9 Sunday ` brought to you by the first ever Mazda CX3. Tonight on Sunday ` the shooting that changed his life forever. I drove into a gunfight. An innocent man caught right in the middle. Pop, pop, pop. There was lots of bangs. Now questions about the police version of events. We say that the shot that was taken by this police officer was reckless. Questions about the handling of evidence. Why would you take the weapon apart? What if the settings on Officer 84's Bushmaster rifle, like this replica, were out so it wasn't shooting straight? It's beyond belief that firearms used in a criminal investigation, in a potential murder investigation, had been tampered with. And unseen photos turn up. Someone is not happy with what's going on. Celia Lashlie's final interview. Stop working with the children. Turn to the mothers. She is her mother's daughter. There are days where I just want to crawl back into bed and forget that I have to do any of this, um, and forget that it's happened. (SNIFFLES) Sorry. And now she too is growing gorgeous boys into good men. I think she did know what she was talking about. Did you try reading it? Yeah. (LAUGHS) Look at that. You don't get that on your city milk. Nothing like a drink of Jersey milk in the morning. Plus, meet a man and his amazing Italian sheepdog. Gidday. How's my guardian dog? Good man. Can they outfox the penguin killers of Middle Island? Do not, upon risk of your life, come and visit. Eh? Hey, buddy. Copyright Able 2015 Kia ora, I'm Miriama Kamo. One minute you're going about your business, driving to work; the next, you're caught up in an armed offenders callout, the culprit, waving a rifle, trying to get into your vehicle. In the chaos that follows, an innocent motorist is shot dead by police. Another innocent man is injured. That man, Richard Neville, six years on, says he is still suffering the consequences of being recklessly shot by police. Janet McIntyre with Richard's story and the mysterious new evidence which has just come to light. SIREN WAILS I drove into a gunfight. SIRENS WAIL MAN: Get out! You're distracting us from our job. Move it ` now. You just don't expect to do that on a hot summer's day. Is someone going to shoot you? It was stunning. The whole cab just exploded in noise and fragments. REPEATED EXPLOSIONS The noise was absolutely unbelievable. RADIO PLAYS An ordinary afternoon on Auckland's Northwestern Motorway; traffic moderate. Richard Neville, going about his business as a blacksmith, driving his truck to town, tunes into the 2pm headlines. RADIO: In breaking news, a high-speed police car chase is in progress. Police say that the person they are chasing is armed. One of the first things they started talking about was, um, all over Auckland there had been this police chase. A chase happening right in front of his eyes. The offender, Stephen McDonald, is high on P and firing shots from a sawn-off rifle. I saw the police cars coming on the other side ` lots of them. A whole row of police cars. Lots and lots of lights. And I sorta thought, 'Is this what's going on on the radio?' And then connected the two together and go, 'Well, this is probably what they're talking about.' After McDonald, heading west, crashes into the median strip, he runs across the motorway and tries to get into the locked passenger's door of Richard Neville's truck before jumping on to the back tray. Very determined. He was like a rabbit in the headlights. He was absolutely desperate. He was gaunt. I noticed he had a tattoo on his neck. He was unshaven. Um, I could see he was just a pretty rough, like` rough kinda guy. SIREN WAILS By this time, police have been pursuing McDonald for almost an hour. The Eagle helicopter is airborne, members of the Armed Offenders Squad deployed. Reports will later identify multiple failures in the way police handle the incident: how an innocent man is shot dead and another is injured; how none of the bullets fired by police hit their target. And in the thick of all this, Richard Neville. SIRENS WAIL, TYRES SQUEAL I was in a perfect position. I knew exactly what was presented to me. I knew there was an offender on my truck right here. Where? On the deck of the truck, right smack in the middle of my window. In front of me, there was a police officer dressed in black, completely kitted up. AOS, I could tell. Um, could just see basically the small little features in their face. That's how close they were. 6m, 7m away. Not very far away at all. And I thought, 'Well, they're coming to help me.' Two AOS officers, publicly known only as 81 and 84, aim at McDonald, the first shot fired