COPYRIGHT ABLE 2014 KIA ORA. GOOD EVENING. WELCOME TO 3RD DEGREE. TONIGHT ` THE ONLY THE PRIMORDIAL DWARF IN NZ ` AN 18-YEAR-OLD WITH ATTITUDE. I DON'T LIKE BEING SHORT. I DON'T LIKE BEING SHORT. YOU DON'T` YOU DON'T LIKE BEING SHORT? I WANT TO BE THE SIZE OF MY SISTER. AND WHY OUR FORESTS HAVE GONE QUIET. OUR FORESTS ARE QUIET BECAUSE THE BIRDS IN THEM HAVE BEEN EATEN BY STOATS AND RATS. OMINOUS MUSIC BUT IS THIS THE BEST WAY TO GET THE BIRDS BACK ` DROPPING POISON ON THEM BY THE TON? IT'S JUST TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE INSANITY. AND THE NEW ALL WHITES COACH TALKS BIG. REALLY BIG. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY, ONE WHICH I'M VERY VERY GRATEFUL FOR. UM, AND I KNOW WE'LL DO IT, AND IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT MOMENT. IT REALLY IS. OK, OUR FIRST STORY TONIGHT IS ABOUT A GIRL CALLED NICOLETTE HALF. HER FAMILY ` WELL, THEY'VE HEARD ALL THE JOKES HAVEN'T THEY? HALF BY NAME AND HALF BY NATURE. SO, NICOLETTE IS 18 YEARS OLD, BUT THE WORLD SHE SEES IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE THAT WE SEE. SHE IS LESS THAN 1M TALL, SO SHE FACES THE BELT LOOPS OF OTHER TEENAGERS. SHE NEGOTIATES THE WORLD BY BASICALLY ` FOR HER, IT'S AN OCEAN OF WAISTLINES AND DOOR HANDLES. AND LIGHT SWITCHES ` THEY'RE JUST COMPLETELY OUT OF REACH. YEAH, SO SHE'S CERTAINLY UNIQUE, YET PHIL VINE TELLS US THAT HER SIZE IS NOT EVEN THE MOST REMARKABLE THING ABOUT HER. MARTIAL ARTS MUSIC HERE WE GO. DRAMATIC MUSIC (GRUNTS, LAUGHS) DON'T MESS WITH NICOLETTE HALF. THIS TEENAGER'S AS FEISTY AS THEY COME... BOTH CALL I'M COMING FROM BEHIND YOU. OH! (LAUGHS) AND TINY ` TRULY TINY. THAT'S THE WAY THE WAY SHE CAME INTO THE WORLD. SHE WEIGHED 2 POUND, 14 OUNCES. AND SHE BASICALLY` SHE SAT HER BUM HERE AND HER HEAD HERE. AND SHE JUST LAID ON YOUR HAND WITH HER LITTLE LEGS HANGING OFF. YEAH. (CHUCKLES) IT WAS LIKE, MM, OK. GENTLE MUSIC AT FIRST, THE DOCTORS DIDN'T KNOW WHY SHE WAS SO SMALL. HER PARENTS DRESSED HER IN DOLLS' CLOTHES, MADE NECESSARY ADAPTIONS ROUND THE HOUSE, WAITED FOR HER TO GROW. SHE DIDN'T. ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS FOR US WAS THE FACT THAT WHEN WE WERE TRYING TO HOLD HER HAND, WE'D HAVE TO WALK ALONG LIKE THIS. THEY FOUND OUT NICOLETTE IS A PRIMORDIAL DWARF, THE ONLY ONE IN NZ. BELL RINGS WHERE'S NICOLETTE'S HOOK? WE FIRST MET HER AGED 5, HER FIRST DAYS AT PRIMARY SCHOOL IN A WORLD OF GIANTS. NICOLETTE WAS 77CM TALL, THE SIZE OF 18-MONTH OLD TODDLER. NOW SHE'S 18 YEARS OLD AND NOT MUCH BIGGER ` 99CM. GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL RELUCTANTLY, LIKE ANY ADOLESCENT. MORNING, NICOLETTE. LIKE ANY ADOLESCENT. MORNING, NICOLETTE. NAH. HOW YOU DOING TODAY? > MORNING, NICOLETTE. NAH. HOW YOU DOING TODAY? > NAH. NAH. HOW YOU DOING TODAY? > NAH. NO? > HER MUM, LINDA, GETS ASKED THAT A LOT ` HOW'S SHE DOING? MOST PEOPLE JUST WANT TO KNOW THAT SHE'S LOOKING GOOD, DOING STUFF, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE REST. THE FACT THAT SHE'S ON MEDICATIONS KEEPING HER ALIVE, NAH, THAT DOESN'T MATTER. GENTLE MUSIC KEEPING NICOLETTE ALIVE IS THE UNSPOKEN STRUGGLE OF THIS UNIQUE FAMILY. PRIMORDIAL DWARFS USUALLY DON'T GET THROUGH THEIR 20S. I CAN'T LEAVE HER SOMEWHERE AND THINK SHE MAY NOT BE ALIVE WHEN I COME BACK. I CAN'T LEAVE A ROOM THAT SHE'S IN AND THINK WHEN I WALK BACK INTO THIS ROOM, IS SHE GOING TO BE ALIVE OR DEAD? IT'S MY SPARE CUSHION. IT'S MY SPARE CUSHION. IS SHE GOING TO BE ALIVE OR DEAD? IT'S MY SPARE CUSHION. IT'S MY SPARE CUSHION. < THAT'S A DOG. YOU LIKE DOGS? NICOLETTE'S RARE CONDITION SETS HER APART FROM OTHER DWARFS. PRIMORDIAL DWARFISM BASICALLY IS JUST A PROPORTIONAL TYPE OF DWARF, SO THEY'RE LITTLE FROM TIME THEY'RE CONCEIVED, RIGHT THROUGH. THEY STAY SMALLER, AND ARMS AND LIMBS AND THINGS ARE ALL GENERALLY IN PROPORTION. THEY STAY SMALLER, AND ARMS AND (GRUNTS) IN PROPORTION. THEY STAY SMALLER, AND ARMS AND (GRUNTS) ONE WORD, AND I HIT YOU AGAIN. UNLIKE REGULAR DWARFS, SUCH AS PETER DINKLAGE FROM 'GAME OF THRONES'. MAINLY INTERESTED IN YOUR FACILITY WITH MURDER. THEY HAVE NORMAL-SIZE TRUNKS AND HEADS BUT SMALL ARMS AND LEGS. AS A PRIMORDIAL DWARF, NICOLETTE'S MORE OF A HUMAN IN MINIATURE AND SO RARE, THERE'S ONLY 100 OF THEM IN THE WORLD. THEY ONLY GET TO SEE EACH OTHER AT OVERSEAS CONVENTIONS,... ON TELEVISION DOCUMENTARIES... NICE! ...OR TALK SHOWS. DO PEOPLE KIND OF`? THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND? YEAH. SOMETIMES THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. NICOLETTE'S CONDITION, MOPD II PRIMORDIAL DWARFISM, PRESENTS STRANGELY AS THREE PEOPLE IN ONE. HER MEDICAL CONDITIONS HAVE GIVEN HER THE BODY OF AN OLD WOMAN. OH MY GOSH. DEVELOPMENTALLY, SHE STILL HAS A 5-YEAR-OLD'S BRAIN. SO FRUSTRATING. AND HORMONALLY, SHE HAS THE ATTITUDE AND INDIGNANCE OF AN 18-YEAR-OLD. DON'T GET IN HER WAY. < IT MUST BE THE WEIRDEST THING TO LIVE WITH. DON'T GET IN HER WAY. < IT MUST BE THE WEIRDEST THING TO LIVE WITH. BOTH LAUGH I GET TO ENJOY ELMO. I GET TO ENJOY, UH, SESAME STREET. I GET TO ENJOY THAT TEENAGE GIGGLY STAGE, YOU KNOW, AND BESOTTEDNESS THAT THEY GET. OH, IT'S JUST LOVELY. INTERESTING, CHALLENGING, BUT LOVELY. PEOPLE CHATTER TONIGHT'S LOVELINESS ` GOING OUT FOR HER SISTER EMILY'S 13TH BIRTHDAY WITH MUM, DAD GARY, OLDER SISTER ANNA, WHO'S 23, AND NICOLETTE HALF. OUT ON THE STREET, THE USUAL DOUBLE-TAKES. SHE'S ALWAYS ATTRACTED THAT SORT OF ATTENTION. PEOPLE DO ALWAYS LOOK AT YOU. UM, SOME DAYS SHE DOESN'T MIND. OTHER DAYS, SHE'LL JUST TELL PEOPLE, 'I'M NOT A BABY. YOU KNOW, LEAVE ME ALONE.' OTHER DAYS, SHE'LL JUST TELL PEOPLE, DOES SHE GET STROPPY? ALONE.' OTHER DAYS, SHE'LL JUST TELL PEOPLE, DOES SHE GET STROPPY? OH, MOST DEFINITELY. > I'LL JUST SAY TO HER, 'NICOLETTE, TELL THEM HOW OLD YOU ARE.' AND WHEN SHE TELLS THEM THAT SHE'S '18, NEARLY 19', THEY USUALLY JUST BACK AWAY AND GO, 'OH, OK.' # ...MIDDLE OF OUR STREET. OUR HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF... # NICOLETTE'S HAPPY PLACE IS AT HOME, FREE OF THE PUBLIC GAZE, WHERE SHE CAN BE HERSELF,... # OUR HOUSE... # ...ROCKING OUT AT THE SINGSTAR TO SOME '80S TUNES, NO, YOU COPIED ME FIRST. YOU'RE BLUSHING. ...HANGING WITH HER YOUNGER, BIGGER SISTER EMILY. I'LL GET YOU! (LAUGHS) YOU ALL RIGHT? I'LL GET YOU! (LAUGHS) YOU ALL RIGHT? OW! SHE CAN BE HAPPY ONE MINUTE AND THEN, SNAP, SHE'S JUST A PAIN IN THE BUTT. YOU HURT ME. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THAT IS? YOU HURT ME. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THAT IS? UH, BECAUSE SHE'S A TEENAGER. UM, SHE'S REALLY NICE WHEN SHE'S NOT CRANKY, AND, YEAH, SHE'S A GREAT SISTER. ALL I'M ASKING FOR IS TOTAL PERFECTION. NICOLETTE'S FAVOURITE FILM, 'THE LEGO MOVIE'. SHE LIKES THE EVIL GUYS, ESPECIALLY BAD COP. SORRY, DAD. I HAVE A JOB TO DO. YOUR SISTER TELLS ME SOMETIMES YOU CAN BE GRUMPY LIKE BAD COP. IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH. BECAUSE I WORK FOR HIM. YOU WORK FOR BAD COP? IS THAT WHY YOU'RE GRUMPY? YEAH. YOU WORK FOR BAD COP? IS THAT WHY YOU'RE GRUMPY? YEAH. IS THAT THE SECRET TO YOUR GRUMPINESS? (LAUGHS) HEY, SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN PEOPLE CALL YOU CUTE? DO YOU LIKE THAT? HEY, SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK NO. I HATE IT. DO YOU LIKE THAT? HEY, SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK NO. I HATE IT. DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU'RE SMALL? I DON'T LIKE IT. NO. I HATE IT. DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU'RE SMALL? I DON'T LIKE IT. YOU DON'T LIKE IT? OK. > DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU'RE SMALL? I DON'T LIKE IT. YOU DON'T LIKE IT? OK. > I WANT TO BE BIGGER. YEAH. YOU'RE PRETTY GOOD THE WAY YOU ARE, THOUGH, DON'T YOU THINK? EVERYONE LOVES YOU THE WAY YOU ARE. NAH. KIDS CHATTER WHEN WE FIRST FILMED NICOLETTE 13 YEARS AGO, HER OLDER SISTER ANNA WAS HER BEST MATE. SINCE SHE LEFT HOME, EMILY'S TAKEN OVER. IT HAS BEEN RATHER GOOD BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THAT BUDDY FOR NICOLETTE. OH, YOU GOT A PIECE OF PAPER? AND NOW EMILY'S TURNING INTO A TEENAGER, NICOLETTE'S MORE RELIANT ON HER MUM. < YOU'VE DEDICATED YOUR LIVES TO NICOLETTE, REALLY. WHAT DOES SHE GIVE YOU BACK? UNCONDITIONAL EVERYTHING. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, CARING, JOY. EVEN IF SHE'S MASTERED A TASK AND SHE DOES IT AGAIN COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, SHE GETS JUST AS MUCH JOY OUT OF IT AND SHE BRINGS THAT JOY BACK TO ME. YEAH, THE BIG QUESTION NOW, REALLY, IS HOW LONG WILL LINDA HAVE WITH HER DAUGHTER? YEAH, WHEN WE COME BACK, THE FAMILY GETS SOME CHILLING NEWS ABOUT NICOLETTE'S FUTURE. WELCOME BACK. WELL, THE MOST OBVIOUS THING ABOUT PRIMORDIAL DWARFS IS THEIR SIZE, BUT THAT ISN'T THE ONLY THING. THING ABOUT PRIMORDIAL DWARFS IS THEIR SIZE, BUT THAT ISN'T THE ONLY THING. YEAH. THERE'S A WHOLE LOT GOING ON IN THEIR SMALL BODIES THAT MEANS THEY'RE LUCKY IF THEY CAN ACTUALLY REACH THE AGE OF 30. YEAH, AND NICOLETTE'S FAMILY HAVE JUST HAD SOME BAD NEWS THAT MAY MEAN THAT HER LIFE IS EVEN SHORTER. OH! JUST HAD SOME BAD NEWS THAT MAY MEAN THAT HER LIFE IS EVEN SHORTER. OH! LET'S DO THIS! THAT HER LIFE IS EVEN SHORTER. OH! LET'S DO THIS! LET'S DO THIS. IT'S WAY BIGGER THAN HER HEAD AND ALMOST WEIGHS AS MUCH AS HER. ...THREE. BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP NICOLETTE HALF. FRIDAY'S EXCURSION ` TEN-PIN BOWLING WITH MUM AND HER TWO SISTERS, ANNA AND EMILY,... READY? AND PUSH. ...THERE FOR HER NO MATTER WHAT. IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY. LOOK AT ME. THEY BOTH CARE VERY DEEPLY ABOUT THEIR SISTER AND REALISE THAT SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY HAVE. SHE'S NOT THE ONE THAT'S GOING TO GET MARRIED AND HAVE A HOUSE AND HAVE A JOB, AND SHE'S ONLY GOING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE AS PARENTS CAN GET HER TO DO. THINKING LIKE A HAMSTER, RUNNING FOR THAT BALL, FOR THOSE PINS. OK. GO, HAMSTER! OH, THAT'S LOOKING GOOD. > NOT GONNA SPIN ACROSS AND GET THE OTHER ONE, THOUGH. OH! OH, THAT'S LOOKING GOOD. > NOT GONNA SPIN ACROSS AND GET THE OTHER ONE, THOUGH. OH! ALL EXCLAIM OVER THERE! THE OTHER ONE, THOUGH. OH! ALL EXCLAIM OVER THERE! OVER HERE! DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING! COME ON! OH! BECAUSE OF NICOLETTE'S ENERGY AND WILFULNESS, IT'S EASY TO FORGET WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE THAT LITTLE BODY AND HER EPIC STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL. THE WORLD NEEDS TO SEE THAT WE CAN COPE. THAT'S A BRAVE STATEMENT. MOST PEOPLE OUT THERE, WHEN ASK YOU HOW YOU'RE DOING, THEY WANT THAT STANDARD ANSWER ` FINE. THEY DON'T REALLY WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE NOT FINE. DANCE MUSIC PLAYS BLUNTLY SPEAKING, NICOLETTE COULD LEAVE THEM AT ANY TIME. UP TILL NOW, THE BIGGEST THREAT HAS BEEN STROKES AND BRAIN ANEURISMS. THEY CAN, OF COURSE, AFFECT THE BLOOD FLOW TO ANOTHER AREA OF THE BRAIN, WHEREVER THEY RUPTURE TO, UM, WHICH CAN LEAD TO A BUILD-UP OF PRESSURE, WHICH CAN LEAD TO ANOTHER STROKE AND CAN LEAD TO INSTANT