IT'S SEVEN SHARP. FROM STRUGGLE STREET... IT HAD A VERY BAD HISTORY. ...TO STREETS AHEAD. WE LOVE IT, AND WE'D LOVE TO BUY THIS HOUSE AS WELL. SO IS SHAKING UP SOCIAL HOUSING ACTUALLY WORKING? PLUS... THE POLICE ARE PROTECTING THE POLICE STATION. THEY'RE NOT PROTECTING THE PEOPLE. WHAT IT'S LIKE TO MEET ONE OF THE WORLDS' MOST WANTED MEN IN PERSON? THERE IS A LOT OF INTEREST IN WHO JIHADI JOHN IS. AND... AWESOME, EXCELLENT, DYNAMIC. RIGHT, SO THE AMERICANS LIKE IT. WHAT ABOUT THE KIWI AT THE WHEEL THOUGH? SOMETIMES YOU SIT BACK AND SAY, 'HOW DID I GET HERE?' ONE NEWS CAPTIONS BY SARAH MAIAVA AND JUNE YEOW 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. WELCOME TO SEVEN SHARP. I want people to guess if Mike is a fad of cruising. How was the baby moon? It was great. But I was missing them soon. You dump your kids are relative and then you go you miss them. Did you do the marathon while you Were in Queenstown? I thought of it, but then I decided 30 minutes was my max. Was your walks fun? HERE'S WHAT CAUGHT OUR EYE TODAY ` HE'S BEING CALLED AUSTRALIA'S MIRACLE BABY ` A NEWBORN WHO SURVIVED FIVE DAYS IN A DRAIN AFTER BEING DUMPED BY HIS MOTHER THE DAY AFTER HIS BIRTH. THE BOY'S CURRENTLY IN HOSPITAL, WHILE HIS MOTHER'S BEEN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER. A BAD MARRIAGE REALLY COULD LEAD TO A BROKEN HEART ` NEW AMERICAN RESEARCH FOUND OLDER COUPLES WHO ARE IN AN UNHAPPY MARRIAGE HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF HEART DISEASE THAN THOSE IN A HAPPY MARRIAGE. AND FROM OUR 'SERIOUSLY, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME' FILE, THIS IS A 16-TON TRUCK JUMPING OVER A SPEEDING FORMULA ONE CAR JUST TO SET A NEW WORLD RECORD. THE TRUCK MANAGED TO GO 25.5M IN THE AIR AND DIDN'T CRUSH THE TINY CAR IN THE PROCESS. TONIGHT WE RETURN TO ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S MOST FAMOUS AND INFAMOUS STREETS ` FARMER CRESCENT. REMEMBER FARMER CRESCENT? IT WAS DUBBED THE COUNTRY'S WORST STREET, IT WAS FOREVER IN THE NEWS FOR GANG CARRY-ON, STATE HOUSING ISSUES AND MURDER. NOW, THOUGH, IT'S MAKING HEADLINES FOR SOME BETTER REASONS ` IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE POSTER STREET FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S NEW HOUSING POLICY. WHEN HEATHER WAS A NEWS REPORTER, SHE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON FARMER CRESCENT, SO WE SENT HER BACK. THIS HAS CHANGED SO MUCH. TO BE HONEST, I'M SORT OF STRUGGLING TO FIND MY BEARINGS. I'M SURE THERE WERE HOUSES HERE AS WELL. THEY'VE ALL BEEN KNOCKED DOWN. I KNEW THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN THESE HOUSES, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY'VE GONE. THE PEOPLE ARE ALL GONE. THEY'VE BEEN REPLACED BY MOVING VANS AND WEALTHIER FOLK. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT MOVING IN? OH, WE ARE, YES. WE'RE ACTUALLY COMING BACK TO OUR ROOTS. LESLEY WAS BORN IN TAITA, I WAS BORN IN NAENAE, SO THIS IS IT. CLIVE AND LESLEY ARE THE FIRST OF THEIR PART OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD TO MOVE IN. THEY RECKON THEIR NEW HOUSE IS PERFECT FOR RETIREMENT. AND, YES, THEY DO KNOW WHAT THE HOOD USED TO BE LIKE. IT HAD A VERY BAD HISTORY, BUT THAT'S HISTORY, IT'S PAST. THIS IS GREAT. IT'S GONNA HAVE A COMMUNITY SPIRIT, AND IT'LL BE A NICE PLACE TO LIVE. YUP, THINGS HAVE CERTAINLY CHANGED. NOW THERE'S A RESERVE, A TRAIN STATION WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE, IT'S ONLY 25 MINUTES' DRIVE TO THE CITY, AND THE HOUSES ARE CHEAP. FOR 370 K, YOU GET THREE BEDROOMS AND THE REST. IT'S GOT ALL YOUR STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES IN IT, YOUR PLANTS, YOUR LANDSCAPING, YOUR FENCING IS DONE, RIGHT DOWN TO A BEAUTIFUL LETTERBOX... (LAUGHS) ...AND YOUR CLOTHESLINE OUT THE BACK. FARMER CRESCENT USED TO BE CHOCKA WITH STATE HOUSES. SOME WERE EMPTY, DILAPIDATED. THERE WAS TROUBLE. A MAN WAS MURDERED IN THE STREET. SO THE HOUSING NZ DECIDED TO CLEAN IT UP AND SELL IT OFF TO A DEVELOPER. WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO TRY OUT THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY OF SELLING OFF STATE HOUSES AND MIXING THEM UP WITH PRIVATE PLACES. EVEN THOUGH IT'S PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT TOO EARLY TO ASK, GIVEN IT'S NOT FINISHED YET, I ASKED ANYWAY ` DO THEY THEY THINK IT'S A SUCCESS? OH, WELL, YES, I DO! IT'S JUST GREAT. THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE MOVING IN ARE REALLY HAPPY. IT'S JUST A REAL POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE AROUND HERE NOW, SO FOR ONCE HOUSING NZ IS DOING SOMETHING RIGHT? I THINK WE'VE DONE SOMETHING RIGHT, YEAH. WELL, HAVE THEY DONE SOMETHING RIGHT? AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, PEOPLE ARE SPLIT. WHERE THERE WERE 116 STATE HOUSES, THERE WILL NOW ONLY BE 20, SO THERE ISN'T ANY PLACE FOR TRIA. SHE CAN POINT TO EXACTLY WHERE HER STATE HOUSE WAS BECAUSE THE TREE ACROSS THE ROAD'S STILL STANDING. OH, IT'S PRETTY SAD, BECAUSE I LOVED LIVING THERE. WE'D LIVED THERE FOR JUST UNDER 30 YEARS. EVEN THOUGH TRIA'S STILL WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY, TEACHING TE REO, SHE'S BEEN MOVED OUT TO A NEARBY SUBURB. SHE'D LOVED TO COME BACK. IT'S REALLY COOL. IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL. BUT SHE THINKS HOUSING NZ WILL KEEP HER AND THE OLD TENANTS OUT. ABSOLUTELY. WHY? I DON'T KNOW. I GUESS THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HOUSING NZ WILL HAVE TO ANSWER. WELL, WE