straight into Richard's front windscreen. Boom, the whole cab just exploded in noise and fragments. Um, the noise was absolutely unbelievable. Then three more shots. Pop, pop, pop. There was lots of bangs. But none of the four bullets hits the target, Stephen McDonald. Instead, an innocent motorist, 17-year-old Halatau Naitoko, unnoticed by police in the next lane over, is tragically shot and killed. And Richard Neville, the other casualty, is injured; both shots fired by officer 84. My arm got peppered, my face got smashed. I got bullet fragments under my arm and my side of my ribs. And I remember all of that. It's incredibly intense and painful. People in the community should be protected from harm by the state, by the police. You can expect that if something occurs and the police intervene, that they will show skills, high level of training to safeguard you. And if they don't, then they've failed in their duty to you. Barrister Nicholas Taylor, a specialist in firearms law, has taken Richard's case to the High Court seeking damages for the injuries resulting from 84's shot. The scenario is that this police officer was deliberately aiming and trying to fire the bullet through two sheets of glass, through the cab of the truck where Mr Neville was sitting, in order to engage the target behind. But Officer 84 says that's not what happened. In a detailed statement to police, 84 says McDonald was still on the road beside the passenger door when he fired, not on the tray behind Richard's rear window. If that's true, Officer 84, who has a military background, is a poor shot. At close range, he misses McDonald by about a metre, and instead fires into Richard's cab. I actually was looking directly down the barrel. Do you believe they missed their target by a metre? No. I believe they deliberately shot at McDonald through my window. I believe they lined him up and went for the shot. We say that the shot that was taken by this police officer was reckless. It was negligent and it was reckless because it conflicted directly with their training that we know about not to try to engage targets through glass planes such as Mr Neville's truck. The Bushmaster rifle that the police use, the M4 rifle, fires a very light, high-velocity bullet. GUNSHOTS It's very fast and accurate, but as soon as it hits or goes through a hard target, it'll fragment into a thousand little pieces. Which is what happened. Exactly what happened. And didn't make it through to reach its target. No. It would never have. The High Court and other authorities have acknowledged there are differing versions of where the offender was when Officer 84 fired, but also that 84 was unaware there were potentially three other innocent people in his line of fire. And what do the firearms themselves add to the picture? What if the settings on Officer 84's Bushmaster rifle, like this replica, were out so it wasn't shooting straight? Well, that's something we'll never know, because the guns of both officers were interfered with by police. In a serious breach of protocol, the Waitakere AOS commander dismantled both guns without permission and before they'd been forensically tested, seriously limiting the tests that could be done. GUNSHOTS Stripped of their scopes, stripped of their torch mounts, stripped of the other accessories the guns had on them. Yes, they were. Why would you take the weapon apart? You'd think if you left the weapon intact, you could prove beyond reasonable doubt` you could prove if it was shooting straight or not shooting straight. It just is beyond belief that firearms used in a criminal investigation and a potential murder investigation had been tampered with like this. Interfering with the weapons was just one of many criticisms made by the Independent Police Conduct Authority alongside failures in communications, the AOS response, the inaccurate and unsafe shooting and poor post-incident process. Up next ` previously unseen photos from an unidentified source delivered to Richard Neville's letter box. Do they call into question the police version of events? This is a whistle-blower. This is someone in the police who's said, 'We don't like what's happening,' and they've obviously thought that we must see these photographs. The fact that I've got police evidence sent to me says that someone is not happy with what's going on. How else do I get that information? 