DEATH. HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT CONSTANT PRESSURE THAT YOUR DAUGHTER MIGHT DIE AT ANY TIME? (SIGHS) I DON'T KNOW. YOU JUST DO. YOU'RE A PARENT; YOU JUST DO. AS A PARENT, YOU TRY AND DO THE BEST FOR THEM. WE WANT HER TO EXPERIENCE AS MANY THINGS AS WE CAN. PHARRELL'S 'HAPPY' HAPPY THINGS LIKE TRAVELLING OVERSEAS TO MEET OTHERS LIKE HER. EARLIER THIS YEAR, THEY WENT TO THE LITTLE PEOPLE'S CONVENTION IN SAN DIEGO, CONFRONTING FOR LINDA. IN AMERICA, YOU'RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING LIKE 2000 DWARFS IN ONE PLACE, AND IT'S JUST A REALLY STRANGE FEELING. YOU KNOW, SUDDENLY THEY'RE THE NORMAL AND YOU'RE THE ABNORMAL. DID NICOLETTE FEEL, DO YOU THINK? (LAUGHS) SORRY. NICOLETTE FELT SORRY FOR THEM FOR BEING SO LITTLE. DID YOU MEET SOME FRIENDS OVER THERE? MM. HANNAH. FRIENDS OVER THERE? MM. HANNAH. HANNAH? OH, OK. THAT'S HANNAH FROM MINNESOTA, ANOTHER PRIMORDIAL DWARF. WHAT IS SHE LIKE? ANOTHER PRIMORDIAL DWARF. WHAT IS SHE LIKE? OH, SHE'S SHORT. SHE'S SHORT? BUT YOU'RE SHORT AS WELL, DON'T YOU? I DON'T LIKE BEING SHORT. SHORT AS WELL, DON'T YOU? I DON'T LIKE BEING SHORT. YOU DON'T LIKE BEING SHORT? I WANT TO BE THE SIZE OF MY SISTER. THAT'S CLEARLY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. SHE WROTE THAT SIGN. TOLD YA. AND THERE'S MORE DISTRESSING NEWS OUT OF THE STATES. STILL DOING THE GYMNASTICS? OH, YOU GOT SOME ARMS. LET ME SEE THOSE. THEY'VE KNOWN ABOUT DEADLY BRAIN ANEURYSMS IN PRIMORDIAL DWARFS FOR A WHILE. NOW THERE'S A NEW THREAT TO NICOLETTE'S LIFE ` HER KIDNEYS. THE OLDEST ONE IN THE GROUP THAT WE KNOW OF LIKE HER IS IN THEIR MID-20S, AND THEY'RE NOW INTO THE RENAL FAILURE AND LOOKING FOR KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS. < SO THE KIDNEYS BEGIN TO FAIL? THE KIDNEYS BEGIN TO FAIL AS WELL. < SO THE KIDNEYS BEGIN TO FAIL? THE KIDNEYS BEGIN TO FAIL AS WELL. IS NICOLETTE AWARE OF ALL THIS? UM,... I WOULD LIKE TO SAY NO. I THINK SHE'S AWARE, BUT I DON'T THINK SHE UNDERSTANDS. HAVE YOU HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH HER? NO. I DON'T THINK SHE NEEDS THAT CONVERSATION. DOES SHE NEED TO LIVE HER LIFE WITH THE FEAR THAT EVERY DAY IS GOING TO BE HER LAST? NO. SHE IS A GIRL THAT HAS THE RIGHT TO LIVE LIFE TO ITS MAXIMUM. AND FOR ME, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT EVERY DAY SHE LAUGHS AND SHE GOES TO BED KNOWING THAT SHE'S HAD A REALLY GOOD DAY. PEOPLE CHATTER AND THE WEEKEND COMING COULD SEE ONE OF NICOLETTE'S BEST DAYS EVER. I'VE BEEN TURNED INTO A FAIRY. FOR YEARS, SHE'S WATCHED BOTH HER SISTERS GET DRESSED UP FOR THE AUCKLAND SANTA PARADE. THIS YEAR SHE'S ON THE TEAM. MUM'S NERVY. SHE'LL BE FINE. SHE'LL BE FINE. SHE WANTS TO DO THIS. SHE'LL BE FINE. MICHAEL JACKSON'S 'THRILLER' PLAYS AND THERE SHE IS ON THE MONSTER MASH FLOAT,... # ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT... ...A TRIUMPH OF CASTING. BAD COP MEETS TINKER BELL. # THIS IS THRILLER... # I LOVE THE QUIRKINESS OF MY DAUGHTER. (LAUGHS) YEAH, GOOD ON HER. WE DO HOPE THE FAMILY HAS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. WE DO, INDEED. OK, WHEN WE COME BACK, THE VICIOUS FIGHT FOR LIFE THAT HAPPENS EVERY NIGHT AND SOMETIMES IN BROAD DAYLIGHT IN THE NZ BUSH AND HOW WE'RE FIGHTING BACK TO SAVE THE BIRDS. WELCOME BACK. SO RIGHT NOW, HERE IN NZ, WE ARE WITNESSING THE BIGGEST AERIAL DROP OF 1080 IN OUR HISTORY. THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION ARE DROPPING THE POISON ON AROUND 700,000HA. YEAH, IT'S A HUGE OPERATION. AND OF COURSE, THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE ` CRITICS LINING UP ` WHO SAY THAT THIS SIMPLY ISN'T RIGHT, IT'S THE WRONG THING TO DO AND THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME OTHER WAY, A BETTER WAY, TO CONTROL THESE PESTS. WELL, THAT IS EXACTLY WHY I WENT BUSH WITH DOC TO FIND OUT IF THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE, BUT ALSO TO SEE WHETHER THEIR MASSIVE 1080 OPERATION IS WORKING. BIRDS SING THIS IS HOW OUR FORESTS USED TO SOUND. BIRDS CONTINUE TO SING THIS IS HOW THEY SOUND TODAY. LONE BIRD SINGS IN DISTANCE WE'RE IN NATIVE BEECH FOREST, DEEP IN THE HEART OF THE SOUTH ISLAND'S WEST COAST. IT SHOULD BE RAUCOUS WITH BIRDSONG. INSTEAD, THERE'S THE ODD TWEET FROM A LITTLE SOUTH ISLAND ROBIN, MAYBE A FANTAIL HERE AND THERE. AND THIS IS WHY. SINISTER MUSIC WE THINK OF NZ AS BEING THIS, YOU KNOW, GEM OF WILDLIFE STUFF. IT'S NOT. NZ'S A DESERT. ALL THE GREAT STUFF` MOST OF THE GREAT STUFF WE HAD, WE'VE LOST. OUR FORESTS ARE QUIET BECAUSE THE BIRDS IN THEM HAVE BEEN EATEN BY STOATS AND RATS. UM, AND IF WE WANT OUR FORESTS TO BE NOISY, IF WE WANT THEM TO HAVE, LIKE, KOKAKOS AND KAKAS AND STUFF, WE HAVE TO CONTROL STOATS AND RATS, AND WE HAVE TO DO IT ON A BIG SCALE. WHEN GRAEME ELLIOT TALKS ABOUT DOING SOMETHING 'ON A BIG SCALE', HE MEANS THIS YEAR'S DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION 'BATTLE FOR OUR BIRDS' ` THE LARGEST EVER AERIAL DROP OF 1080 ONTO OUR FORESTS. WITHOUT IT, THE DEPARTMENT SAYS THAT 2014 COULD GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE YEAR WE LOST SOME OF OUR BIRDS FOREVER. IN SOME PLACES, WE'RE GOING TO LOSE STUFF. THAT'S HOW BAD IT IS. SO IN PLACES WHERE WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, KEY ENDANGERED SPECIES, LIKE MOHUA ` OR YELLOWHEADS ` KAKAS, WHIO ` BLUE DUCKS ` IT'S QUITE LIKELY THAT IF WE DON'T DO ANYTHING, SOME OF THOSE LOCAL POPULATIONS WILL JUST BLINK OUT. SO DOC IS AT WAR. GUNFIRE WE FILMED THIS OPENING BARRAGE BACK IN MARCH, AND THE ENEMIES HERE, WEIRDLY ENOUGH, ARE THE TREES. GUNSHOT