CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. ONE NEWS CAPTIONS BY RICHARD EDMUNDS AND LAUREN STRAIN. CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT TVNZ ACCESS SERVICES 2013 DUE TO THE LIVE NATURE OF SEVEN SHARP, WE APOLOGISE FOR THE LACK OF CAPTIONS FOR SOME ITEMS. WE'VE GOT A GREAT KIWI FOR YOU TO MEET. HE'S THE TOUGHEST 74-YEAR-OLD IN THE COUNTRY. A GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT HAS REDUCED HIM TO THIS. I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN THE KITCHEN IF I COULDN'T TAKE THE HEAT. AND I BROKE DOWN. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT MY WIFE HAS GONE THROUGH? ALSO TONIGHT ` CRAIG STANAWAY GOES TO THE CITY OF BROKEN DREAMS AND LOST WAGES TO FIND A LOST STAR. HOW LONG YOU'VE LIVED IN LAS VEGAS? 34... YEARS. 34 YEARS. AND YOU'VE NEVER BEEN ANYWHERE NEAR THIS PLACE BEFORE? A REAL MYSTERY ALSO, WHAT'S YOUR BEST FRIEND WORTH? IF YOU HAD AN ELDERLY RELATIVE WITH A FEW MEDICAL PROBLEMS, YOU COULDN'T ACTUALLY JUST SAY, 'WELL, LET'S JUST PUT THEM DOWN.' SOMETHING'S KILLING OUR PETS. HOW FAR WILL YOU GO TO SAVE THEM? IT'S THURSDAY NIGHT AT SEVEN SHARP. Here at seven sharp we are used to have a news stories that will make you proud or happy. But this story might make you mad. When one Corporation attacks one man, there is no other word to use the bullying. AT 74, MIKE DIXON-MCIVER SHOULD REALLY BE PUTTING HIS FEET UP. GOOD AFTERNOON, ACC! INSTEAD, HE'S RARKING THINGS UP. THEY'RE GOING TO FACE ME IN THE SAME WAY THAT THEY ATTACKED ME. THEY'RE GOING TO GET A HARD TIME. IT'S TIME THAT ACC LEARNED TO GROW UP AND TO STOP CONDUCTING A VENDETTA AGAINST THIS MAN. CAN YOU MOVE ALONG, PLEASE? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING? CAN YOU MOVE ALONG? ALL HE IS IS A KIWI BATTLER WHO DOES HIS BEST FOR LIFE'S UNFORTUNATES. MIKE WAS AN ACC ADVOCATE. HE HELPED PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THEIR RIGHTS AND GET A FAIR DEAL ` PEOPLE WHO OFTEN COULDN'T AFFORD A LAWYER. AS A CHRISTIAN, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A HEART FOR PEOPLE DOESN'T MATTER WHO THEY ARE OR WHAT THEY ARE. WHEN PEOPLE CAME TO ME, THEY WERE DISTRESSED; THEY WERE AT THE END OF THEIR TEATHERS, AND I SAW MY ROLE AS TO TAKE THAT ON. A TRIP THROUGH OUR ARCHIVES REVEALS MANY SUCCESSFUL CASES. SHE'S BEEN THE VICTIM OF INADEQUATE NURSING CARE. SHE'S BEEN THE VICTIM OF VERBAL ABUSE. MIKE DIXON-MCIVER FIGHTS FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE UNDERPRIVELEGED. I'M MORE THAN DISGUSTED; I'M OUTRAGED. BECAUSE I WASN'T EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED, I COULD NEGOTIATE THE WAY FOR MY CLIENT. A MISTAKE BY WORK AND INCOME IS GOING TO COST THE GOVERNMENT A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PAYOUT. HE CAME ACROSS JOHN'S CASE TWO MONTHS AGO AND HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET HIM CARE. IF THEY HAD A RIGHT TO STAY ON ACC, I WOULD FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL. BUT MAYBE HE WAS TOO SUCCESSFUL. SIX YEARS AGO, ACC TOOK MIKE TO COURT, CLAIMING HE'D TRIED TO HELP HIS CLIENTS DEFRAUD THE CORPORATION. THE MOMENT ACC CHARGED ME, I FELT SO DIRTY AND CONTAMINATED. FRAUD IS A BIG WORD, ISN'T IT? IT'S A JAILABLE OFFENCE; IT'S A CRIMINAL OFFENCE; IT'S A DECEITFUL OFFENCE. THE JUDGE THREW OUT THE CASE, SAYING IT WAS AN 'EXTRAORDINARY