ASKED HOUSING NZ, AND THE ANSWER IS HIGHEST NEED GETS HOUSES FIRST. LOOK AT THIS. IT'S ALL NEW! IT'S SO NICE! WOW. NICE BATH AND TWO TOILETS. YES, TWO TOILETS AND FOUR BEDROOMS. AND YOU'D HAVE TO SAY SIFITI NEEDED THIS PLACE. NOT LONG AGO SHE WAS SHARING A TINY TWO-BEDROOM PLACE WITH HER FIVE KIDS. FIVE CHILDREN IN A TWO-BEDROOM HOUSE? YES. THEY MUST LOVE HAVING ALL THESE ROOMS. OH, OF COURSE, THEY LOVE THE NEW HOUSE. AND LOOK AT THIS. CAN YOU PICK THE STATE HOUSE OUT OF THESE FOUR? IT'S THE END ONE. THAT ONE'S THE STATE HOUSE? THAT'S RIGHT. IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THE PRIVATELY-OWNED HOUSES, BECAUSE PART OF THIS POLICY IS TO PUT STATE HOUSE TENANTS NEXT TO NEIGHBOURS WHO OWN THEIR OWN HOUSES SO THOSE TENANTS CAN ASPIRE TO GET OUT STATE HOUSING. AND FOR SIFITI'S KIDS AT LEAST, IT'S WORKING. WHAT DO THEY SAY? THEY SAY, 'OH, MUM, WE LOVE IT, AND WE LOVE TO BUY THIS HOUSE AS WELL.' YEAH, THEY WANT TO BUY IT ONE DAY? WE HOPE. DO YOU THINK THEY WILL? YES, I'M SURE. AND, HEY, WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO BUY IT? IT'S A NICE HOUSE, AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD, IT'S NOT BAD EITHER. That looks nice. I'm a fan of it. The idea that the government owns all the houses... I can see how some families can get attached to the houses. WE LOOKED, BUT TO BE HONEST, WE DIDN'T FIND MUCH CRITICISM OF THE REDEVELOPMENT. THE ONLY REAL CONCERN RAISED IS THAT THERE MAY NOW NOT BE ENOUGH STATE HOUSES TO CATER FOR DEMAND IN THE SUBURB. COMING UP ON SEVEN SHARP ` HE JUST SEEMED LIKE AN ANGRY YOUNG MAN. THE REALISATION YOU MIGHT HAVE MET THE MAN WHO'S BECOME THE PUBLIC FACE OF ISIS. PLUS ` IT TAKES ALMOST 5� HALF MINUTES. GOOD JOB IT'S FULL STEAM AHEAD, THEN. BUT WHY WOULD YOU GO TO SEA TO DO ALL THE THINGS YOU CAN DO ON LAND? SO, WE FIND OUT TODAY THAT BRITISH POLICE HAVE FOILED FOUR OR FIVE POSSIBLE TERROR PLOTS THIS YEAR ALONE. THAT'S ALL AS AUTHORITIES TRY TO CRACK DOWN ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE GOING TO JOIN THE WAR IN SYRIA. THE MOST FAMOUS OF THOSE FIGHTERS IS THE MAN THEY CALL JIHADI JOHN, IN HIS BLACK OUTFIT AND FACE MASK AND LONDON ACCENT, WITH THE THREATS AND THE BEHEADINGS IN THOSE VIDEOS FROM ISIS. IMAGINE MEETING HIM, OR IMAGINE REALISING YOU ALREADY HAVE. RAPS: # I'M STILL THE SAME JINNY, STILL THE SAME JIN-NAY. # FROM HARDCORE RAPPER TO HARDCORE FIGHTER,... BOOM! ...'JIHADI JOHN' IS THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED MAN. I'M BACK, OBAMA. A KEY FIGURE WITH THE ISLAMIST STATE MILITANTS IN SYRIA, HIS IDENTITY IS BELIEVED TO BE THAT OF BRITISH NATIONAL ABDEL-MAJED ABDEL BARY. WE ARE AN ISLAMIC ARMY. THE NICKNAME 'JIHADI JOHN' COMES FROM THE BEATLES, OF ALL THINGS, AFTER HE JOINED THE TERROR CELL WITH THE