DOC IS SHOOTING BRANCHES OFF THESE SOUTHERN BEECHES IN ORDER TO COUNT THEIR SEEDS, BECAUSE 2014 IS WHAT'S CALLED A MAST YEAR ` WHEN OUR BEECH FORESTS PRODUCE A BONANZA CROP OF SEEDS. OK. THAT MEANS A BUMPER FOOD SOURCE FOR RATS AND STOATS. PREDATOR POPULATIONS EXPLODE, AND THEN THEY TURN ON THE BIRDS. SO THIS IS WHAT'S GONNA CAUSE A PLAGUE OF RATS? YEAH, SO THEY DON'T LOOK MUCH. SO THIS IS WHAT'S GONNA CAUSE A PLAGUE OF RATS? YEAH, SO THEY DON'T LOOK MUCH. THIS TINY LITTLE THING. CAUSE A PLAGUE OF RATS? YEAH, SO THEY DON'T LOOK MUCH. THIS TINY LITTLE THING. SO, YEAH, BUT THERE'S HUNDREDS` THERE'S MILLIONS OF THEM THAT HAVE FALLEN. SO IN A METRE SQUARED IN A BIG SEEDFALL LIKE THIS ONE, YOU CAN HAVE UP TO 15,000 OF THESE SEEDS. SO THE RATS AND MICE WILL BE ALREADY MUNCHING ON THOSE? THEY'LL BE ALREADY MUNCHING ON THAT, ALREADY AVAILABLE. AND THEN THE STOATS COME AFTER THAT, BECAUSE THEY FEED ON THE RATS AND MICE? AT THE MOMENT, LIKE HERE IN THE MARUIA FOREST, WE'VE ONLY GOT` WE'RE TRACKING AT 8% OR 10%. BY NEXT SPRING, THERE'LL BE PLAGUES OF THEM. AND THAT'S WHEN THE BIRDS WILL TAKE A POUNDING. SO THE BIRDS ARE OK FOR ANOTHER COUPLE MORE MONTHS, BUT BY NEXT OCTOBER, THINGS WILL BE PRETTY GRIM IN THIS FOREST. AND THIS SHOWS HOW FEARLESS AND OPPORTUNISTIC THESE PREDATORS ARE. IN THIS VIDEO, CAPTURED BY A FISHING GUIDE IN FIORDLAND, AN ENDANGERED WHIO ` OUR NATIVE BLUE DUCK ` IS ATTACKED BY A STOAT HALF ITS SIZE, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. MAN: WHOA! SO OVER SPRING AND SUMMER, DOC IS DROPPING 1080 PELLETS ON ABOUT 700,000HA OF CONSERVATION LAND, WHERE THE THREAT IS THOUGHT TO BE GREATEST. HOW EFFECTIVE IS 1080 WHEN IT IS AERIALLY DROPPED? WELL, IT'S PRETTY GOOD FOR RATS. IT GETS MORE THAN 95% OF THEM. AND THEN THE STOATS GET POISONED SECONDARILY FROM HAVING EATEN POISONED RATS AND MICE AND POSSUMS, AND IT SEEMS VERY EFFECTIVE ON THOSE TOO. SO FROM SMALL SAMPLES OF STOATS WE'VE TRACKED, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU KILL 100% OF THEM AS WELL. IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE HERE EVEN IF I'M ALONE. BUT HOWEVER MUCH THE SURVIVAL OF OUR BIRDS MAY DEPEND ON 1080 DROPS, THERE ARE STILL SOME DIEHARD OBJECTORS TO THE POISON OUT THERE. IT'S INSANITY. IT'S` IT'S JUST TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE INSANITY. CLYDE GRAF HAS WAGED HIS OWN WAR AGAINST THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION'S 1080 PROGRAMME FOR YEARS. THEY KILL TOO MANY SPECIES. THEY'RE CONTAMINATING THE FORESTS. IT'S AN INSECTICIDE, THIS STUFF. AND` AND IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE. YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO BE DROPPING THAT STUFF ALL ACROSS NZ FORESTS FOR YEARS TO COME? < THAT'S... TO BE DROPPING THAT STUFF ALL ACROSS NZ FORESTS FOR YEARS TO COME? < THAT'S... IS THAT THE PLAN? ACROSS NZ FORESTS FOR YEARS TO COME? < THAT'S... IS THAT THE PLAN? < ...WHAT THEY THINK IS NECESSARY. WELL THEY NEED TO LOSE THEIR POWER. THEY NEED TO LOSE THEIR BUDGETS IMMEDIATELY. THE OBVIOUS OBJECTION TO 1080 IS THAT IT IS A POISON, AND WITH EVERY AERIAL DROP, THERE'S A RISK OF KILLING SOME OF THE VERY BIRDS DOC IS TRYING TO SAVE. SOMETHING GRAEME ELLIOT RELUCTANTLY ACCEPTS. 1080 DOES KILL A FEW BIRDS, BUT BECAUSE IT KILLS THE RATS AND STOATS AND POSSUMS AS WELL, THE BIRDS BREED MUCH MORE SUCCESSFULLY AFTERWARDS, AND THE NUMBERS QUICKLY, YOU KNOW, MAKE UP FOR ANY SMALL LOSSES. BUT CLYDE GRAF DOESN'T ACCEPT OUR BIRDS ARE AT RISK FROM THIS MAST YEAR. HE DOESN'T BELIEVE THAT THE BEECH MAST IS GOING TO BOOST PREDATOR POPULATIONS. I JUST DON'T BUY THAT DOC'S GOT THIS URGENT PROBLEM, AND I THINK IT'S BEEN EXAGGERATED, AND IT'S DANGEROUS TO DO WHAT THEY'RE PROPOSING TO DO. SO YOU DON'T AGREE EVEN ON THAT BASIC PREMISE THAT THERE WILL BE AN EXPLOSION OF THE RAT POPULATION? NOT AN EXPLOSION. RAT POPULATIONS MAY INCREASE TO A DEGREE, BUT THE RESEARCH ALSO SHOWS THAT IT CAN DROP OFF AGAIN WITHOUT INTERFERENCE WITH AERIALLY POISONING. TO DOC, THAT THINKING IS JUST PLAIN WRONG. BUT GRAEME ELLIOT DOES ADMIT THE DEPARTMENT WAS GUILTY OF A SIMILAR KIND OF COMPLACENCY IN THE PAST. THE ACTUAL PERILOUS STATE OF OUR NATIVE WILDLIFE HAS REALLY ONLY COME TO US IN THE LAST 20 YEARS. LIKE IN THE '80S WE WERE THINKING THAT EVERYTHING HAD GOT TO A NEW EQUILIBRIUM, THAT WE'D LOST THE STUFF WE WERE GOING TO LOSE, LIKE THE PIOPIO AND THE KAKAPO DISAPPEARING FROM THE MAINLAND, BUT WE HAD THIS IMPRESSION THAT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS GONNA BE OK. THE BLUE DUCKS AND THE KAKA AND STUFF WOULD BE STILL THERE. IN THE LAST 20, 30 YEARS WE'VE REALISED THAT'S NOT THE CASE, THAT EVERYTHING IS STILL... MOST THINGS ARE STILL GOING DOWNHILL. AND THESE ARE THE BIRDS HEADING DOWNHILL THE FASTEST. SOME COASTAL SPECIES ARE ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION, WITH FEWER THAN 100 INDIVIDUALS BIRDS. IN THE FORESTS WHERE DOC IS CONCENTRATING ITS EFFORTS, THE SITUATION IS EQUALLY DIRE. 126 KAKAPO REMAIN, 250 TAKAHE, 400 KAKARIKI ` THE ORANGE-FRONTED PARAKEET. THE KIWI, OUR NATIONAL SYMBOL, IS SO THREATENED IT'LL BE EXTINCT ON THE MAINLAND IN OUR LIFETIME. AND KEA AND BLUE DUCK POPULATIONS SIT AT AROUND ONLY 2000 EACH AND FALLING. THIS IS OUR MAIN TOOL FOR KEEPING TRACK OF RATS AND MICE AND STOATS. THESE TRACKING TUNNELS ARE BAITED TO DRAW THE PREDATORS IN ACROSS INKED CARDS TO RECORD THEIR FOOTPRINTS. WE FILMED THIS TUNNEL IN WESTLAND'S MARUIA FOREST BACK IN MARCH, AND THE NEWS WASN'T GOOD. THE BIGGER FOOTPRINTS, THESE THINGS ARE RATS, AND THESE TEENSY-WEENSY ONES