9 Richard Neville, 46, a husband and father, has a soft spot for steel. It's as stubborn as me. Maybe as rugged and as tough as me. (CHUCKLES) But he was not tough enough to withstand the demands of his successful artisan blacksmith business after he was injured in the shootout. Can't feel three of my fingers, yet I can still manage to hang on to things cos I concentrate. Little shapes like that. Whoa! He had to give up his business. And now, no longer on ACC, he works just a few hours a week doing museum demonstrations. That's the only thing a blacksmith can't fix. Broken heart. After my day here, the next day, I'm a complete write-off. Just the numbness. I'm pretty much banned from the kitchen. Um, not allowed to handle dishes cos I just constantly drop things. Fragments of glass and shrapnel are still embedded in his skin and bones, unable to be removed. My forearm, um, my shoulder in the top, near my clavicle, uh, in the side of my chest. I have lots and lots of fragments in the back of my skull. I constantly have, um, cramping in my arm. I have cramping now. And both eardrums burst in the bullet blast. I, of course, have an awful amount of hearing damage ` about 40%. So I have these, um, great big fancy hearing aids... that I got that are specially tuned for my upper end of my hearing loss in left and right ears. Following an investigation into the fatal shooting of Halatau Naitoko, the Independent Police Conduct Authority found the shots fired by Officers 81 and 84 were inaccurate and therefore unsafe, but their actions were reasonable and justified in law. They were not charged, and returned to duties within 11 days of the shootings, Officer 84 attending an AOS callout on his first day back. They've remained on the squad, and they continue to work very capably. These two officers have been commended for what they did in a very difficult set of circumstances. And three years later, they're continuing to work really well. The offender, Stephen McDonald, did not stand trial. He pleaded guilty to 23 charges and was sentenced to 13 years' prison. But Richard Neville, with the support of his wife, Donna, says the police have never been held to account for their actions. In May he made a High Court claim against the Crown for damages, his lawyer saying his treatment by police was disproportionately severe. I want to be heard. I need a chance to be heard. And I really hope it's going to work. Then last month as the case was being considered, a mysterious home delivery ` a plain, unstamped envelope in Richard Neville's letter box. No name of sender, no return address, and inside, a USB stick. My mind just raced. Um, 'Where did this come from? Who's done this? 'Why have they done this? Why have I got this now?' Why would anyone do that? Someone is not happy with what's going on. How else do I get that information? On the USB stick are images of police reconstructions from an official file, images Richard and his legal team have not previously seen. This is a whistle-blower. This is someone in the police who's said, 'We don't like what's happening,' and they've obviously thought that we must see these photographs. Have you seen these photos before? No. No. Have you asked for them? Well, yes, we've asked for numerous photos before. Yes, we have. What, in your opinion, do these photos now give you? They quite clearly show that the police, in their re-enactment after the shooting event, have gone down the line of replicating exactly what Richard's told them. And they all make total sense. Are they not possibly one of many scenarios considered by police? But why ` is a question that we would like to ask ` did they pick the one that they did? And not this one, where we have had expert evidence look at these photos and say that they make the most sense of any scenario. In the High Court last month, a judge found that Richard Neville's version of events could not be ruled out, but the actions taken by Officer 84, even though they caused injury to Richard, were to try to shoot the offender to prevent harm to the public. The claim for damages was struck out. Richard's lawyers are considering appealing that decision in the hope the case can go to a full hearing. I need to have these things concluded. I need to have a truthful, honest result. NZ deserves it. I deserve it. I haven't even had an apology. No one's even fronted up and said, 'I'm sorry.' In a statement from police, Acting Deputy Commissioner, Districts, Grant Nicholls, told Sunday, 'While we sympathise with Mr Neville for the injuries he sustained during this tragic incident, 'the police's position remains that Mr Neville's claim is without legal basis.' He says there is 'no reasonably arguable cause of action'. Meanwhile, Stephen McDonald continues to serve a 13-year prison sentence for his actions in January 2009. Among his