with kids` I mean, I look out in the audience and I see parents and kids, I kind of identify with the kids, you know. I'm playing. FANCIFUL MUSIC Louis, this is where it all started for you ` on the street. We thought we'd bring you back here to see what the punter really think. They're always a hit, you know, and what they mostly want to do is pop them. I think you get a sense of power from popping a bubble, you know? And kids don't have enough power ` they want as much as they can possibly get. GRAND MUSIC Young or old, you're dragging them in. I'm telling ya, everybody loves bubbles. I just love, you know, making people happy and seeing that, and it's extreme ` kids squeal with delight, and the parents love to see the kids, so it's such a happy time. How satisfying is it seeing that? It's the best. It's the best. That's why we're alive, right? What more do you want? That's worth more than all the money in the world. And Louis Pearl is performing at Auckland's Civic Theatre next week. You'll find ticket details on our website and Facebook page. Time for your feedback, and it's almost universally in favour of immigrant Christine Jebb being allowed to stay in NZ. Wendy Dawson says... And Paul Hofsteede says... I HAVE MORE. 'THEY SENT AWAY A GIRL AND LET IN DEPENDENT PEOPLE. 'I DON'T FEEL SORRY FOR HER. RULES ARE RULES. I HAD TO COME BACK FROM THE UK.'