ARE MICE. SO WE'VE HAD A HEAP OF BOTH RATS AND MICE GO THROUGH THIS TUNNEL. ONES ARE MICE. SO WE'VE HAD A HEAP OF BOTH RATS AND MICE GO THROUGH THIS TUNNEL. SO THIS IS QUITE A LARGE NUMBER? THIS IS A LARGE NUMBER, AND SO THIS IS KIND OF DISAPPOINTING, BECAUSE IT MEANS WE'VE ALREADY GOT A LOT OF RATS AND MICE HERE. THE SEEDS ONLY JUST FALLEN. SO THESE RATS AND MICE ARE GOING TO BE BREEDING LIKE BILLY-O FROM NOW ON, AND WE'RE GONNA END UP WITH HEAPS OF THEM BY NEXT SPRING. SO IT'S A BIT GRIM, REALLY. OK, SO HERE'S THE QUESTION, SAM ` WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE AFTER THE FOREST HAS BEEN DOSED WITH 1080? WHAT WILL THOSE ANIMAL TUNNELS`? WHAT WILL THEY TELL US? WE'RE GONNA GO BACK AND CHECK ON THE EXACT SAME TUNNEL THAT WE WERE AT JUST THERE AND SEE WHETHER THE 1080 DROP HAS ACHIEVED ANYTHING. AND I'M GONNA MEET A SCIENTIST WHO HAS QUITE AN INTRIGUING ALTERNATIVE TO THE POISON. THAT IS RIGHT AFTER THE BREAK. WELCOME BACK TO THE PROGRAMME. SO THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION TELLS US THAT SOME OF OUR BIRDS, THEY FACE A REAL THREAT OF EXTINCTION. WE'VE HEARD FROM DOC'S CHIEF SCIENTIST, AND HE SAYS THAT THERE ARE SOME POPULATIONS THAT ARE SO LOW AND THE PREDATOR THREAT IS SO HIGH THAT THEY'RE JUST ON THE VERGE OF COMPLETELY BLINKING OUT. MM. THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE PREDATOR NUMBERS THAT ARE IN THE BUSH. SO THE BIG QUESTION IS ` IS 1080 THE ONLY SOLUTION? SAM IS ABOUT TELL US. LOUD WHIRRING THERE'S SOME ROUGH COUNTRY IN NZ. MOST OF US NEVER SEE IT ` HUGE TRACTS OF RUGGED HILLS, MUCH OF IT UNDER FOREST COVER. BUT THE RATS AND STOATS AND POSSUMS CERTAINLY GET IN, AND IT'S THIS LANDSCAPE THAT DOC IS TARGETING WITH 1080. YOU OFTEN HEAR CRITICS OF AERIAL 1080 SAY, 'WHY DON'T YOU SEND IN HUNTERS TO SHOOT THE PREDATORS OR SET MORE TRAPS INLAND LIKE THIS?' WELL,... (PANTS) THIS IS EXACTLY WHY THAT DOESN'T WORK. MOST OF THE CONSERVATION ESTATE IS ALMOST INACCESSIBLE. THIS LAND HERE IS SUB-ALPINE, AND IT'S ALMOST VERTICAL, WHICH MAKES THAT JOB, WELL, PRETTY MUCH IMPOSSIBLE. AND IT ONLY GETS WORSE ONCE YOU GET INTO THE DENSE FOREST ITSELF. BUT IT SEEMS WE COULD SOON HAVE A NEW WEAPON IN THE WAR AGAINST PREDATORS. HE'S A DECENT-SIZED BOY. HE WEIGHS ABOUT 4 KILOS. RESEARCHER JANINE DUCKWORTH HAS BEEN DEVELOPING A REAL ALTERNATIVE IN CHRISTCHURCH ` A CONTRACEPTIVE VACCINE SPECIFICALLY FOR POSSUMS. I DON'T KNOW HOW HE'LL TAKE TO BE WOKEN UP. INJECTED INTO THE ANIMAL, IT HAS AN UP TO 80% SUCCESS RATE IN RENDERING POSSUMS STERILE, EFFECTIVELY DESTROYING SOME POPULATIONS. ALL THAT REMAINS IS TO FIND A WAY TO FEED IT TO THEM. OUR NEXT AIM IS TO COMBINE A POSSUM-SPECIFIC TARGET WITH A GOOD ORAL VACCINE THAT WE CAN PUT INTO A BAIT AND DELIVER TO POSSUMS IN THE WILD. AND THAT ONE, YOU COULD USE A HELICOPTER TO DROP THAT AROUND PLACES IT NEEDED TO GO? AND THAT ONE, YOU COULD USE A YES. PLACES IT NEEDED TO GO? AND THAT ONE, YOU COULD USE A YES. THEY'D PICK IT UP, EAT IT? EAT IT. YES. THEY'D PICK IT UP, EAT IT? EAT IT. AND THEN THEY WOULD BECOME INFERTILE. AND THEY WOULD BECOME INFERTILE. AND THEN THEY WOULD BECOME INFERTILE. AND THEY WOULD BECOME INFERTILE. DO YOU REALLY THAT THIS COULD FIX THE POSSUM PROBLEM IN NZ? I THINK THIS COULD BE A REALLY ELEGANT TOOL. I THINK IT WOULD BE HUMANE. I THINK WE CAN MAKE IT EFFECTIVE, AND I THINK WE CAN MAKE IT POSSUM-SPECIFIC. COULD IT BE USED ON OTHER PESTS LIKE MICE AND RATS AND STOATS, WHICH ARE A REAL PROBLEM PARTICULARLY IN A BEECH MAST YEAR? YEAH, THIS TECHNIQUE COULD BE APPLIED TO A LOT OF OTHER ANIMALS INCLUDING THE RODENTS LIKE RATS AND MICE AND STOATS. IN FACT, IT'D PROBABLY BE VERY EFFECTIVE IN AN ANIMAL LIKE A STOAT BECAUSE THEY HAVE SUCH LARGE LITTER SIZES. BUT LIKE SO MANY PROMISING SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS, THERE'S A FAMILIAR CATCH ` LACK OF FUNDING. SO RIGHT NOW IT'S A QUESTION OF MONEY? IT'S A QUESTION OF MONEY. DO YOU KNOW APPROXIMATELY HOW MUCH MONEY IT WOULD COST TO TAKE IT TO THIS NEXT STEP? PROBABLY A COUPLE OF MILLION. IF YOU GOT THE FUNDING TOMORROW, HOW FAR AWAY COULD IT BE? I THINK WITHIN FIVE YEARS WE WOULD HAVE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE READY FOR TESTING IN THE FIELD. I THINK WITHIN FIVE YEARS WE WOULD IT'S NOT THAT FAR AWAY. FOR TESTING IN THE FIELD. I THINK WITHIN FIVE YEARS WE WOULD IT'S NOT THAT FAR AWAY. NO. WE'VE GOT THE PIECES. WE JUST NEED TO PUT THOSE TWO PIECES TOGETHER. BUT UNTIL THOSE PIECES COME TOGETHER, DOC SAYS THE BATTLE IS RELIANT ON EXISTING PREDATOR CONTROL TOOLS. SO THIS IS A NICE, TYPICAL ONE. LAST WEEK, WE WENT BACK TO WESTLAND'S MARUIA FOREST TO LOOK AT WHETHER THE TRACKING TUNNELS SHOW ANY CHANGE IN RAT AND MOUSE POPULATIONS AFTER THE 1080 DROP. THIS IS KIND OF A DISAPPOINTING RESULT, COS WHAT WE'D HAVE HOPED TO HAVE SEEN AFTER THE DROP WAS NONE OF THEM. BUT IT'S PRETTY GOOD WHEN YOU` YOU HOLD ON TO THAT. SO THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE SEEING AFTER YOU'VE DROPPED THE 1080. THERE ARE STILL SOME RATS HERE. IS THIS A HIGH NUMBER OF RATS? AFTER YOU'VE DROPPED THE 1080. THERE ARE STILL SOME RATS HERE. IS THIS A HIGH NUMBER OF RATS? NO, THIS IS JUST A MODERATE NUMBER OF RATS. THIS IS THE CARD FROM EXACTLY THIS TUNNEL JUST BEFORE THE 1080 OPERATION. RIGHT. OK. SO THE NUMBERS HAVE DROPPED CONSIDERABLY? YEP. SO OVERALL WE RECKON WE HAVE KILLED OVER 80% OF THE RATS HERE. THAT'S WHAT THIS TUNNEL LOOKS LIKE. AND IS THIS TYPICAL OF WHAT YOU'RE FINDING IN THE MARUIA FOREST? WELL, IT'S NOT REALLY, BECAUSE ACTUALLY, MOST OF THE TUNNELS AFTER LOOK LIKE THAT. THIS IS FROM ANOTHER TUNNEL JUST DOWN THE ROAD. AND MOST OF THEM, 70% OF THEM, ARE LOOKING LIKE THAT. THEY'RE BLANK. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE WANT TO SEE. AND AT THIS STAGE, GRAEME ELLIOT IS OPTIMISTIC THE THREAT POSED BY THE MAST YEAR HAS BEEN MOSTLY CONTAINED AND THAT NEXT YEAR, OUR FORESTS WILL SEE INCREASED BIRD LIFE. SO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THIS HAS BROUGHT THE RAT NUMBERS DOWN DRAMATICALLY? OH, THAT'S A NO-BRAINER. MOST OF THE PLACES WHERE WE HAD HUGE NUMBERS OF RATS AND MICE` YOU WERE SEEING THEM IN THE DAYTIME, WHICH MEANS YOU'VE REALLY GOT LOTS. YOU CAN'T FIND THEM NOW ANY MORE. AND WHAT ABOUT BY KILL? WHAT ABOUT KEA? YOU KNOW THAT THEY'VE PICKED UP BAITS BEFORE AFTER A 1080 DROP. WE'VE HAD ONE BIRD DIE, I THINK, SO FAR OUT OF A LARGE NUMBER MONITORED. A KEA? WE'VE HAD ONE BIRD DIE, I THINK, SO FAR OUT OF A LARGE NUMBER MONITORED. A KEA? A KEA. FAR OUT OF A LARGE NUMBER MONITORED. A KEA? A KEA. AND WHERE WAS THAT? IT WAS DOWN IN SOUTH WESTLAND. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON KEA COS THAT'S ONE OF THE SPECIES WE'RE MOST WORRIED ABOUT, AND THE STORY'S QUITE STRAIGHTFORWARD ACTUALLY. KEA... IF WE DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT KEA, THE POOR THINGS ARE ON THE ROAD TO EXTINCTION. AND THAT HAS BEEN THE TRADE-OFF FOR DOC ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE 1080 STORY ` HAVING TO ACCEPT THE LOSS OF SOME INDIVIDUAL BIRDS TO SAVE A SPECIES. THE FEAR DOC FELT AT THE START OF THIS YEAR ` THAT SOME POPULATIONS MIGHT BE LOST FOREVER ` SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN AVERTED. BUT THAT'S JUST FOR NOW. THE WAR, GRAEME ELLIOT SAYS, GOES ON. DO YOU THINK YOU'VE WON THE BATTLE FOR OUR BIRDS? I THINK WE'LL HAVE SAVED THE BIRDS IN MOST PLACES FROM A BIG KNOCK. BUT UNLESS WE'RE BACK DOING IT NEXT TIME THERE'S A BEECH MAST, WE'LL HAVE LOST THE WAR. SO THIS IS JUST` WE HAVE TO KEEP DOING THIS. AND, DUNCAN, LOOK, THERE ARE ADVOCATES OUT THERE THAT WANT TO SEE EVEN MORE 1080 USED ON OUR FORESTS. FOREST & BIRD, FOR ONE. THEY'RE ACTUALLY PUSHING FOR A PREDATOR-FREE MAINLAND, WHICH, I DON'T KNOW, COULD BE AN IMPOSSIBLE GOAL. YEAH. I SAW THAT WISH LIST JUST RECENTLY. IT IS A MASSIVE AND AMBITIOUS GOAL. AND YOU HAVE TO THINK IT MIGHT BE IMPOSSIBLE UNLESS YOU JUST DUMP SO MUCH 1080 OVER THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. OR MAYBE YOU COULD FLICK A BIT OF FUNDING TOWARDS THOSE SCIENTISTS DEVELOPING THE BIOLOGICAL CONTROLS. MM. OK, WHEN WE COME BACK, THE MAN WE'RE ALL RELYING ON FOR SUCCESS AT THE NEXT WORLD CUP ` THAT'S THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP, THAT IS. AND NOTHING, NOT EVEN THE BIGGEST OF SETBACKS IS GONNA STOP THIS GUY FROM TRYING. I JUST HAVE THIS THING WHERE I JUST WAKE UP THE NEXT DAY AND CAN'T WAIT TO PROVE PEOPLE WRONG. WELCOME BACK TO THE PROGRAMME. WELL, PAULA PENFOLD'S BEEN TALKING TO ONE OF THE MOST NAKEDLY AMBITIOUS PEOPLE EVER TO HIT SPORT IN THIS COUNTRY. AND I THINK YOU WILL AGREE THAT I THINK SHE QUITE LIKED THIS ASSIGNMENT. OH, SHE MAY VERY WELL HAVE. BUT DON'T BE PUT OFF BY THE NAKED AMBITION. BECAUSE THE WAY ANTONY HUDSON'S APPROACHING HIS NEW JOB AS THE COACH OF THE ALL WHITES, WELL, IT MIGHT BE JUST WHAT WE NEED. YEAH, THIS GUY IS A STRAIGHT SHOOTER. HE'S NOT AFRAID OF UPSETTING ANYONE AS HE PUTS INTO ACTION HIS PLAN TO GET US TO SUCCEED ` FINALLY SUCCEED ` AT THE NEXT WORLD CUP, 2018. YUP. HE'S AUDACIOUS, BUT AS YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE, HE'S ALSO VERY LIKEABLE. IT'S BEEN MY LIFE. IT'S BEEN MY FAMILY'S LIFE. IT'S WHERE I'VE GOT MY IDENTITY FOR MOST OF MY LIFE. DO YOU LOVE IT? I LOVE FOOTBALL, YEAH. I LOVE FOOTBALL. I LOVE... IT'S NOT JUST A JOB FOR YOU, FOOTBALL. NO. IT'S NOT. FOOTBALL'S MY LIFE. HE'S NOT EXAGGERATING, AND IT'S ALL-CONSUMING. SO WE'RE TAKING ANTHONY HUDSON TO WAIHEKE ISLAND TODAY, BECAUSE HE'S NEVER BEEN THERE OR ANYWHERE MUCH SINCE HE ARRIVED IN NZ FOUR MONTHS AGO. I'VE BEEN TO ABOUT THREE PLACES. ARRIVED IN NZ FOUR MONTHS AGO. I'VE BEEN TO ABOUT THREE PLACES. WHICH THREE? LIKE, THE STADIUM? NORTH HARBOUR, THE BEACH TO TAKE MY DOG FOR A WALK. NORTH HARBOUR, THE BEACH TO TAKE MY DOG FOR A WALK. AND THE GYM? NORTH HARBOUR, THE BEACH TO TAKE MY DOG FOR A WALK. AND THE GYM? AND THE GYM. SO WHO IS THIS FRESH YOUNG BRIT WHO SAYS WINNING AT FOOTBALL MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY AND WHO WANTS TO MAKE HISTORY WITH THE ALL WHITES ` WHO SAYS HE DREAMS BIG? DO YOU ACTUALLY ENVISAGE WHERE YOU WANNA BE, WHERE YOU WANT YOUR TEAM TO BE? I SEE ALL THE TIME WITH THE ALL WHITES CELEBRATING GOING TO THE WORLD CUP AND COMPETING AGAINST TOP TEAMS IN THE WORLD CUP. I SEE THAT ALL THE TIME. I DON'T THINK A DAY GOES BY WHERE I DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT STUFF. FOOTBALL FIGURES LARGE IN ANTONY HUDSON'S PAST, BUT IT LOOMS EVEN BIGGER IN HIS FUTURE. AND IN NZ TERMS, THAT STARTS NOW. HIS FIRST REAL TEST ` MATCHES AGAINST CHINA AND THAILAND. PREPARING THE TEAM IS HARDER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK. FOR ONE THING, THIS IS ONLY HALF THE SQUAD; THE REST PLAY OVERSEAS AND WILL MEET THEM IN CHINA. SO HUDSON GETS ONLY HAVE THREE DAYS WITH THEM BEFORE THE FIRST GAME. AND THEN THERE'S THE SEPARATION ANXIETY. YOU'RE AWAY FOR, WHAT, 10 DAYS OR SO. YOU HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR DOG BEHIND, THOUGH. I KNOW, YEAH. THAT WAS DIFFICULT, YEAH. NO, HE'S... I'VE GOT SOMEONE HOUSE-SITTING, SO... HE KNOWS YOU'RE AWAY, YEAH? YEAH, HE DOES. EVERY TIME I