convictions ` firing at police, possessing a firearm, and aggravated burglery and car conversion. Later in the programme, the guardian dogs that swim to work. Phil drops them off. Then Eudy and Tula will stay on the island for up to a week at a time. But next, we lost Celia Lashlie too soon. She was all about growing gorgeous boys into good men. Now her daughter Beks steps up and talks about Celia's final interview. My children, no question. (SNIFFLES) When all else fails, when all else... What really matters. Have you been able to watch that? No. No. I don't know if I can` I could watch that just yet. You're still missing her a lot. Oh God, yes. Very much so. 9 Welcome back. Celia Lashlie died in February this year. She was well known for her straight-talking advice on raising boys. But until now we haven't heard from her own son and daughter ` the grief has been too raw. Tonight, though, her daughter speaks out as she steps up to carry on Celia's legacy. Here's Lisa Davies. There are days where I just want to crawl back into bed and forget that I have to do any of this and forget that it's happened. And, you know... (SOBS) Sorry. Don't be sorry. You're still missing her a lot. Oh God, yes. Very much so. Sometimes shit happens. I don't mind people having opinions, but it better be based on fact. That is absolute and total bullshit. Straight-talking, fearless Celia Lashlie. Mum was probably a non-conventional mother. We had many times where I said, 'I wish you were more of a traditional mum.' Always challenging the norm, she was the first female officer in a men's prison, becoming an outspoken prison boss. We, the community of NZ, are creating these people, and if that's something people find difficult to understand or to tolerate, too bad. Mum was a very very clear thinker. She was very much her own person, and I think that helped me a lot. That is something that I think I miss the most, is that, um, yeah... For Beks Henderson and her brother, Gene,... Who's winning, guys? ...their mum wasn't just any mum. When Gene and I were children, she was a single mum working. Regardless, that was going to be stressful. But she instilled really great values in us. She loved us unconditionally as parents do, and I think when you lose that, it's quite massive. Celia was most well known for her Good Man project. About the end of year nine, somewhere across there, his eyes lower and he doesn't look up again. Within a matter of months, every adult he knows has become a loser, a dork or a wanker. The project aimed to discover what it actually meant to be a good man and was rolled out in schools across the country. If I asked you now what will happen to you that will mean you know that you are a man... What's that about? What will have happened for you? Will it just be that you've had sex for the first time? She demystified the world of adolescent boys and empowered parents. If you've got a year-10 boy and he looks at you and says, 'How come I've got the bitch from hell?' Just give yourself a pat on the back. You're parenting superbly. LAUGHTER She actually gave me a lot of confidence, cos I think as parents we are constantly questioning if we're doing the right thing. She poured that knowledge into a book ` 'He'll be OK ` Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men'. No pressure (!) Your mum's the boys' expert and you've got two boys to raise. (LAUGHS) But these two fellas just knew her as 'nana'. < Do you guys miss your nana? BOTH: Yep. I think she was just a nice nana. Do you think it's cool that your Nana wrote a book? Yeah. It's about 'He'll Be OK'. That's the title. About raising boys. I think she did know what she was talking about. Did you try reading it? Yeah. < What did you think? Mm. Not very interesting for him. Not very interesting. < (LAUGHS) And now there's a new edition of 'He'll Be OK' ` Hello. How are you? something Celia had been working on before she died. Yeah, um, you know, it's a bittersweet moment. Yeah. But at the launch, it's Beks that steps up. You're going to have to excuse my very croaky voice. > I think the pressure of the past few months is starting to show. > Her grief is still raw. READS: The overarching thing... Just give me a minute. Ensuring her mother's legacy lives on, her brother, Gene, has stepped up too,... Yeah, it's came off all right. ...writing the book's introduction. It was a good process, actually, because it was still quite recent. It was quite a good process to think about it and write it down, and the finished product wasn't too bad for someone of my skills. We're still in really early stages about