ALLEGATION' AND MIKE WAS JUST MOTIVATED BY GOOD INTENTIONS. THE JUDGE ACTUALLY SAID THAT ACC'S ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION WAS SHODDY. THERE WAS NO INVESTIGATION. I WAS NEVER INTERVIEWED, AND THE CORPORATION NEVER LOOKED AT THE CLAIM FILE THAT THE FRAUD WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE. PIANO MUSIC PLAYS BUT THE BATTLE TO CLEAR HIS NAME HAS COST MIKE EVERYTHING. NOT ONLY DID HIS HEALTH SUFFER, BUT THE LEGAL BILLS LEFT HIM UNABLE TO PAY HIS TAX, SO INLAND REVENUE BANKRUPTED HIM. ON TOP OF THAT, THE HOME MIKE'S FAMILY HAS RENTED FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS IS BEING SOLD. I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN THE KITCHEN IF I COULDN'T TAKE THE HEAT. AND I BROKE DOWN IN IT. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT MY WIFE HAS GONE THROUGH? IT'S THE LAST STRAW FOR A MAN WHO'S DEDICATED 25 YEARS TO HELPING OTHERS. WE WANTED ANSWERS FROM ACC. MIKE DIXON-MCIVER SAYS ACC HAS RUINED HIS LIFE. WOULD THAT BE FAIR? I THINK THAT'S A LITTLE UNFAIR. < A LITTLE UNFAIR? A LITTLE UNFAIR. I THINK IT'S A LITTLE UNFAIR. IT SEEMS THAT ACC HAS RUN A CAMPAIGN AGAINST THIS MAN. THAT'S INCORRECT. IN JANUARY, ACC WAS ORDERD TO PAY MIKE'S LEGAL COSTS OF $13,000. $13,000 IS A PALTRY AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR A MAN WHO'S LOST HIS LIVELIHOOD. $13,000 IS WHAT THE COURT HAS DECIDED IS APPROPRIATE. SO YOURE WILLING TO PAY MORE? WE'RE WILLING TO HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH MR DIXON-MCIVER. WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH YOU. WOULD YOU LIKE TO APOLOGISE TO HIM? THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A PART OF ANY ARRANGEMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH HIM WHEN HE COMES AND TALKS TO US. SO YOU'RE NOT SURE WHETHER ACC IS SORRY ABOUT THE WAY IT'S TREATED THIS MAN? THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO DISCUSS WITH MR DIXON-MCIVER. MIKE SAYS UNTIL NOW ACC HAS BEEN UNWILLING TO TALK. THAT EXPLAINS THE GREAT HEIGHTS HE'S GOING TO GET THEIR ATTENTION. IT'S THE BEGINNING OF GETTING MY NAME BACK, AND IT'S THE START OF ME BEING ABLE TO DO MY JOB AS I USED TO DO IT SIX YEARS AGO. MIKE IS ASKING ACC TO COMPENSATE HIM. UNTIL THEY DO, I WILL BE SLEEPING ON THESE FOOTPATHS. AND I'LL BE AVAILABLE TO GIVE ANYBODY ADVICE ON ACC HELP. AND HE SAYS THERE'S MUCH MORE TO COME IN THE ACC SAGA. AND I AM ACTUALLY DECLARING WAR, BECAUSE I KNOW SO MUCH THAT'S WRONG WITH ACC. HE WON'T BE EATING FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS, BUT HIS SUPPORTERS WILL BE ALONGSIDE HIM. MICHAEL'S GOT A LOT OF AMAZING COURAGE AND DETERMINATION, AND WE'RE BOTH VERY DETERMINED PEOPLE. YOUR WIFE STUCK BY YOU? I'M BLESSED. I THINK I HAVE AN AMAZING LADY. WE'RE NOT PERFECT; WE'RE FAR FROM IT. MORE PARTICULARLY ME, BECAUSE I'M THE ONE WHO ALWAYS GETS TOLD OFF. LOOK, HE'S 74, AND HE'S STILL FIGHTING, AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE IN NZ HAVE A LOT TO THANK MR DIXON-MCIVOR FOR. IT'S PEOPLE LIKE HIM WHO KEEP GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS HONEST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS. I NEED YOUR PRAYERS NOW. I NEED PLENTY, PLENTY MORE. We watch the story this morning and got pretty angry. I am so much more angry now. ACC is willing to talk to