AT SEVEN SHARP ` I THINK THE DECISION IS THE CORRECT ONE. A DIFFICULT DECISION. I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS DANGEROUS TO GO BACK. WHY SOME PIKE RIVER FAMILIES SAY, 'LET THEM REST IN PEACE.' IT'S NOT NICE LOSING YOUR SON. WE'VE COME TO TERMS WITH THAT. PLUS ` GOOD AFTERNOON. YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH ROB. HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY? THE CALL CENTRE THAT KNOWS YOUR VOICE BETTER THAN YOU DO. I DON'T THINK WE'VE HAD ANY EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE MANAGING TO FOOL IT. WE PUT IT TO THE TEST. DEEPLY: DO YOU NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS ME? AND ` WE WANT TO KEEP HIM KEEN. KEEPING HIM KEEN BUT NOT TREATING HIM MEAN... THAT'S WHAT WE LIKE TO SEE. GOOD LAD. ...SO HE CAN HELP KEEP NZ GREEN. ONE NEWS CAPTIONS BY IMOGEN STAINES AND AMY PARK. CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT ABLE 2014 DUE TO THE LIVE NATURE OF SEVEN SHARP, WE APOLOGISE FOR THE LACK OF CAPTIONS FOR SOME ITEMS. Lovely to have you with us. Mike is here. He is in a fragile state. He has not eaten in two days. I have had ebola and I have lost a spleen and a lung. You seem to have lost weight. I got up at five yesterday evening and I went back to bed at 630. I lay awake. There were people out in the neighbourhood with the Catherine wheels and double happy. I thought that Street would order a boombox. I confessed to that last night. We had a lamest boombox I've ever seen. My daughter loved it. We do not all have grand firework displays. People were letting them off in daylight. Great to be back. HERE'S WHAT CAUGHT OUR EYE TODAY ` THE DRUMMER FOR HEAVY-METAL BAND AC/DC'S APPEARED IN COURT IN TAURANGA CHARGED WITH TRYING TO GET SOMEONE MURDERED. PHIL RUDD'S ALSO ACCUSED OF POSSESSING P AND CANNABIS AND THREATENING TO KILL. PARENTS, REST ASSURED, VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES WON'T NECESSARILY MAKE YOUR KIDS INTO VIOLENT CRIMINALS. AMERICAN RESEARCHERS SAY THAT WHILE THE POPULARITY OF SUCH GAMES HAS SOARED, THE VIOLENT CRIME RATE AMONGST YOUNG PEOPLE HAS ACTUALLY DROPPED. AND FROM THE 'WHY?' FILES, WILDLIFE EXPERT PAUL ROSOLIE WANTS TO BE EATEN ALIVE BY A SNAKE. YEP, YOU HEARD US. PAUL ROSOLIE WILL WEAR A SPECIAL SNAKE-PROOF SUIT FOR THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL PROGRAMME. What is that about? Getting crunched. ' Guys!' The things some people do for their work. SO, WE LEARN TODAY THAT THERE WILL BE NO RECOVERY MISSION FOR THE MEN WHO DIED IN THE PIKE RIVER DISASTER. THE REMAINS OF THE 29 WILL STAY UNDERGROUND. SOLID ENERGY SAYS IT'S STILL TOO DANGEROUS TO GO BACK IN. THE FAMILIES WHO WANT THEIR LOVED ONES BACK ARE OF COURSE DEVASTATED, BUT NOT ALL OF THEM ARE IN THAT CAMP. MIKE THORPE MET A FATHER WHO WANTS HIS SON TO STAY WHERE HE IS. IT'S HERE THAT ROD HOLLING'S SON DIED, AND IT'S HERE THAT HE'LL STAY FOREVER. I THINK THE DECISION IS THE CORRECT ONE. I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS DANGEROUS TO GO BACK. AND I SUPPOSE IF SOMEBODY DID GET KILLED, OR IF SOMEBODY WENT BACK IN THERE AND THEY DID GET KILLED, WHO WAS GOING TO HAVE THAT ON THEIR CONSCIENCE? RICHARD HOLLING WAS 41, RECENTLY MARRIED AND NEW TO MINING AT PIKE RIVER. ROD DIDN'T LIKE IT. AND THEY WERE ALL THERE FOR MONEY. IT'S DANGEROUS. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN DANGEROUS, AND I THINK IT'S BEEN DANGEROUS THE WAY IT'S BEEN BUILT, FOR A START. ON NOVEMBER THE 22ND, A FATHER'S FEARS WERE REALISED. ON NOVEMBER THE 19, 2010, A FATHER'S FEARS WERE REALISED. AS SOON AS I HEARD THAT IT` IT MUST'VE BEEN ON THE NEWS THAT I HEARD IT, I GOT A GUT FEELING THAT HE WAS AT WORK, JUST A GUT FEELING THAT RICHARD'S IN THERE, AND I RUNG HIS WIFE AND SHE SAID, 'HE'S AT WORK. HE'S GONE TO WORK, AND I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM HIM.' TWO MEN ESCAPED THE EXPLOSION, BUT RICHARD AND 28 OF HIS WORKMATES WERE NEVER SEEN AGAIN. WHEN WAS IT THAT YOU SORT OF DECIDED WITHIN YOURSELF THAT YOU WERE NOT GOING TO SEE RICHARD AGAIN? THE DAY AFTER IT HAPPENED. THE DAY IT HAPPENED. WHEN I KNEW FOR SURE THAT THAT'S WHERE HE WAS. THAT SOON? YEAH. OH YEAH. ROD KNOWS HIS SON IS GONE FOREVER, AND HE SEES NO POINT IN PUTTING LIVES AT RISK TO BRING HIS BOY HOME. IT'S UP IN HERE. MY MEMORIES OF RICHARD ARE IN HERE, AND THAT'S WHERE THEY STAY. I THINK ABOUT HIM MOST NEARLY EVERY DAY. DOES TODAY GIVE YOU ANY CLOSURE? NO MORE THAN IT DID FOUR YEARS AGO, OR NEARLY FOUR YEARS AGO. WE GOT CLOSURE OUT OF IT. WE KNEW THAT'S WHERE HE WAS. WITH HIS WORKMATES. UNDER A MOUNTAIN. HE SAID THAT WHEN HE DIED, HE WANTED TO HAVE HIS ASHES SCATTERED ON THE MOUNTAIN, BUT HE'S UNDERNEATH IT NOW. ROD MAY HAVE FOUND CLOSURE, BUT HE'S STILL HAUNTED BY THE UNKNOWN. MY OTHER QUESTION IS WHAT'S THERE? WHAT IS THERE? THE FIRE SERVICE SUSPECT THAT THERE WAS A FIRE STARTED THERE ON THE SATURDAY THAT WENT RIGHT THROUGH THE WHOLE MINE AT 4500 DEGREES. THAT'S WHAT THEY SUSPECT. NOBODY CAN PROVE IT, OF COURSE. ROD KNOWS HIS OPINION, HIS VIEWS, ARE NOT SHARED BY ALL. I'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT IF THERE WAS ANYBODY IN GREYMOUTH THAT FELT THE WAY WE DID, THEN THEY WOULD BE INTIMIDATED BY THE PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T FEEL THAT WAY. BUT HE SAYS HIS BELIEFS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN RESPECTED. WE KNOW THAT WE WON'T SEE HIM, KNOW WE WON'T TALK TO HIM EVER AGAIN. YOU HAVE TO MOVE ON. THE CANTERBURY TOWN OF GERALDINE IS HOME NOW. IT IS LONG WAY FROM GREYMOUTH, BUT ROD REMAINS A COASTER THROUGH AND THROUGH, AND HE'S HOPEFUL THE MINE WILL ONE DAY BECOME A MEMORIAL. WE'VE ALWAYS AGREED AS A FAMILY THAT THE BEST PLACE FOR RICHARD WAS WHERE HE LAY, KILLED AT WORK WITH HIS WORKMATES. A TRAGEDY, AS THEY SAY, WHICH PROBABLY SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED, BUT IT DID. A GRAVE, HE SAYS, SERVES NO PURPOSE. NO MEMORIES IN A CEMETERY. NEVER WILL BE. THE MEMORIES ARE THERE. HIM. EVERY DAY IS A MEMORY. NO FEWER THAN 29 MEN DIED AT PIKE RIVER