what we can do without Mum. I mean, essentially, we became leaderless. Two days before her death, Celia filmed a final interview. Have you been able to watch that? No. No. I don't know if I can` could watch that just yet. I think it would be a bit... a bit raw. Yeah. Something neither Gene nor Beks have been able to face ` this will be the first time they see it here at the launch. My children. (SOBS) When all else fails, when all else,... what really matters? Those two beautiful children who stand as` not even a tribute to me, just as a reality. I did it. Celia, desperately ill, fought to the end to get her message out. I know that I'm well known for my work with boys, but at the heart of my being is the plight of women. Stop working with the children. Turn to the mothers. And so that's my thing. It is only in working with the mothers that we will get to save the lives of these children. I'm really glad that she did it because she's actually left us with something that might help change in the future. There's little doubt Celia's influence was far-reaching. You know what? I'm the mother of five boys. I've watched Celia for a lifetime of raising those sons and struggling with them and trying to understand their different psyche. And the words that she uttered resonated with me. I never met her. She affected me, and I think has been a role model for me to be like her. Beks is still receiving messages from all those who were touched by Celia. It's lovely... from people that didn't know Mum but just felt an immense amount of grief. Was it overwhelming? Yeah. Yeah, it was, actually. Um, I guess you're dealing with your own grief and then you're sort of being exposed to other people's grief as well. In some ways it was harder because it was really in our face all the time. Influential social-justice advocate Celia Lashlie has died from pancreatic cancer. In fact, I remember on the morning she died and they were talking about it on The Breeze, and I was just like, 'Oh my God,' you know? 'They're talking about my mum and the fact that she has died.' She would have probably hated it. BOTH LAUGH But, um` Do you think she would have? I dunno. She always tried to downplay that stuff. Yeah. She didn't want it to be about her. Celia's final lesson was the toughest of all. That's what I want people to know. I had the warnings and I ignored them. And every day out there we get our warnings and we just ride right over the top. 'I can do this. Don't tell me I'm limited.' I didn't pay attention. I just didn't pay attention. With the little energy she had left, Celia dictated a letter the day before she died. It's become the final chapter in her book. Do you mind reading a little part of the letter that she wrote? Sure. READS:... '...the laughter of my grandchildren and the pure beauty and strength of my adult children 'as they battle their anger, grief and sadness at what is happening to their beloved mother. 'It's time to leave the work to others now.' She's passing the baton. She is a bit. Yeah. Yeah. Incredibly sad, but it's a lovely thing to be left with in a way ` her last thoughts. Mm. Do you feel like it is quite a weight on your shoulders to continue her legacy? I don't feel a weight to carry on her legacy because no one will replace her. I don't think there's any expectation on me. But I feel like sometimes I open my mouth and she comes out,... (LAUGHS) and I think, 'Oh God, I sound like my mother!' Yet that is a good thing. Now, Beks isn't facing the prospect of continuing her mother's work alone. She is surrounded by a group who call themselves Celia's Army. They're determined to continue her most recent project ` improving the plight of women. Next, the predators turned protectors, taking on the penguin killers of Middle Island. A wolf will fight to the death to protect its territory. They don't care whether there's chooks, penguins or field mice here. This is their territory. Do not, upon risk of your life, come and visit. Eyy! Hey, buddy. Excellent job. Come on. We're gonna be late. Shhh! Uh, what are you wearing? My good-luck jersey. (LAUGHS) Since when? Since always. It's a little tight around the... Maybe don't run it through the hot wash just for a wee while. I would not touch that thing. Trust the jersey. Ladies and gentlemen, who will give me an opening bid? Anyone? Anyone? Interesting. A lot of luck in the room. VOICEOVER: Buying a house takes more than luck. It takes a team effort and a special home loan rate. With ASB, you're backed by our team all the way. 9 Hello again. Sometimes all the best science in the world isn't enough to conquer an