Mike. They haven't talked to him, but he's easy to find! Mike has tried to get in and talk to them. It appears they have hired security guards to stop him. You often hear the stories about people having an axe to grind. He has not. He has no past experience with ACC. How about doing something right and treating a 74-year-old man with respect? Let's see how that works. AFTER THE BREAK ` WAS GOOD AND COULD HAVE BEEN GREAT ` EVERYTHING WENT HORRIBLY WRONG FOR THE ONE-TIME HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP. WHAT WOULD YOU THINK ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HEART FAILURE IN A DOG? (LAUGHS) PASS. WE DIDN'T KNOW EITHER. WE DO NOW, AND, FRANKLY, IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'D THINK. IT'S HARD TO GET LOST HERE, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY. BUT IN THE US, A GREAT SPORT STAR IS LOST ` JIMMY PEAU. He was quite the big deal of a boxer. This was the Commonwealth Games. He is the guy in the black. Craig Stanaway is here. That was the first time I ever saw him box. It was the Commonwealth games in Edinburgh. He won the gold. He was as sporting superstar. Jimmy Peau blazed the trail before David Tua. He passed the torch on to him. He fought Kevin Barry reasonably early on. He won two world titles. We haven't heard from him in quite a while. There was a story in 2010 about him living on the streets. THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A GREAT AREA, WITH BARS ON THE WINDOWS. ROCK MUSIC HE'S DEFINITELY OUT OF PRISON. WE'RE TRYING TO TRACK DOWN JIMMY THUNDER. HE HOLDS THE WORLD RECORD FOR THE FASTEST KNOCKOUT. HE HELD TWO OF THE LESSER WORLD TITLES. TODAY HE'S 47 AND A MAN OF MYSTERY. MATE, HONESTLY, IT'S REAL NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK STUFF. 12 DIFFERENT PHONE NUMBERS HAD BEEN TRIED TO NO AVAIL. TODAY, THOUGH, A BREAKTHROUGH ` AN ADDRESS. I REALLY DO WONDER IF THIS IS A FAKE ADDRESS. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR AT LEAST THREE MINUTES ON TWO SMART PHONES. LOCAL CAB DRIVER, YEAH? YES. HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN LAS VEGAS? 34... YEARS. 34 YEARS. AND YOU'VE NEVER BEEN ANYWHERE NEAR THIS PLACE BEFORE? NO. ARMED WITH HELP FROM A COUPLE OF CONTACTS,... I HAVE TRIED THAT WORK ADDRESS. ...MAYBE WE COULD FINALLY TRACK HIM DOWN. HASN'T SEEN HIM IN FIVE YEARS. OR COULD WE? WE'VE TRAVELLED AROUND ABOUT HALF AN HOUR OUT OF LAS VEGAS. THIS IS PRETTY... DODGY, TO BE HONEST, BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SEEN A PLACE LIKE THIS SINCE BEING IN JOHANNESBURG THREE YEARS AGO. IT SORT OF FEELS THE SAME. I FEEL SAFE, BUT THIS IS THE ONLY ADDRESS THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO TRACK DOWN IN A DAY OF LOOKING FOR JIMMY PEAU, AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S... JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR. ALL THE NUMBERS HAVEN'T WORKED, AND THE ADDRESS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S WORKED EITHER. IT WAS EMPTY, ALL RIGHT. HAVE YOU SEEN A GUY CALLED JIMMY PEAU? I ACTUALLY JUST MOVED HERE. OK, NO PROBLEMS. YOU KNOW APARTMENT C, HOW LONG'S IT BEEN EMPTY? UH, WE'VE JUST MOVED IN. YOU'VE JUST MOVED IN? OH, OK. HOW LONG'S IT BEEN EMPTY? DUNNO. I JUST MOVED HERE. EVERYONE JUST MOVED HERE. YEAH. THAT'S ABOUT THE FIFTH PERSON WHO'S SAID, 'I'VE