MINE. TODAY'S DECISION ENSURES THERE WILL BE NO MORE. SEAL IT UP. ENTOMB THEM WHERE THEY ARE. SEAL IT UP AND CALL IT A MEMORIAL TO THE GUYS UNDER THE GROUND. I love the stoic stance. EARLIER, I SPOKE TO MAN WHO DID WANT THE RESCUE TO GO AHEAD, BERNIE MONK. BERNIE, IF THERE'S RESPONSIBILITY TO BE LAID AT ANYONE'S DOORSTEP, WHERE DO YOU LAY IT? SOLID ENERGY OR THE GOVERNMENT? IN THE WAY IT'S BEEN HANDLED, IT'S OBVIOUSLY SOLID ENERGY. THEY'VE TREATED THE FAMILIES VERY POORLY HERE. THEY'VE ONLY GIVEN OUR EXPERTS IN ENGLAND LIP SERVICE. LOOK, ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD, BAR AUSTRALIA AND NZ, THEY'D HAVE THESE MEN OUT. THAT'S THE FRUSTRATING PART ABOUT ALL THIS. SO, DO YOU THINK TODAY WAS ENTIRELY PREDICTABLE, GIVEN THEIR ATTITUDE, FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW? OH, VERY MUCH SO. IN FACT, ONLY AN HOUR AGO, I WAS TALKING TO OUR EXPERTS IN THE UK, AND THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY GUTTED WITH WHAT THEY'VE SAID, AND I BACK THEM UP, BECAUSE SOME OF THE PICTURES THAT WE'VE SEEN TODAY, WE'VE NEVER EVER SEEN THEM BEFORE. SOLID ENERGY HAVE HAD THEM ALL THE TIME, AND THEY'VE NEVER EVER SHOWN THE FAMILIES ANY OF THESE PICTURES, SO I JUST SHAKE ME HEAD. THEY CAN'T EVEN RUN THEIR MINES PROPERLY, AND THEY CAN EVEN FINANCIALLY RUN THEIR COMPANIES PROPERLY, SO I JUST` I'M SO FRUSTRATED. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THIS JOB CAN BE DONE. EVERYONE ON THE WEST COAST KNOWS THAT THIS JOB CAN BE DONE, EXCEPT SOLID ENERGY, SO WHERE DO WE GO? I MEAN, I DON'T WANNA PUT THE FAMILIES THROUGH ANOTHER THREE YEARS OR FOUR YEARS OF HELL. I MEAN, THERE WAS TEARS THERE TODAY. YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO PUT THE FAMILIES THROUGH THIS ANY MORE. SO I'M GONNA TAKE A STEP BACKWARDS. ALL RIGHT, HOW MANY FAMILIES SIDE WITH YOU OR DO YOU SPEAK FOR, IN THE SENSE THAT WE TALKED WITH ROD HOLLING AND HIS WIFE, CHRISTINE ` THEY WANT THEIR SON TO STAY THERE. HOW MANY FAMILIES ARE IN THAT PARTY? HOW MANY FAMILIES ARE IN YOUR PARTY, IF YOU LIKE? THEY'RE THE ONLY ONE. OK. THEY'RE THE ONLY ONE. IN FACT, I WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN NAMED THEM. YOU'VE NAMED THEM; I WOULDN'T EVEN NAME THEM. I RESPECT THEIR CALL, AND I ALWAYS HAVE DONE, FROM DAY ONE. BUT EVERYBODY ELSE VIEWS THINGS THE WAY YOU DO? WELL, A LOT OF THEM HAVE STOOD BACK, BUT THEY HAVE SAID TO US, 'LOOK, YOU DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE HERE.' BUT A LOT OF THEM ARE TRYING TO STEP BACK AND GET ON WITH THEIR LIVES, AND I THINK IT'S TIME FOR US TO DO THAT, SO WE'RE GONNA CHANNEL OUR ENERGIES IN TO MAKE A FACILITY UP THERE FOR THE REST OF NZ TO ENJOY. SO, IN MANY RESPECTS, WAS TODAY POTENTIALLY CATHARTIC IN THE SENSE THAT IT WAS THE FINAL LINE IN THE SAND, WE'RE NOT GOING BACK, WE'RE DONE, SO IT LEAST, FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW, SOMETHING GOOD POTENTIALLY CAN COME OUT OF IT. NOT WHAT YOU WANTED, BUT MAYBE SOMETHING ANYWAY? OH, VERY MUCH