ecological disaster; you just need a crusty chook farmer, a trusty dog and some common sense. Allan Marsh, known as Swampy, heard foxes were devastating a penguin colony on a little island in Victoria, Australia. He knew his faithful chook-guarding dog Oddball had seen off every sly fox in the district. She hadn't lost a bird on her watch. So how did Swampy win over the wildlife authorities, and how did Oddball win the day? It's become the stuff of legend. Here's Denham Hitchcock. Not many people get it on their first go, just so you know. SQUAWK Oh. (LAUGHS) SQUAWK Oh Jeez. SQUAWKING CONTINUES I watched 'Happy Feet'. They weren't like this. Oh. Come on, you little bugger. SQUAWKING CONTINUES This is the easy part now. The easy part? That's right. Grab him. And then I'll grab his head, if you like. You all right? I got him. Awesome. Around the back of the head. Spot on. Hey! Hey, buddy. Excellent job. Very good job. I thought you were meant to be cute and cuddly. What are you so vicious for? (SQUAWKS) Hey, wait, wait. Head first? Yep. Perfect. Where are we heading to? Mel and John are penguin wranglers. (SQUEAKS, SQUAWKS) Their feisty targets are fairy penguins. Point... six. And the more scratches, the more bites they suffer,... Watch your finger. > ...the happier they are, because not too long ago, it was difficult to find a single penguin. Nothing. This tiny island off the wind-blown coast of Victoria is the scene for quite a story. This is Middle Island, and for centuries, the only residents here were penguins. By the year 2000, they numbered well over 800. This island was teeming with life. Then in the space of a few short years, they were almost wiped out. In the end, only four remained. A very lonely four. This island and its inhabitants were under attack. DRAMATIC MUSIC (SQUAWKS) It is like a secret little garden out there, locked off from the world, isn't it? It would have been a thriving mass of penguins, really, particularly in the evening as they were coming up out of the ocean at dusk. Almost 1000 strong. What happened? We started having recordings of fox kills on the island. It only takes one or two foxes to get on to the island, and they'll basically kill every bird that they can find. In the past, Middle Island and its penguins had been protected from predators by one thing ` it's a long swim. I don't think people were watching, and over the years, the foxes ` they can smell what's going on. They've got the same sense of smell as the dogs. When the tides were really low in the autumn, that's when the foxes decided that they could paddle across to the island. What would Middle Island be to a fox? > Oh, smorgasbord. You know? 'Wow!' OMINOUS MUSIC In those burrows, they're trapped. There's no way out. Yeah. There's no way out. Um, they're very very vulnerable. You know? It was only one fox visit away from being wiped out. FOXES HOWL Hello, moo cows. How are you? Oh, all growing and eating well? Good on ya. What good cows. (CHUCKLES) Look at 'em. Dumb as. Just as well they taste good. (MOOS) These two are workmates. Here we are back at the farm ready to collect more eggs, which, after all, is the name of the game. Allan Marsh, better known as 'Swampy', is the one with two legs. The other... There you go. It's all right, Max. I'll get the gate. Not a problem. ...is Max, an Italian sheepdog called a maremma. Swampy, I've done a lot of interviews but I don't think I've ever done one > in the middle of a free-range chook farm. There you go. It's high time you did, mate. This will look good on your CV. How many years have you been farming chooks? > 60. Look at that. You don't get that on your city milk. Nothing like a drink of Jersey milk in the morning. You're the only chooks in the world that are on the Paleo diet. Do you realise that? Swampy has 13,000 of them roaming in open paddocks. Oh, that's a production shot. (LAUGHS) Look at these. Beautiful. Makes the whole job worthwhile. There we go. Another $10 in the tin. But this many chooks... Get out, you lot. Go on. Piss off. ...are extremely appealing to a fox. So tell me about these dogs of yours? The maremmas have an innate sense of territory. It's` It's part of what a wolf is about. A wolf will fight to the death to protect its territory. They don't care whether there's chooks, penguins or field mice here. This is their territory. Gidday. How's my guardian dog? Good man. You haven't cleaned that mud off your nose. Tell me, when was the moment when you thought, 'I have to do something to help these penguins'? Oh, one of the front pages of The Standard had a mass of bodies on the island, dead. ROOSTER CROWS And I thought, 'I know how to fix this.' I said to this environmental officer, 'We should put these dogs out there on the island 'to protect the penguins. It'll keep the foxes away.' His answer? 