SAME NAME. # I'LL SEND ALL MY LOVIN' TO YOU. # TURNS OUT JIHADI JOHN ISN'T ALL THAT LOVING, THOUGH. HE'S THOUGHT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A SERIES OF ATROCITIES, INCLUDING THE BEHEADINGS OF SEVERAL FOREIGN WORKERS. I AM STEVEN JOEL SOTLOFF. THESE VIDEOS SENT WESTERN INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES INTO OVERDRIVE TO VERIFY JOHN'S IDENTITY. WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WARN THOSE GOVERNMENTS WHO HAVE ENTERED THIS EVIL ALLIANCE WITH AMERICA AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE TO BACK OFF AND LEAVE OUR PEOPLE ALONE. SO, WHAT'S IT LIKE TO STARE THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED MAN IN THE EYE? AUSTRALIAN JOURNALIST PETER STEFANOVIC DID JUST THAT DURING THE 2011 LONDON RIOTS. THE POLICE THE POLICE STATION; THEY'RE NOT PROTECTING THE PEOPLE. NOW, IT SEEMS, WE NEED PROTECTING FROM JIHADI JOHN. I SPOKE TO PETER STEFANOVIC ABOUT THAT CHANCE ENCOUNTER. PETE, WORK US THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED HERE. WHEN DID YOU MAKE THE CONNECTION THAT THIS COULD BE JIHADI JOHN? UH, WELL, I ONLY JUST DISCOVERED IT A FEW WEEKS AGO. IT WAS ACTUALLY MY CAMERAMAN AT THE TIME, JAMES GILLINGS, WHO MADE THE DISCOVERY. HE WAS GOING THROUGH A LOT OF THE FILE VISION THAT WE HAD, KNOWING THERE WERE PICTURES OF ABDUL BARY, THE 23-YEAR-OLD FORMER ENGLISH RAPPER, ABOUT, AND SOMETHING TWEAKED, AND HE GAVE ME A CALL. AND HE SAID, 'I'VE GOT THIS VISION FROM THE RIOTS IN 2011.' I RECALL THE NIGHT VERY VERY WELL. HE SHOWED IT TO ME, AND SURE ENOUGH, IT WAS HIM. SO IT WAS A MASSIVE SURPRISE. AND WHEN YOU THINK BACK TO THREE YEARS AGO, DID HE MAKE AN IMPRESSION ON YOU THAT NIGHT? YEAH, HE DID, BECAUSE HE WAS SO AGGRESSIVE IN HIS` HIS MANNERISMS ARE SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T REALLY FORGET. BUT, YOU KNOW, AT THE TIME WE WERE INTERVIEWING HIM, HE JUST SEEMED LIKE AN ANGRY YOUNG MAN, AND AT THE TIME, THERE WAS PLENTY OF THOSE TYPES AROUND. IT WAS A VERY, UM, DIFFICULT TIME TO BE IN LONDON. THERE WAS A LOT OF TENSION ON THE STREETS. SIRENS WAIL HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF KIDS WERE... YOU KNOW, IF YOU RECALL THE PICTURES, THEY WERE BREAKING INTO SHOPS. THEY WERE SETTING FIRE TO BUILDINGS, AND THIS WAS OVER FOUR NIGHTS. BUT WHEN I INTERVIEWED ABDUL BARY` IT WAS ONLY A VERY BRIEF INTERVIEW, ONLY A MINUTE OR TWO. THE POLICE ARE PROTECTING THE POLICE STATION. THEY'RE NOT PROTECTING THE PEOPLE. A POLICEMAN SAID IT OUT OF HIS OWN WORDS. WHEN I ASKED HIM, 'WHY ARE YOU HERE?' HE SAID, 'I'M HERE TO PROTECT THE POLICE.' AND THEN I KIND OF JUST WRAPPED IT UP AND MOVED ON, AND THEN LEFT IT FOR, WHAT, THREE YEARS. SO YOU'RE IN NO DOUBT IT'S THE SAME PERSON? YEAH. THAT IS ABDUL BARY, THE 23-YEAR-OLD FORMER ENGLISH RAPPER. BUT WHETHER THAT IS JIHADI JOHN IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT QUESTION. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO ABSOLUTELY KNOW, OR THEY'RE CLAIMING TO KNOW, ARE BRITISH POLICE. THEY SAY THEY KNOW WHO JIHADI JOHN IS, BUT THEY'RE NOT MAKING THAT PUBLIC JUST YET. AND ONCE THIS CONNECTION'S BEEN MADE, HOW MUCH INTEREST HAS THERE BEEN IN BRITAIN? WELL, THERE IS A LOT OF INTEREST IN WHO JIHADI JOHN IS, BECAUSE HE HAS BECOME THE FACE OF THE ISLAMIC STATE'S PROPAGANDA MACHINE, JUST BECAUSE OF THE HORRIFIC VIDEOS, THE BEHEADINGS THAT THEY'VE BEEN CARRYING OUT. AND THE FACT THAT HE IS BRITISH, OBVIOUSLY, TRIGGERS A LOT OF INTEREST HERE IN BRITAIN. AND EVERYONE, SORT OF, WANTS TO KNOW WHO IT IS. BUT TIME WILL TELL WHETHER THAT MAN IS UNMASKED. They say they know, the authorities. the longer goes, the more embarrassing becomes. And that must happen on a daily basis that people commit horrible crimes, and connections are made later. Change of subject, Christmas rules. You broke them are these rules set out by Grinch Hosking? People putting up their decorations, go for it. I like a pleasure having my decorations up two or three weeks ago. NEXT ON SEVEN SHARP ` WELL, DON'T MAKE ME BLUSH. PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR MIND CHANGED ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF CRUISING. THE AGE DEFINITELY COMES BY VIRTUE OF THE ACTIVITIES. BIRDS CHIRP (CROWS, STOPS) (CROWS, STOPS) MOTOR WHIRRS MACHINERY WHIRRS Whatever you're doing this weekend, get it sorted at Mitre 10 MEGA. # Bring on the weekend. # Christmas updates. How many trees are you having this year? He's trying to get make rules do not put up decorations. And now he is give me fake trees. You are denying your family of an authentic experience. IF YOU'VE BEEN ANYWHERE NEAR A MAJOR WATERFRONT LATELY, YOU'LL KNOW THAT CRUISING IS BIG BUSINESS. SHIPS ARE ARRIVING HERE IN RECORD NUMBERS. BUT FOR SOME OF US, LIKE ME, WE'D RATHER SHOOT OURSELVES THAN GO CRUISING. CRUISING IS FOR GERIATRICS ` SHUFFLE BOARD AND ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BUFFETS. WELL, THAT'S ALL A BIT OUT OF DATE NOW. WELL, THAT'S ALL A BIT OUT OF DATE NOW. A BRAND SPANKING NEW LINER'S JUST BEEN LAUNCHED, AND LIFE ON BOARD IS MORE LIKE AN AMUSEMENT PARK THAN A RETIREMENT HOME. SOMEONE HAD TO SAMPLE LIFE ON BOARD, AND WE'RE NOT SURE HOW HE PULLED IT OFF, BUT MICHAEL HOLLAND WON THE RACE TO THE GANGPLANK IN NEW YORK. BY DAY, SHE'S ALL MIGHT AND POWER. TRULY, SHE IS A MONSTER. SO MUCH TO LOOK AFTER, TO THINK OF. BY NIGHT, SHEER MAJESTY AGAINST A MANHATTAN SKYLINE. SUPPOSING WE'VE ALL GOT LIFETIME DREAMS WE'D LIKE TO TICK OFF, WELL, FOR ME, THIS IS ONE OF THEM ` SAILING