SO, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE GONNA WORK HARD WITH THE GOVERNMENT IN MAKING THIS HAPPEN. IT WAS A PLEASANT TALK THERE TODAY, AND I THINK EVERYONE BENEFITED FROM IT. GIVEN THERE IS SOME FINALITY TO TODAY, LIKE IT OR NOT, HOW WOULD YOU SUM THIS WHOLE THING UP? WELL, I THINK IT'S BEEN POORLY HANDLED, RIGHT FROM DAY ONE. I'VE HAD SIX MINISTERS, TWO BANKRUPT COMPANIES, A RECEIVER AND SEVEN COS TO DEAL WITH. THIS HAS BEEN TOTALLY POORLY HANDLED. A bit of good news. One of the things they want is an investigation. Whether they will get that, who knows? CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER IS BACK ON THE TABLE. AMY ADAMS IS LOOKING AT IT. SHE CALLED FOR BRIEIFING. Judith Collins kind of buried it. Bernie Monk had been out white baiting. He said there are so many whitebait, they are throwing them back. They are tossing them back. He does have that sense that he wants to move on. Very hard to judge either stance unless you have been in that position. COMING UP ON SEVEN SHARP ` IF YOU HATE CALLING THE IRD... AND THAT MEANS THAT I HAVE TO BE ON THE PHONE FOR LESS TIME TO YOU GUYS? ABSOLUTELY. THAT CAN ONLY BE GOOD NEWS. PLUS ` IF YOU LIKE THE SOUND OF THIS,... BIRD CHIRPS ...THEN YOU'LL LIKE PAI. GOOD BOY, PAI. GOOD BOY. WE'RE ON THE BEAT WITH BORDER TERRIER PATROL. LET'S FACE IT, NO ONE REALLY LIKES CALLING A CALL CENTRE. CHANCES ARE YOU'RE CALLING BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN ISSUE, AND UNLESS THAT PROBLEM IS INCREDIBLY EASY TO FIX, WHICH IS OFTEN RARE, EVERYONE GETS FRUSTRATED, ANGRY AND TEMPERS OFTEN BOIL OVER. ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUSLY FRUSTRATING, IF YOU'VE DONE IT, AND I HAVE, IS THE IRD. AND OF COURSE YOU'RE NEVER CALLING THE IRD FOR THE GOOD NEWS. Why did you have to call them? A little problem that came up. I have to call them. Let's not make it all about me. ANYWAY, THEY ARE TRYING TO DO WHAT THEY CAN TO HELP, AND THEY'RE USING SOME PRETTY TRICKED-UP TECHNOLOGY. JEHAN CASINADER TRIED IT OUT. GOOD AFTERNOON. YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH ROB. HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY? # HEY, I JUST MET YOU,... COULD I PLEASE HAVE YOUR FULL NAME? # ...AND THIS IS CRAZY,... THANK YOU VERY MUCH. # ...BUT HERE'S MY NUMBER,... YOU HAVE A NICE DAY. # ...SO CALL ME MAYBE. # BUT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE IRD, THERE'S NO 'CALL ME MAYBE'; IT'S MORE LIKE, 'PLEASE, NO, DON'T MAKE ME RING A GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IRD WANTS TO HELP US SPEND LESS TIME ON THE PHONE TO THEM... RECORDED VOICE: I WILL ASK YOU TO SAY YOUR IRD NUMBER... ...USING A FUTURISTIC VOICE ID SYSTEM. IT RECORDS YOUR DULCET TONES... THEN WE CAN MATCH YOUR VOICE AGAINST THAT PREVIOUS RECORDING. THEREAFTER, IT RECOGNISES YOU IMMEDIATELY. AND THAT MEANS THAT I HAVE TO BE ON THE PHONE FOR LESS TIME TO YOU GUYS. ABSOLUTELY. THE SYSTEM TREATS YOUR VOICE JUST LIKE A FINGERPRINT. AND WHEN YOU HAVE A COLD, SOME OF THOSE CHARACTERISTICS WILL CHANGE, BUT MOST