'Oh, you cannot put dogs on the island. Dogs are banned.' So showing my great negotiating skills, I said, 'Well, you'd better write a bloody big sign 'for the foxes cos they can't read your signs.' (LAUGHS) > End of discussion. So a chicken farmer comes to Warrnambool Council and says, 'I want to save these penguins by placing a hungry dog on the island.' It was generally chuckles and laughs behind your hands, because it is unusual. It's a natural environment. We're on the edge of a marine national park or marine park, essentially. And, yeah, putting` Most dogs are banned from national parks or marine parks, so the thought of putting maremmas or dogs, any type of dogs, on the island did have people scratching their heads for some time. That conversation was 10 years ago. It took 18 months of arguments, countless experts and council meetings, but now Middle Island and its penguins can't do without them. < Hey, ya, Phil. Hey, gidday, mate. Denham. Good. So you're the lucky man who gets to look after these girls? Oh, they look after themselves. They're pretty good. Look at you. We're heading, Phil, to which one? Uh, Middle Island. The big island on the left. Across the water? Across the water. They start to get a bit excited about getting out there. It's their island, essentially, isn't it? Yeah. They just want to get out there and go to work. Before we get to the rocks, it will be over our heads. They're strong swimmers. Lots of practice. Yeah, they do. It doesn't take much for these girls to be over their heads, so they do swim most of the time, while you and I have only got the last little bit. Think of it like a commute to work. Phil drops them off, then Eudy and Tula will stay on the island for up to a week at a time. Attagirl! It's like you've got your own private island for the two girls. Yeah. Just me and my two blondes. (LAUGHS) How does it work? Why does it work? The dog has a presence, and it announces through its scent messages and its barking that, 'I'm here and this is my territory. 'This is my place. I'm very happy here. Do not, upon risk of your life, come and visit.' The programme was started by Swampy and his original sheepdog called Oddball. So how did she react to the penguins? Didn't... Didn't... Was not fazed by them at all. Yeah. Black and white. Yep. Just chooks in dinner suits. No big deal. BOTH LAUGH < How long have the dogs been on the island? They've been there 10 years now, so... < And in that time, how many penguins have been killed by foxes? Well, the count is zero. The new dogs were taken to the island as pups. They now stay there up to six months of the year, including breeding season,... There's burrows everywhere. Yeah. Just be careful when you're walking over them. It's very soft ground. ...which means Mel and John are now happily busier than ever. The tiny apartments with ocean views are once again filling up. We'll take the measurements now. New penguins are moving in. No chip? No chip. The colony is being resettled. Not too long ago, the penguins here were pushed almost to the brink of extinction. Now if there was a sign that read 'Welcome to Middle Island', it would read 'population proudly 150 and rising'. Oh, you are cute. So cute that this secret island and its astonishing story was always going to get out. One of those questions that people always ask you is ` if there was to be a movie made about your life, who would you want to play you? Oh, well, the only actor in Australia who can fill my overalls, of course. Shane. Next, we meet the original Oddball, now 14 years old. And what else but Oddball, The Movie. You've got characters. Swampy. > Yeah. You've got a villain ` the red fox. CHUCKLES: Yes. And you've got a hero in pure white. It was always destined to be a movie, wasn't it? Well, spin me Frisbee. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Miss Photogenic. Yes, yes. 5 So, are you a star in Warrnambool now? Have we made you a star here? Well, the movie has helped. Well, spin me Frisbee. PENGUINS SQUAWK, CHUFFLE As far as real-life stories go, you've got characters ` Swampy,... > Yeah. ...you've got a villain ` the red fox,... LAUGHS: Yes. ...and you've got a hero in pure white. It was always destined to be a movie, wasn't it? Yeah. I mean, you're right. That's the ingredients of a really good salad, you know, and` If film is to be compared to salad. What would I know about salad? What he does know is movies. Actor Shane Jacobson steps into the gumboots as Swampy. The lead character, though, is Oddball. (SNIFFS) Did you have a dust-up with a fox, mate? About a month before I met you, they said, 'Shane's going to play you.' And I thought, 'Yeah, Kenny. That's the sort of character I am.' 