PAST THIS SERENE LADY ON A GRAND SHIP. I THOUGHT I'D HAVE A WHOLE LIST OF POETIC WORDS, BUT TO BE HONEST, 'WOW' IS GOOD ENOUGH. IN FACT, LET'S LEAVE THE SUPERLATIVES TO THOSE WITH A CERTAIN ACCENT WHO DO IT SO MUCH BETTER THAN US. AWESOME, EXCELLENT, DYNAMIC. I LOVE THE QUANTUM OF THE SEAS. IT'S SLEEK, IT'S CLASSY, IT'S SEXY. YOU TALKING ABOUT THE SHIP OR YOURSELF? OH, WELL... (LAUGHS) DON'T MAKE ME BLUSH. THIS IS WHAT A BLACK MALE LOOKS LIKE WHEN HE BLUSHES, NZ, JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW. BOTH LAUGH ROYAL CARIBBEAN'S QUANTUM OF THE SEAS IS A QUANTUM LEAP FOR CRUISING, AS THE INDUSTRY TRIES TO WOO A YOUNGER CLIENTELE WITH INNOVATIONS RANGING FROM ROBOTIC BARTENDERS, TO GIANT PANORAMIC WINDOWS THAT MORPH INTO HI-TECH STAGE-SHOW BACKDROPS, TO SURF AND SKYDIVING SIMULATORS. THE AGE DEFINITELY COMES DOWN BY VIRTUE OF THE ACTIVITIES ` THE YOUTH, THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION, GENERATION Y, GENERATION X. EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE MULTIPLE ACTIVITIES. THAT ALL DRIVES THE MARKET, THAT ALL DRIVES THE EXPERIENCE OF YOUNG PEOPLE. BRR, BRR, BRR ALL DAY. THAT'S FANTASTIC. (LAUGHS) HEY. (LAUGHS) SHE'S JUST TRYING TO STAY AS CALM AND ASLEVEL AS POSSIBLE. LOOK AT THAT. IT'S LIKE A WIND MASSAGE. THIS IS THE NORTH STAR, A RIDICULOUS GONDOLA RIDE WHICH IS TAKING US 100M ABOVE SEA LEVEL. THE 15-STOREY SHIP IS DOWN THERE, AND WE'RE AT A 45-DEGREE ANGLE. IT IS SIMPLY BREATHTAKING. SO, IN YOUR BEST AMERICAN VERNACULAR, TELL ME AGAIN IT WAS AWESOME? ROCK AND ROLL, BABY. THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE <BLEEP> FOR US AMERICAN GIRLS. (LAUGHS) WE ARE GRATEFUL. UP IN THE OTHER GODS, THE CROATIAN CAPTAIN IS THANKFULLY NOT SO EXCITABLE. TECHNOLOGICALLY, THE MOST ADVANCED CRUISE SHIP EVER BUILT. I FEEL PRIVILEGED. I THINK I'M LIVING A DREAM. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE WE FIND YOUNG SECOND OFFICER TODD WELLS,... WELCOME TO MY WORLD. IT'S AN UNBELIEVABLE WORLD. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. THE OCEAN, THE SUNRISES, SUNSETS YOU SEE UP HERE. AMERICAN-BORN BUT EDUCATED IN CHRISTCHURCH AND A RECENT GRADUATE OF THE NZ MARITIME SCHOOL IN DOWNTOWN AUCKLAND. SOMETIMES YOU SIT BACK AND SAY HOW DID I GET HERE. HOW MANY YEARS BEFORE YOU CAN KNOCK THE CAPTAIN OFF? HYPOTHETICALLY OR REALISTICALLY? REALISTICALLY? REALISTICALLY, MAYBE SIX OR SEVEN YEARS. AND THAT WOULD MAKE YOUR HOW OLD? 30S. AND WHILE OUR YOUTHFUL MARINER PLOTS HIS COURSE AND HIS CAREER, AND THE PASSENGERS INDULGE IN THE LATEST STAGE, SKIM AND EYE IN THE SKY TECHNOLOGY, THE GOOD CAPTAIN'S EMBRACING SOMETHING A TAD MORE RUDIMENTARY. SCOOTER IS FOR A LAZY CAPTAIN, YOU KNOW, TO BE EFFICIENT WHEN MOVING FROM ONE BRIDGE WING TO THE OTHER, BECAUSE IT IS FAR. IT SHOULDN'T BE ME PUSHING, RIGHT? IT SHOULD BE ELECTRIC MOTOR. THAT'S NOT SOPHISTICATED? I KNOW. WE FAILED HERE. (LAUGHS) Buffet, charades... My great fear will be sending us a guy yelling rock ''n roll. baby!' I have a romantic notion of cruises, and I love to go on one like that one day. You are going to New York for your 50th. I can picture you on the cruise boat. I'll never be going on a cruise boat. Maybe when I'm really old and I can't be bothered moving around much. WITH KEITH RICHARDS IN TOWN, YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD HE'S WRITTEN A KIDS' BOOK DEDICATED TO HIS GRANDAD, WHO HE SAYS IGNITED HIS CAREER BY LETTING HIM PLAY HIS PRIZED GUITAR. IMAGINE BEING THE FIRST PERSON TO INSPIRE A FUTURE LEGEND? GRANDPARENTS HAVE THAT ABILITY TO REALLY INFLUENCE, DON'T THEY? MORE THAN PARENTS OFTEN. KIDS DON'T LIKE HEARING STUFF FROM THEIR PARENTS. GRANDPARENTS GET THEIR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION. I SAW THAT THIS WEEK. MY GIRL STAYED WITH HER GRANDIES ON THE FARM. DID SHE MISS MUM AND DAD? NO! WOULD SHE COME TO THE PHONE WHEN WE TRIED TO SKYPE HER? NO. DOES SHE KEEP ASKING TO GO BACK? YES! YEP. IT'S A LITTLE WOUNDING, GIVEN AFTER TWO DAYS I CONTEMPLATED CHANGING MY FLIGHTS HOME. BUT IT'S UNDENIABLY A SPECIAL BOND. WE SEEM TO BE RELYING ON THEM, MORE THAN EVER. I KNOW DOZENS WHO WOULDN'T SURVIVE A WEEK WITHOUT A BIT OF GRANDPARENT HELP. THANK GOD FOR THEM. SO PARENTS, I GUESS WE SUCK IT UP AND DEAL WITH THE FACT FROM TIME TO TIME, WE'RE NOTHING BUT CHOPPED LIVER. BUT LIKE RICHARDS, HOPEFULLY OUR KIDS ARE RECEIVING LIFELONG INSPIRATION. Keith Richards is on ZB at 10.30 tomorrow morning. THIS MIGHT BE MY GROWING FRUSTRATION WITH THE AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL COMING OUT HERE. BUT IS IT A PREREQUISITE TO BE AN IDIOT TO RUN FOR LOCAL BODY POLITICS? NEW PLYMOUTH'S MAYOR ANDREW JUDD HAS DREAMED UP THE IDEA THAT THE LAW SHOULD BE CHANGED SO THAT HALF OF ALL COUNCILLORS ARE MAORI. HE'S ALREADY WANTING TO CREATE A MAORI WARD. HE BASES ALL THIS ON THE TREATY. AH, THE TREATY. THE SAME TREATY THE TRIBUNAL SUGGESTED THE OTHER DAY HADN'T CEDED AUTHORITY TO THE BRITISH. THAT TREATY. TOP TIP FOR THE ANDREWS OF THIS WORLD ` FIRSTLY, COUNCILS ARE FOR MOWING THE LAWNS AND COLLECTING THE RUBBISH, NOT FOR SOCIAL OR HISTORIC ENGINEERING. SECONDLY, NO COUNTRY'S FUTURE IS BASED ON SEGREGATION OR GIVING ONE RACE A FALSE HOPE OR FALSE START OR FALSE ADVANTAGE BASED ON NOTHING MORE THAN SKIN COLOUR. THAT IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER AND ACRIMONY, AND NEW PLYMOUTH, NOT TO MENTION THIS COUNTRY, DESERVES A LOT BETTER. CAPTIONS BY AMY PARK AND ASHLEE SCHOLEFIELD CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT ABLE 2014