OF THEM DON'T. MM, BUT CAN THE SYSTEM BE FOOLED? WE'VE HAD PEOPLE TRY, BUT WE'VE TUNED THE SYSTEM, WE CONTINUE TO TUNE THE SYSTEM. I DON'T THINK WE'VE HAD ANY EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE MANAGING TO FOOL IT. YES, WELL, I WANTED TO PUT IT TO THE TEST. RECORDED VOICE: THERE'S NO NEED TO SPEAK UP OR SLOW DOWN FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND YOU. SLOWLY: OH, HEY, I'D LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT MY INCOME-TAX CODES. INDIAN ACCENT: I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE MY PAYE... SCOTTISH ACCENT: YES, I THINK I'M OWED A TAX REBATE. RECORDED VOICE: I'LL TRANSFER YOU TO SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP. GOOD AFTERNOON. YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH JACKIE. HOW CAN I HELP? SILLY VOICE: OH HELLO, I'M WONDERING WHY MY VOICE ID IS NOT WORKING. CERTAINLY. WE'LL GO AND GET SOME OTHER DETAILS SO WE CAN ACCESS YOUR ACCOUNT. SILLY VOICE: DO YOU NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS ME? IT'S NOT TO DO WITH WHETHER I BELIEVE IT'S YOUR OR NOT. MY COLLEAGUES DIDN'T HAVE MUCH LUCK IMPERSONATING ME EITHER. IT'S JEHAN FROM SEVEN SHARP. RECORDED VOICE: PLEASE TELL ME HOW I CAN HELP YOU TODAY. I'M CALLING ABOUT... ...INCOME TAX. RECORDED VOICE: IS THAT RIGHT? YES. RECORDED VOICE: PLEASE HOLD. AH, THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIT DIFFICULT, ISN'T IT? 1.2 MILLION PEOPLE ARE ALREADY ENROLLED FOR VOICE ID. IT'S THE MOST PER CAPITA OF ANYONE IN THE WORLD. IRD SAYS IT'S SAVING US 8000 HOURS ON THE PHONE A YEAR. NO ONE'S COMPLAINING ABOUT THAT. KIWI ACCENT: YES, I THINK I'M OWED A 'TEX REBATE'. # SO CALL ME MAYBE. # RECORDED VOICE: THANK YOU. Jehan. (LAUGHS) He is quite good with voices. They were very different. Telecom, the worst in the world. I hope they change. I don't do the bills. It is the man's job. If you were impersonating a voice, yours would be very easy. Jeremy Wells does mine. I am regretting coming back. NEXT ON SEVEN SHARP ` WE'LL TELL YOU OUR PLANS TO BRING A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SURPRISE TO YOUR PLACE. BUT WE WANT TO KEEP THEM KEEN. JUST KEEPS THEM INTERESTED. HOW KEEPING HIM KEEN IS KEEPING NZ GREEN. THAT'S WHAT WE LIKE TO SEE. GOOD LAD. Everybody knows someone that's ahead of the game. (BARKS) They seem to know what's around the corner, do things a little bit... smarter. Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee. Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee. Oh. They even manage to do their Christmas shopping better. Hmm. Hmm. (BARKS) You can get ahead of the game too with any new ANZ personal credit card. You'll pay 0% interest on your purchases for the first six months. Talk to us today. NOW, BY DEFINITION, NO ONE LIKES A PEST. You are not meant to look at the camera. Oh, was that one of the tricks of television? NOW, BY DEFINITION, NO ONE LIKES A PEST. THEY ARE, AFTER ALL, PESTS ` ANNOYING, INVASIVE, GENERALLY NOT FUN TO BE AROUND. BUT WE'RE