'We can have him.' 'Yeah. Not a problem.' Let the toilet guy come and be the chicken man. Yeah. But I met him, and he handed me a pair of his overalls, and said, 'Here's a pair of overalls,' and he handed me two Four'N Twenty pies in a pack, in their packaging, and said, 'You'll need to start eating more of these in order to fit my shape,' which I did so, all under the guise of method acting. This is all for your character. Still in character. You're a committed man. > I am very committed... to pies. That's about it. Everything else I'm a bit loose with. We are so similar, it's quite scary. (LAUGHS) So, sorry, Robert Redford, you didn't get the gig. You can't fill the overalls. Shane can. And he likes raw eggs. Standing on the island with these canines kind of looking out, standing guard, penguins going about their business, is quite unique. They are. They're nature's bouncers that are here to look after those that can't look after themselves. The movie is based on real-life characters, but we were yet to meet the star ` the original dog who started it all; the dog the movie is named after ` Oddball. So, this is the famous Oddball. This is the famous Oddball. I know you should never ask a lady her age, but maybe we could block an ear or two. Yeah. Oh, she's handsomely 14. I mean, that's a fair achievement. That's 98 in human terms. Which means Oddball is enjoying retirement. Miss Photogenic. Yes. Yes. Swampy, I mean this in the most complimentary way, but you're an oddball, an underdog yourself. I am. Yes. CELL PHONE RINGS That'll` Hang on a minute. CELL PHONE CONTINUES RINGING Shut up. I don't want to talk to you. Go away. BOTH LAUGH End of problem. Good dog. What is the message that people should take out of your story? Never give up. If you've got a good idea, if you, in your heart, reckon it's a good idea, keep going. Don't take no for an answer. Don't back off. Because otherwise we wouldn't have any penguins at all on Middle Island. Oddball, The Movie is going to be released in NZ cinemas in January next year. Last week we screened our exclusive investigation into the Rainbow Warrior bombing. We met Colonel Jean-Luc Kister, the French secret agent who attached explosives to the hull of the boat in Auckland Harbour. Our story, and what Kister had to say 30 years on, went global. Time Magazine, the BBC and French media all covered it. GENTLE MUSIC This is Metz, a 3000-year-old city in Lorraine province. Jean-Luc. It's now home to Colonel Jean-Luc Kister, a former head of the combat dive team of the French secret service. The captain of the Rainbow Warrior, Peter Willcox, says that this was murder, that they knew there were people on board. Yes, I understand his point of view. Uh, but for us, on our side, we think that it was unfortunately an accidental death of an innocent ` Fernando Pereira. 10 years ago Sunday spoke to Fernando Pereira's daughter, Marelle. She was just 8 when her father died. Sometimes you think, '(GROWLS) Why?!' I would like to take this opportunity given to me by the TV of NZ to express my deepest regrets and apologises to Miss Marelle Pereira and her family... uh, for the accidental death of Fernando Pereira. And the apologies didn't stop there. I want to apologise also to Greenpeace members who were on board of the Rainbow Warrior. And I want to apologise to the people of NZ for the unfair, uh, clandestine operation conducted on a light, friendly and peaceful country. Peter Willcox is still busy saving the planet... HORN BLARES ...in Rainbow Warrior III. MAN: Whoo! For him, Jean-Luc Kister's apology changes little. They're the ones that have to live with themselves. They've made their bed. Let them sleep at night. Peter Willcox said it's probably 30 years too late. (SIGHS) It's never too late for apologise. Well, Marelle Pereira, the daughter of Fernando Pereira, who was killed, watched our story. She said her family found it confronting and was shaken by it. The family thanked Sunday for the questions we asked of Jean-Luc Kister. However, they do not accept Kister's apology nor forgive what France, Kister and his team did. Her family, she says, miss Fernando every day. That's our show for tonight. Do join us on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for joining us this evening. Nga mihi nui, hei kona.