PACK MY BAG, HE STARTS... HE STARTS GETTING THE UMP, YEAH. YEAH, HE DOES. EVERY TIME I PACK MY BAG, HE STARTS... HE STARTS GETTING THE UMP, YEAH. HEY, WELL, GOOD LUCK. I HOPE IT GOES REALLY WELL FOR YOU. YEAH, HE DOES. EVERY TIME I PACK MY BAG, HE STARTS... HE STARTS GETTING THE UMP, YEAH. HEY, WELL, GOOD LUCK. I HOPE IT GOES REALLY WELL FOR YOU. YEAH, THANK YOU. COMMENTATOR: THIS HIGH-PRESSING GAME, HIGH-TEMPO GAME FROM ANTHONY HUDSON. FIRST UP, CHINA, AND IT'S STARTING WELL FOR THE NEW COACH. THE BALL SWINGS ACROSS, AND WOOD! AND WOOD GETS IT. CHRIS WOOD. WHAT A POWERFUL HEADER FROM THE BIG MAN. FOUR DAYS LATER, THOUGH, THINGS DETERIORATE. AND IT'S SAVED BY GLEASON. BUT ON THE REBOUND, THEY SCORED A SECOND. WELL, THAT COULD BE THE KILLER GOAL. LOWER-RANKED THAILAND COMPREHENSIVELY BEATS THE ALL WHITES. COMMENTATOR: SOMETHING MILES OFF, I THINK HE SAID. HEY, HEY. COMMENTATOR: SOMETHING MILES OFF, I THINK HE SAID. HEY, HEY. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? I THINK HE SAID. HEY, HEY. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? WELCOME HOME. NICE TO SEE YOU. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? WELCOME HOME. NICE TO SEE YOU. I'M GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? ARE YOU FEELING ALL RIGHT? NICE TO SEE YOU. YEAH, WE'LL BE FINE. WE'RE GOOD. ARE YOU FEELING ALL RIGHT? NICE TO SEE YOU. YEAH, WE'LL BE FINE. WE'RE GOOD. YEAH? MAYBE HE HASN'T YET SEEN THE HEADLINES, SUCH AS, 'HUDSON'S HONEYMOON OVER AFTER THAILAND HORROR.' NOT THAT HE PARTICULARLY CARES WHAT THE MEDIA THINKS. ALTHOUGH HE DOES WISH JOURNALISTS WOULD STOP GOING ON ABOUT HIS AGE. YEAH. BUT YOU ARE ONLY 33. SO I SUPPOSE IT'S INEVITABLE THAT PEOPLE WILL BRING THAT UP ALL THE TIME. BUT I THINK IT'S... A LITTLE BIT LAZY. THE AGE THING IS OBVIOUS. BUT WHEN PEOPLE SAY YOU'RE A BIT YOUNG TO BE DOING IT, WELL, I THINK THAT'S LAZY, BECAUSE... YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK` YOU'RE NOT REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT SOMEONE'S DONE IN TERMS OF EXPERIENCE. IT'S A VALID POINT. HUDSON'S BEEN COACHING SINCE HIS EARLY 20S. BUT THE PROSPECT OF A CAREER IN THIS SPORT WAS PRE-DETERMINED LONG BEFORE THAT. RICHIE KNOCKS IT BACK. AND HUDSON GETS IN THERE! HE'S THERE! HE'S THE SON OF ENGLISH FOOTBALLING GREAT ALAN HUDSON, WHO PLAYED FOR CHELSEA, ARSENAL, STOKE AND FOR ENGLAND. AS A YOUNG KID, I FELT I WAS IN THE SHADOW OF MY DAD, CARRIED THE WEIGHT OF HIS NAME, AS A YOUNG PLAYER AND AS A YOUNG KID. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PLAYING CAREER. I WAS A GOOD PLAYER, GOOD YOUNG MIDFIELDER. BUT ULTIMATELY, I DIDN'T HAVE THE ALL-ROUND PACKAGE AND THE WHOLE... ULTIMATELY NOT GOOD ENOUGH. BEING 19 IN A DUTCH FIRST-DIVISION TEAM AND NOT PLAYING AS WELL AS HE WOULD HAVE LIKED, HE LAPSED INTO DOING WHAT HE'D WATCHED HIS FATHER AND HIS FOOTBALLING MATES DO ` DRINKING. THAT WAS PROBABLY MY... THE WAY I DEALT WITH NOT FULFILLING... WHAT I WANTED TO FULFIL AS A PLAYER. THAT WAS PROBABLY MY... THE WAY I DEALT WITH NOT FULFILLING... WHAT I WANTED TO FULFIL AS A PLAYER. WAS TO GO AND DRINK TOO MUCH? WAY I DEALT WITH NOT FULFILLING... WHAT I WANTED TO FULFIL AS A PLAYER. WAS TO GO AND DRINK TOO MUCH? YEAH. AND I THINK... HOW LOW DID IT GO? HOW BAD WAS IT? YEAH, IT WAS BAD. YEAH. IT WAS BAD. IT WAS... BAD ENOUGH FOR ME TO KNOW THAT... I'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT DRASTIC AND GO AND GET HELP. HE HASN'T HAD A DRINK IN NEARLY 10 YEARS. HE'S PROUD OF HIMSELF, DESERVEDLY, FOR THAT. AND IT SPEAKS SOMETHING OF HIS FOCUS THAT HE CONVERTED THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF HIS PLAYING CAREER INTO A NEW JOB ` COACHING. I'M THE HEAD COACH OF THE PROFESSIONAL TEAM. HIS FIRST BIG BREAK WAS IN THE STATES, AND ONE SEASON TOOK MARYLAND FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LEAGUE TO THE QUARTER-FINALS. IN OFF-SEASONS HE WOULD STUDY ` LEARNING FROM HIS IDOLS MOURINHO, BIELSA, REDKNAPP ` LANDING HIM A HEAD COACH JOB IN THE ENGLISH LEAGUES. BUT HERE'S WHERE THE DREAM GOES SLIGHTLY OFF THE RAILS. HUDSON WAS SACKED WHEN RESULTS DIDN'T COME. HIS RESPONSE DEFINES HIM. I'VE ALWAYS FOUND THE ADVERSITY IN MY LIFE HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST... INFLUENCE OR HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON ME. BIGGEST MOTIVATOR. 100%. NO, I JUST HAVE THIS THING WHERE I WAKE UP THE NEXT DAY AND CAN'T WAIT TO PROVE PEOPLE WRONG. WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT HE DID ` TAKING UP A COACHING POSITION IN BAHRAIN AND LEADING THE COUNTRY TO ITS BEST EVER RESULTS. WHAT DID THAT DO FOR YOU ` THE REALISATION OF HOW MUCH FOOTBALL COULD MEAN TO A COUNTRY? IT'S... WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE THE FEELING. PLAYERS WERE IN TEARS; MANAGERS WERE IN TEARS. THEY'RE A VERY VERY PROUD COUNTRY, AND TO... TO BEAT THE STRONGEST TEAMS IN THE GULF WAS A BIG MOMENT FOR THEM. YOU WERE A HERO TO THEM, THEN. YEAH, BUT WE ALL WERE ` THE PLAYERS AND... IT WAS JUST THE MOST... THAT'S WHY I DO IT. THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING IT. I CAN JUST TALK YOU THROUGH... GO THROUGH STEP BY STEP ABOUT THE TOUR. THAT TASTE OF SUCCESS AT A NATIONAL LEVEL LEFT HIM WANTING MORE. AND SO HE APPLIED FOR THE TOP JOB HERE ` COACH OF THE ALL WHITES, HAVING TO IMPRESS PEOPLE LIKE 'HIGH PERFORMANCE' MANAGER FRED DE JONG. THERE WAS A LOT OF COMPETITION FOR THE JOB. WE HAD OVER 100 APPLICANTS FOR THE ROLE, AND HE DEMONSTRATED A LOT OF THE THINGS WE WERE LOOKING FOR IN THAT VERY DRIVEN PERSON. HE IS DRIVEN, ISN'T HE? THAT PARTICULAR ADJECTIVE YOU USED IS THE PERFECT. HE IS SO FOCUSED AND DRIVEN. YEAH, HE IS. HE'S HAD ADVERSITY IN HIS LIFE, SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY SHAPED HIM, AND HE KNOWS WHERE HE WANTS TO HEAD AND HE'S WORKING INCREDIBLY HARD TO GET THERE. WHICH FOR HUDSON MEANS SOME HARD DECISIONS. WITHIN WEEKS OF ARRIVING, HE WAS ALREADY MAKING CONTROVERSIAL CALLS, DUMPING EXPERIENCED PLAYERS SUCH AS ANDREW DURANTE AND ASSISTANT COACH NEIL EMBLEN. THAT'S QUITE POSSIBLY ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS I'VE EVER HAD TO HAVE AS A COACH IN THE LAST 10, 12 YEARS. AND I THINK WHAT HE'S DONE IS HE'S GONE OUT, AND HE'S BEEN VERY OPEN AND HONEST WITH PEOPLE, AND I THINK PEOPLE RESPECT HIM FOR THAT. AND WHETHER THEY AGREE WHERE HE'S GOING, THEY AT LEAST KNOW WHERE THEY STAND. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF HIM? TO GET US TO THE WORLD CUP. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF HIM? TO GET US TO THE WORLD CUP. WHICH WE'VE DONE A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE, HAVEN'T WE? BUT DO YOU WANT HIM TO GO FURTHER? YEAH. I MEAN, THE FIRST STEP IS TO GET US THERE, AND ONCE WE'RE THERE, WE WANNA WIN. WE WANNA WIN AT THE WORLD CUP. GET US THERE, AND ONCE WE'RE THERE, WE WANNA WIN. WE WANNA WIN AT THE WORLD CUP. THERE'S HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF YOU IN NZ, AREN'T THERE? I MEAN THERE'S DISAPPOINTMENT EXPRESSED ALREADY THAT YOU HAVEN'T WON A GAME YET. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT? UM... WELL, THE EASY THING FOR ME TO DO RIGHT NOW WOULD BE TO TRY AND MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY BY MAKING SHORT-TERM DECISIONS, BY GOING AND GETTING SENIOR PLAYERS IN, BY GETTING THE STRONGEST TEAM FOR RIGHT NOW TO TRY AND WIN A GAME WITH EXPERIENCE, IS JUST WIN A GAME NOW. WHAT I HAVE TO DO IS MAKE SURE I'M MAKING GOOD DECISIONS BASED UPON THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE TEAM FOR US GOING TO RUSSIA IN 2018. FUNKY MUSIC IT'S A WAKING MOMENT OF THE DAY, SO, NATURALLY, ANTHONY HUDSON IS THINKING ABOUT FOOTBALL, WATCHING FOOTBALL. TODAY'S GAME INCLUDES PLAYERS BEING DEVELOPED FOR THE NZ UNDER-20S SIDE. CHEERING HUDSON SEES IT AS PART OF HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE YOUNG TALENT IS GUIDED ON THE PATHWAY TO ALL WHITE HONOURS, HOPEFULLY IN TIME FOR THE WORLD CUP. WE'RE IN A REBUILDING PROCESS NOW. I'VE PICKED UP THE TEAM IN A POSITION WHERE THERE'S LOTS OF AREAS THAT WE NEED TO BUILD. WHICH AREAS ARE THOSE? ADDRESSING THE AGE OF THE SQUAD, ADDRESSING KEY POSITIONS IN OUR SQUAD THAT AT THE MOMENT ARE VERY LIGHT, AND WE'VE STARTED THAT ALREADY. AND WHEN I CAME IN, THERE WERE SOME KEY AREAS THAT WERE NOT JUST WEAK BUT NON-EXISTENT. IT'S A STRATEGY ENDORSED BY HUDSON'S HANDPICKED, NEWLY APPOINTED ASSISTANT COACH, ALEX ARMSTRONG, HIS GREAT MATE AND WINGMAN, WHO ALSO LIKES TO TAKE THE PISS. THAT'S WHAT WE TALK ABOUT. THIS IS WHEN I FALL ASLEEP. LAUGHTER I TELL YOU WHAT? YOU KNOW WHAT? HE THINKS HE'S CLEVER, DOESN'T HE. SO, THE PERSON WHOSE VOICE YOU CAN HEAR IN THE BACKGROUND, LET'S TALK ABOUT HIM. YEAH. ALEX WAS WITH ME IN BAHRAIN. AND HE'S AN EXPERIENCED COACH. HE'S AN OLDER NUMBER TWO. HE'S GETTING WELL INTO HIS LATE 60S NOW. AND HE'S AN EXPERIENCED COACH. HE'S AN OLDER NUMBER TWO. HE'S GETTING WELL INTO HIS LATE 60S NOW. BOTH LAUGH BUT HE LOOKS WELL FOR HIS AGE. GETTING WELL INTO HIS LATE 60S NOW. BOTH LAUGH BUT HE LOOKS WELL FOR HIS AGE. HE'S LOOKING ALL RIGHT FOR HIS LATE 60S. UM, NO, HE'S AN EXPERIENCED` AN OLDER NUMBER TWO, AND, YOU KNOW` THAT'S QUITE STRATEGIC IN ITSELF FROM YOU, ISN'T IT, BECAUSE THERE'S THIS EVER-PRESENT THING ABOUT YOUR RELATIVE YOUTH THAT YOU WANT SOMEBODY OLDER. I WANT SOMEONE WHO COMPLEMENTS ME, SOMEONE WHO CAN GIVE ME A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS. WHO CAN, UH,... JUST AN OLDER HEAD. UM, SO FOR ME, YOU KNOW, THAT WORKS REALLY REALLY WELL. HE KEEPS YOU IN LINE A BIT TOO, DOESN'T HE? DOES HE? BIT TOO, DOESN'T HE? DOES HE? (LAUGHS) I THINK HE DOES. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT. HE THINKS HE DOES. WHO'S THE BOSS HERE, HEY? HE THINKS HE DOES. WHO'S THE BOSS HERE, HEY? I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT. OI, THIS WAY! DYER, COME HERE. COME HERE. COME ON. THIS IS HIS OTHER SIDEKICK, BELOVED DOG DYER, WHO'S TRAVELLED THE WORLD WITH HIM. NZ CLEARLY HAS ITS LIFESTYLE ADVANTAGES, BUT FOR HUDSON, IT'S NOT ABOUT THAT. NOT EVEN MONEY MOTIVATES HIM. HE'S COME HERE FOR HALF WHAT HE WAS ON IN BAHRAIN. IT'S ABOUT FOOTBALL AND THE AUDACIOUS AMBITIONS OF THIS GUN-FOR-HIRE COACH. IT WAS A FOOTBALLING DECISION THE REASON I'VE COME HERE. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY. UM, IT'S ABOUT DOING SOMETHING, HAVING AN IMPACT, DOING SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR THE COUNTRY. YOU KNOW, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY, ONE WHICH I'M VERY VERY GRATEFUL FOR. UM, AND I KNOW WE'LL DO IT, AND IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT MOMENT. IT REALLY IS. OK, LOOK, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO PAULA ABOUT HER IMPRESSIONS OF THIS GUY, AND SHE SAYS THAT AFTER FILMING WITH HIM, SHE CAME AWAY BASICALLY BELIEVING HIM. SHE SAYS HE'S SO FOCUSED, SO COMMITTED, SO ARTICULATE THAT IF ANYONE CAN TURN LITTLE OLD NZ INTO A SUCCESSFUL FOOTBALLING NATION, THEN IT IS HIM. YEAH, NO, HE'S A REALLY LIKEABLE BLOKE, ISN'T HE? OK, THAT'S ALL FROM US AT 3RD DEGREE FOR THIS WEEK. WE'RE BACK NEXT WEDNESDAY. WE'LL CATCH YOU THEN. COPYRIGHT ABLE 2014