ABOUT TO SHOW YOU SOMEONE WHO LOVES THEM, OR, AT LEAST, FINDING THEM. THIS WEEK IS CONSERVATION WEEK, SO TONIGHT, WE WANT TO RECOGNISE THE UNSUNG HEROES KEEPING PARTS OF OUR COUNTRY PEST-FREE. SO WE SENT OUR RESIDENT PEST DEAN BUTLER TO SAY THANKS. BIRDSONG MEET PAI. PAI, COME ON. HAVE LOOK, PAI. GOOD BOY. HE'S A MUTT ON A MISSION. I'M JUST GOING TO LAY A SCENT TRAIL FOR PAI WITH A DEAD RAT, BECAUSE THEY VERY RARELY FIND ANYTHING, OF COURSE, ON THE ISLAND, AND THAT'S HOW WE WANT IT. BUT WE WANT TO KEEP THEM KEEN. JUST KEEPS THEM INTERESTED. IT IS PAI'S JOB TO KEEP OUR NATIVE BIRD-LIFE KA PAI BY GETTING RID OF THESE FELLAS FROM THE HAURAKI GULF ISLANDS. GOOD BOY, PAI-DEES. WELCOME TO BORDER TERRIER PATROL. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE ISLANDS STAY PEST-FREE, SO PAI'S JUST GONNA RUN HIS NOSE AROUND ALL YOUR GEAR. THESE KIDS ARE READY TO GO ON THEIR SCHOOL CAMP TO MOTUTAPU ISLAND IN THE HAURAKI GULF, BUT FIRST THEY HAVE TO GET PAST PAI. CAROL, CAN I ASK ONE QUESTION? YES. HAS PAI EVER URINATED ON ANY OF THE BAGS? NO. OK, JUST CHECKING. > (LAUGHS) BIRDSONG THIS IS A SOUND FOREIGN TO OUR SUBURBAN EARS, AND THESE ISLANDS ARE HOME TO SOME OF OUR RAREST BIRDS. TAKAHE, OF WHICH THERE ARE ONLY 160 LEFT IN THE WORLD. AND VARIOUS OTHER THREATENED SPECIES THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE PUT BACK ON THE ISLAND SINCE THE PEST ERADICATION. AND TAKAHE HAVE A LOT TO THANK THIS OLD BOY FOR. MY MAN, JAK. FINN BUCHANAN WORKED JAK FOR 13 YEARS. HE'S HAD SOME HIGH-PROFILE FINDS. LIKE THERE WAS A RAT IN 2008 ON MOTUIHE ISLAND. THEY TRIED FOR THREE WEEKS TO CATCH THAT RAT BY CONVENTIONAL MEANS. THEY GAVE ME A CALL. I CAME OUT. WITHIN AN HOUR AND A HALF OF US SETTING FOOT ON THE ISLAND, JAK HAD FOUND THAT RAT AND WE KILLED IT. THIS THREE-LEGGED POOCH HAS SACRIFICED A LOT FOR THE CAUSE. JAK LOST HIS LEG IN THE LINE OF DUTY. IS THAT TRUE? HE DID. HE WAS OUT ON AN ISLAND AND HAD AN ACCIDENT. BUT THE ACCIDENT DIDN'T END HIS CAREER. HE WAS 10 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME. HE STILL GAVE US ANOTHER TWO, TWO AND A HALF YEARS OF WORK ON THREE LEGS. WHERE IS JAK NOW? DURING JAK'S CONVALESCENCE, WAIHI BEACH VETS WERE LOOKING AFTER JAK, AND THE VET PIP SAID, 'IF EVER YOU NEED TO GIVE THIS DOG AWAY, I WANT HIM.' JAK NOW ENJOYS THE QUIET LIFE WITH PIP. BUT HIS LEGACY LIVES ON. HE'S FATHERED 20 PEST-CONTROL PUPS, INCLUDING PAI. SO, WHEN HE HAD THE THREE LEGS, HE'S HAD ANOTHER LITTER SINCE THEN? HE HAS HAD ANOTHER LITTER WITH THREE LEGS, AND, YEAH, WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GIVE HIM CRUTCHES OR ANYTHING. VERY CLEVER DOG. AMAZING INSTINCT. (CHUCKLES) TUI CALLS SO FROM FATHER TO SON, THE FAMILY TRADITION LIVES ON. WHERE IS IT, PAI? THE RATS ARE RUNNING SCARED. THAT'S WHAT WE LIKE TO SEE. GOOD LAD. BUT AT LEAST THE DAWN CHORUS WILL CONTINUE TO GROW STRONG. TUI CALLS Do you reckon that dogs are like humans? The three-legged Jak carried on. BEFORE WE GO, WE SHOULD PROBABLY TALK ABOUT CHRISTMAS, BECAUSE IT'S LIKE FAST-APPROACHING. TO BE PRECISE, SEVEN WEEKS TO THE DAY. AS IT TURNS OUT, I KNOW A BIT ABOUT THIS, GIVEN I WAS DOING A BIT OF CHRISTMAS PLANNING THIS PAST WEEK, AND, I CAN TELL YOU, THINGS ARE BUSY AND BOOKED AND FULL. SO IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE HOPING TO SEE A LOVED ONE WHO LIVES OVERSEAS, THEN YOU NEED TO GET PLANNING... FAST! HERE ON SEVEN SHARP, WE LOVE REUNIONS. SO MUCH SO, TIM WILSON GATECRASHED SOME OF THEM AT AUCKLAND AIRPORT LAST CHRISTMAS. THIS LATE-EDITED ITEM WILL BE CAPTIONED LIVE. I am waiting for my boyfriend. I cannot wait to see him. I have been in Ghana for a month. I hope that he recognises me. We have come from Zurich, from Switzerland. How was that first kiss? Emotional. What was he doing? Not only did he recognise her, he ate her. THIS YEAR, WE PLAN TO DO ONE BETTER. WE WANT TO FIND SOMEONE OVERSEAS OR AT THE OTHER END OF THE COUNTRY WHO HASN'T SEEN A LOVED ONE IN A REALLY LONG TIME AND HELP THEM GET HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. IDEALLY, WE'D WANT IT TO BE A SURPRISE FOR THEIR FAMILY BACK HERE. SO GET IN TOUCH WITH US TO NOMINATE SOMEONE WHO YOU THINK IS REALLY DESERVING, AND WE'LL TRY AND WORK SOME CHRISTMAS MAGIC. LOTS TO GET EXCITED ABOUT FOR NZ SPORT TODAY. 100 DAYS UNTIL THE CRICKET WORLD CUP. AND THE BIG UNVEILING OF THE ALL BLACKS' NEW SKIN-TIGHT JERSEY. TO ME THE JERSEY LOOKS GREAT. PRETTY SIMILAR TO THE LAST ONE, JUST WITHOUT THE WHITE COLLAR. BUT WHAT'S REALLY NICE IN MY MIND IS THAT THEY'RE STAYING TRUE TO THE BLACK JERSEY. REMEMBER THE WHOLE FIASCO ABOUT AIG COMING ON BOARD TWO YEARS AGO? WELL, THEIR LOGO APPEARS FAR LESS VISIBLE THIS TIME ROUND WITH THE GREY WRITING. AND, COMPARED TO OTHER SPORTS, I RECKON THE ALL BLACKS HAVE DONE PRETTY WELL NOT TO DRAMATICALLY CHANGE IT'S LOOK. NOT TO DRAMATICALLY CHANGE ITS LOOK. THE NZ CRICKETERS ARE SPORTING ANZ BLUE THESE DAYS. AND IN THE PAST THEY'VE BEEN BLACK, BEIGE AND GREY, AND THE WARRIORS ARE FOREVER CHANGING. THEY MIGHT STILL HAVE THE SPONSOR'S LOGO, BUT IT'S RELATIVELY DISCREET, AND THEY'VE CERTAINLY REMAINED TRUE TO THAT PRICELESS BRAND. WHILE I WAS AWAY, LEN BROWN AND THE CLOWNS THAT RUN AUCKLAND DECIDED A COUPLE OF THINGS. ONE ` TO BREAK A PROMISE. LEN PROMISED RATES WOULDN'T GO UP MORE THAN 2.5%. HE VOTED TO PUT THEM UP 3.5%. AND TWO ` THEY DECIDED TO BORROW $850M TO GO AHEAD WITH THEIR TRAIN SYSTEM 15 YEARS EARLY. THE PROBLEM WITH BORROWING $850M? THEY ALREADY OWE BILLIONS, AUCKLAND PAYS A MILLION A DAY IN INTEREST ON THE MONEY THEY OWE. NOT THE DEBT ` THE INTEREST ON THE DEBT. THAT'S $365M A YEAR, A BILLION FOR EVERY COUNCIL TERM, JUST TO SERVICE THE DEBT. SO TOSS ANOTHER $850M ON TOP OF THAT. THAT'S HOW MAD THAT IS. BUT HERE'S THE DILEMMA ` BECAUSE NO ONE CARES ABOUT LOCAL BODY POLITICS, BECAUSE NO ONE VOTES, WE REALLY HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT OURSELVES. BY NOT CARING, WE'VE LET THE MAD PEOPLE LOOSE, AND THEY'RE DOING WHAT MAD PEOPLE DO ` WRECK THE PLACE. CAPTIONS BY VIRGINIA PHILP AND ASHLEE SCHOLEFIELD.