JUST MOVED HERE.' YEAH, RIGHT. WHAT AN INTERESTING PLACE. IN A CITY WHERE THE DECKS ARE STACKED AGAINST YOU, I WAS DOWN TO MY LAST THROW OF THE DICE. BE CAREFUL? SIR, AM I GOING TO BE SAFE GOING TO THIS HOMELESS SHELTER? HE'S BEEN SPOTTED THERE BEFORE. NO, I HAVEN'T. BIG SAMOAN MAN? NO, I HAVEN'T, SORRY. NO. HAVE YOU TRIED THE SALVATION ARMY? THERE AIN'T NO BEDS HERE TILL TOMORROW. THERE'S NO BEDS TILL TOMORROW. HOW MANY BEDS TO YOU HAVE HERE? RIGHT NOW, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY WE GOT IN THERE. CAN YOU JUST HAVE A LOOK AT THIS MAN HERE? HE'S A BIT OLDER NOW. A VERY BIG SAMOAN MAN. HAVE YOU SEEN HIM? I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S BEEN HERE OR NOT. WE CAN'T SAY. # WAKE UP. WAKE UP. # I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY... SOME PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BE FOUND. # YEAH, I'M STRAIGHT, NEVER SWITCH LANES... # ACTUALLY, IT'S GREAT THEY DIDN'T RECOGNISE THE PHOTO. JIMMY PEAU, WHEREVER YOU ARE, HERE'S HOPING YOUR LUCK'S FINALLY CHANGED. It is hard to think of any NZ sports star you have had an update. We were in San Francisco on Monday and we had an opportunity to go back to Las Vegas. I'm hoping that someone is watching and knowswhere he is. I really do try hard to find. I heard that things weren't too good with them. I'm hoping that's not right. He inspired a lot of people my age. He got me into boxing. I hope he's won $1 million in the slot machines. There are rumours that he is married to a Native American woman. What would happen if I actually found on the streets? I don't know. I've been struggling with that. I can't do anything. I don't have the money to help them. His wife was in the papers talking about a charity event in las vegas recently. Some of the money could go to Jimmy. He has memory loss and is very thin. It is hard to believe that someone built like him wasting away. He was a big man in his day. I really do hope that he's okay. Hopefully we can find him and maybe even speak to him. AFTER THE BREAK ` I DON'T SPEAK DOG, BUT WE HAVE MANAGED TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS MEANS. DOGS COUGH AND IT AIN'T GOOD. Someone just got in touch about Jimmy. He said he was in Vegas in 2006 and said hello. You can always get in touch with us. BACK IN THE DAY, YOU'D TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE VET FOR FLEAS, DESEXING OR IF IT GOT RUN OVER. NOW IT CAN GET REALLY EXPENSIVE ` ARTHRITIS, CANCER, EVEN HEART FAILURE, AS GILL HIGGINS REPORTS. IT'S NOT JUST ANY DOG IN THERE, YOU KNOW? NO? OH, NO, NO. NO, HE'S A FAMOUS DOG. HE'S PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS DOG IN ALL AUSTRALIA. IN THE MOVIE RED DOG, THE DOG DIES OF A BROKEN HEART. IN REAL LIFE, HE ALSO DIES OF A BROKEN HEART, BUT WITH LESS PINING AND MORE OF THIS ` DOGS COUGH HE DIED OF HEART FAILURE ` A DEATH THAT SPURRED A NATION INTO ACTION. ACTION MUSIC THE OWNER OF ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S MOST-LOVED DOGS HAS LAUNCHED A HEART-DISEASE CAMPAIGN. MORE THAN ONE IN FOUR AUSTRALIAN OVER AGE SEVEN ARE LIVING WITH CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE. HERE, AGNES. 'WE DON'T HAVE A CAMPAIGN HERE IN NZ. MAYBE WE SHOULD.' WHAT WOULD YOU THINK ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HEART FAILURE IN A DOG? (LAUGHS) PASS. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY PROBABLY WOULD JUST PASS OUT. I WOULDN'T THINK OF DOGS HAVING HEART ATTACKS. IF SHE STARTED COUGHING? I WOULD THINK SHE WAS CHOKING ON SOMETHING. SYMPTOMS ARE COUGHING, LABOURED BREATHING, LACK OF ENERGY. DOG WITHOUT HEART FAILURE. OUT YOU POP. DOG WITH. TROUBLE IS... DOGS CAN BE REALLY QUITE SICK BEFORE THEIR OWNERS ARE TRULY AWARE THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM, AND IN FACT, CATS ARE OUR WORST ENEMY, BECAUSE A CAT WITH HEART DISEASE JUST SLEEPS MORE. 'OH, EASY TO SPOT THAT, THEN (!)' BUT THIS IS A NEW ERA. NOW YOU CAN GET YOUR PET SCANNED IF YOU'RE WORRIED. AND FOR PROBLEMS LIKE LITTLE CHLOE'S HEART FAILURE, NEW DRUGS CAN GET HER BACK ON HER FEET. TWICE A DAY, EVERY DAY,... TREAT TIME. ...MEDICATION AT EXACT TIMES. I CAN GIVE YOU A BIT OF PEANUT BUTTER. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE 12 HOURS APART. SHE CAN'T BE FED FOR` UNTIL AN HOUR LATER. SO IT'S VERY RESTRICTIVE ON ANYONE. AND I'D IMAGINE PRETTY EXPENSIVE? YES, IT'S OVER A THOUSAND A YEAR. OR AROUND A THOUSAND, YEAH. AND AT ONE STAGE, I DID HAVE TWO DOGS ON IT. PET MEDICINE IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE LIKE HUMAN MEDICINE. IF YOU HAD AN ELDERLY RELATIVE, YOU KNOW, WITH A FEW MEDICAL PROBLEMS, YOU COULDN'T ACTUALLY JUST SAY, 'WELL, LET'S JUST PUT THEM DOWN.' BUT THERE'S THE DIFFERENCE ` SOME OWNERS HAVE TO. UNLIKE THE HUMAN SYSTEM, THIS STUFF HAS TO BE PAID FOR, AND INDEED, OWNERS ARE SOMETIMES WORSE OFF FOR KNOWING THAT THERE'S A SOLUTION, BUT THAT IT'S GONNA COST X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS, AND THEY HAVE TO TRY AND RATIONALISE THAT. SO DO YOU SEE THAT? EVERY DAY. DOG WHINES WE END UP HAVING TO PUT TO SLEEP ANIMALS THAT COULD BE SAVED IF THE BUDGET COULD HAVE BEEN FOUND, AND WE DO LOTS OF STUFF, YOU KNOW, THAT WE DON'T CHARGE PROPERLY FOR, BUT, UM... WE WON'T PUT THAT ON. (LAUGHS) REFLECTIVE MUSIC THIS THERAPIST KNOWS ALL ABOUT IT. SHE'S AN EXPERT IN ALL THINGS DOG ` MASSAGE, MOXIBUSTION,... LASER THERAPY. SHE ALSO WRITES DOG BLOGS AND HOLDS THE HANDS OF OWNERS WHO HAVE TO LET THEIR PETS GO. IT'S REALLY HARD TO WATCH AN OWNER WHO IS TROUBLED BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD THE DOG'S CARE. IT IS ALMOST CHEAPER TO GET ANOTHER DOG. OR IF YOU CAN'T BEAR THE HEARTBREAK, MAYBE THINK ABOUT SOMETHING A LITTLE LESS COSTLY. I need to tell you that the animals in the story are not then any imminent danger. Apart from the dog was getting moxibustion. What is that? The black lab that underwent the heart scan, he was just a prop. No symptoms at all. Turns out he had heart disease. Which is a bit sad. Maybe unlucky that they did the test. Maybe you're better not knowing so you don't have the choice of spending the money. If you have a dog and you want to Insure it, it's about $14 a month. If you want a Doberman, get the insurance early. They are particularly susceptible to heart disease. Ali asked me if the plural of Doberman was Dobermen. We asked how much is worth spending to save your pet. If you're going to get a pet, it's a member of the family. Of course you will spend money on it. On trade me, there are people who are begging for new owners that they know are sick. CAPTIONS BY DESNEY SHAW AND FINN SCOTT-KELLY. CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR.