HADYN JONES: Tonight ` an unwanted gift from the sky. You can dump on someone's house, and yet you don't have to provide any reparation whatsoever. It was raining fertiliser. Their water supply was nearly contaminated. It was more than just a light dusting, put it that way. So who should pay for the clean-up? Have you, to this day, received an apology? No. And... Cheers. Cheers. ...the hidden cost of cruising New Zealand. Big surprise? Big surprise. Why was she hit with international roaming charges when she never left the country? I was incensed. Plus ` little issues become big bugbears. It's gotten quite a bit smaller since a couple years ago. Are Big Macs shrinking? Or could it possibly be that every other burger's got bigger? And what's got temperatures rising in this kitchen? Come on, Tegel. I can't read that. Copyright Able 2017 Welcome to the show. There are certain things we tend to take for granted, like water. I find it amazing; you turn on the tap, and there it is. You can drink it, of course, wash with it, cook in it, chuck the old water bombs over to the neighbour's. No. They hate at that my house. (CHUCKLES) Yeah. That is true, but when Mother Nature and a clean roof is your only source of H2O, you suddenly become far more appreciative and protective. Here's Matt. (GENTLE MUSIC) MATT CHISHOLM: It's their safe place, their sanctuary ` a rural retreat adored by its owners... Oh, piece of paradise ` it's lovely. ...and their pooches. They're family. Earlier this month, though, Shirley and Phil Herbert's home came under attack,... (DRAMATIC, UNSETTLING MUSIC) ...the Hawke's Bay lifestyle block blasted from the sky,... (MUSIC CRESCENDOS) (ENGINE RUMBLES) And I saw it all over the black kitchen bench, and that was when I went, 'Oh my God, it's the fertiliser,' and then I could see it all outside on every single side of the house. I was just really worried. Honestly, I had no idea if, um, fertiliser has weed killer in it, cos it could. What worried you the most? I was most worried about the dogs. ...the unknown fertiliser around, on and in the Herbert's home meant for the neighbouring farm. This is your boundary here? Yup, so it runs straight up there, up behind the horses and behind the house. And how far do you think that boundary is from your house? (CHUCKLES) You can't ask me that. (LAUGHS) You've got to step that out. One... And we did. 15. (CALLS) Is this hot? No. STRAINED: 15. Yup. The Herbert's home ` 29, 30m from the boundary. The pilot who flew the fertiliser on, Astro Air's Jim Frogley, has left the Herberts upset and $720 out of pocket. Have you to this day received an apology? No. That would be, you know, nice. All I want is for Jim Frogley to do the right thing. (ENGINE RUMBLES) When you're in the country, you do expect, you know, if you've got a plane top-dressing next to you, there might be a little bit of drift, but this fertiliser came in windows on the opposite side of the house to what the farm is. So there is no doubt in my mind that he was still dropping fertiliser as he flew over the top of our house. Did this stuff your day? It totally ruined my day. (UNSETTLING MUSIC) 'Ruined' would be an understatement. Feeling like a prisoner at home with her dogs, another major concern for Shirley ` water. All the house and drinking water here are in these rain-fed tanks, the H2O coming from the roof which had been, well, fertilised. We all drink the water that's in our tanks. We do our washin' in it; we wash (CHUCKLES GENTLY) our dishes in it; we bathe in it. Unsure of exactly what she was dealing with and exactly how she should deal with it, Shirley contacted almost everyone ` It's on my roof. two cockies who farm the land, one saying the fertiliser was superphosphate... I mean, it could be washing powder, for all I know. ...and that responsibility lay with the pilot flying the fertiliser on, and ` 'Hey, you know, your grass will grow.' Knowing Shirley was at home sweating,... She was pretty upset. ...at about the same time, from work, husband Phil phoned the Hawke's Bay Regional Council,... Can I speak to Simon Moffitt, please? ...who, as it turns out, have a pollution hotline, they had two investigators out to the Herberts' pad within half an hour. The Hawke's Bay Regional Council couldn't talk to me on camera but told us when it comes to top-dressing, each region has its own set of rules, and while those rules are complicated, clearly, this situation wasn't OK. Three weeks on, they're still finding pockets of the product. In places, a square foot of this section would fill a jar with fertiliser. (TYPES) Getting a bum steer from the farmers and having googled superphosphate,... The toxicity didn't look great. ...Shirley contacted fertiliser company Ravensdown. That lady said to me, 'Oh, no, you can't let your dogs out on that. '21 days ` you know, you're not allowed to walk on it, and you don't want it in your water tank.' A specialist at Ballance, who sold the product, eventually confirmed it was a blend of lime and Hatuma Dicalcic Phosphate, which was relatively safe ` phew. It would not hurt the dogs unless they ingested a large amount of it. As far as the water went, you know, in our tanks, we had two options ` you know, disconnect all the downpipes and clean the roof or wait till it rained; let all the fertiliser go into the water tanks, then empty the water tanks, flush them out, you know, clean them, reconnect and fill them back up with water. Option one sounded better? Option one sounded a lot better. With rain forecast, desperate, Shirley tried at least six plumbers, eventually reaching Rob Findlay, who sent a couple of boys around to disconnect the 50,000 litres of water... (WATER RUSHES) ...and clean that roof, which took about four hours. It was more than just a light dusting, put it that way. The bill ` (WATER SPUTTERS) But the pain didn't end there. Shirley water-blasted into the night,... (WATER SPUTTERS) ...and when the dust settled, fault here was clear, the regional council slapping pilot Jim Frogley with an infringement notice, the fine ` $300. I'd charge him for the water-blasting. LAUGHS: I'm not` I don't c` Yeah. About a week after the in-flight incident, Phil called Jim Frogley,... Phil Herbert speaking, Glengarry Rd. ...wanting compensation for that plumbing bill. He said that he wasn't sure about that, um, and he would come to me` come back to me early the following week. Nearly two weeks passed. He never called back. I don't think Jim Frogley had any intention of payin' us,... um, or getting back to us. Believing the Herberts deserve better, we called the top-dressing pilot, wanting his side of the story. He said he'd called the Herberts; he had. After about 12 days of silence, he called them just minutes after we left a message with his wife. Yeah, it's incredible, isn't it? He also told us the Herberts shouldn't have squealed to everyone else before talking to him and then hung up. I wasn't trying to dob him in. We were simply trying to get some help as to what this clean-up involved, you know, or` and, 'How bad was it? And would it affect my dogs?' You'll be pleased to know those prized pooches are fine, and after our involvement, Phil and Jim have talked for a second time. Sent him that invoice, and, um, he said he was gonna take it to his lawyer, but at this stage, he still has not told me that's he's gonna pay it. You can dump on someone's house,... um, get, um, an infringement notice from the council to say that you dumped on someone's house, and yet you don't have to... provide any reparation whatsoever. Unless you come to Fair Go? (CHUCKLES) Unless you come to Fair Go, yeah. (CHUCKLING) But can we actually make a difference this time? I tried the pilot again. I also understand, Jim, that you wanna take the invoice to your lawyer. Why do you wanna do that? No, I'm not talkin', sorry. (RECEIVER CLICKS) Jim? (LINE DISCONNECTS) Second chat to Jim Frogley; second time he's hung up on me. We're all still waiting on Jim Frogley's next move. He certainly knows where you live. Yeah, he does, yeah ` (CHUCKLES) very` very much so. (CHUCKLES) So, Jim, if you're watching, next time you fly by, how about you keep the fertiliser on target and drop off some cash? OK, Jim, it's 700 bucks. Just pay it, and then you can sleep well at night. And say sorry. Yeah. All right, coming up ` the hidden costs of holidaying in New Zealand. She never left sight of land. CHUCKLES: I haven't been out of the country. I went to Napier. So why was she hit with international roaming charges? I was incensed. And it's 'big' by name. It's gotten quite a bit smaller since a couple years ago. Is this fast-food icon shrinking? Or could it possibly be that every other burger's got bigger? We put some little bugbears under the microscope. Welcome to Haydo's Mailbag. Welcome back. Now, if you're a traveller, some news you might need to know about ` the United States and United Kingdom have banned large electronic devices from some Middle Eastern flights. Now, the ban is a result of an unspecified terror threat, and it means that laptops, tablets, electronic games, cameras and DVD players must go in the cargo hold. Mm, that's right. So on those flights you cannot carry them on. It's an interesting development which could affect your travel insurance. (GROOVY MUSIC) (SQUEAKING) I felt, you know, if I got sick or if I got` anything was taken, 'Yeah, sweet as. I'll be right,' but, no,... not as the case may be. It was the trip of a lifetime for photographer Cindy ` Cuba, LA, including Disneyland, but these are some of the very few photos she has left of the trip. Cindy, you see, after a month of travelling, was on her first leg home, flying from Cuba to Mexico. Laden down with gifts, many of them breakable, she chose to put her camera, laptop and hard drive in her checked baggage, but somewhere along the way, the cable ties securing Cindy's bag were snipped, and her laptop and hard drive, containing hundreds of photos, were stolen. I was just a mess; I was bawling the` nearly the whole flight. I was actually going from Mexico to LA and then LA to Sydney, and nearly the whole flight, I was just bawling. Cindy had insurance ` absolutely. In fact, she'd taken out extra cover for her photographic equipment, but as it turns out, that wasn't enough. Cos my luggage wasn't in` was in check in, it wasn't insured, but if it had have been on me, it would've been insured, so all these items, I had to carry with me everywhere. That's right, policies differ, but often jewellery, cameras, mobile phones and personal computers won't be covered if they're in the cargo hold, not just of a plane but of ships, trains, trams and buses, and sure enough, it was in Cindy's policy. Her insurer, Allianz Global Assistance, tells us it urges travellers to understand their policy when they buy it so they know their limits while they are away. It's very common. People need to be know about it, and consumers need to be aware when they travel that if they have really expensive things, they keep them with them; they don't put them in the suitcase. Cindy's accepted that she won't get a payout, but she does have advice for other travellers. Read the fine print on your insurance policy. Make sure that you've ticked all the boxes on it and have all your important valuables with you at all times. Yes, ready your policy, and if you're not sure about anything, check with your insurer. Right, continuing with the travel theme, we turn our attention to cruise ships. Now, cruise ships ` yeah, nah, you know, chair hogs, crowded pools, little touch of gastro along the way ` Oh! (CHUCKLES) not my idea of perfect holiday. You? No, I think it sounds great. I am not adverse to travelling in the high seas in the lap of luxury, but as Hannah discovered, there are hidden costs when you choose to roam New Zealand's coastal waters. (ELECTRONIC POP MUSIC) HANNAH WALLIS: It doesn't really look as if Irene Neal's got too much to complain about. She's just finished a three-day cruise, loungin' about, cocktail in hand, gentle sea breezes. It's a cruisy life, all right. You get on the boat, and you unpack, and you don't have to worry about anything else. Irene was on this ship, the Pacific Pearl, just a month ago for an art-deco cruise to Napier. Getting dressed up and, um, acting like you were in the 1920s with friends and just having a lot of fun. Would've been lovely to actually shoot Irene's story on the cruise boat, but the old Fair Go budget didn't stretch that far, so... Sadly, Irene and I are not on a cruise together. (CHUCKLES) We're actually on the Waiheke ferry. It's a pretty foul day, but, you know, we're making the most of it. Cheers. Cheers. But just like the weather on the ferry today, there's been a bit of a dark cloud hanging over Irene's cruising holiday. It was what happened once you got off the ship. Yes. I was charged international global roaming on my cell-phone bill. How did she feel about that? I was incensed. Yes, Irene's Vodafone bill showed she owed almost $90 in roaming charges. She did send a few texts while on the ship ` didn't seem like 90 bucks' worth. Big surprise? Big surprise. How did they justify that? They said, 'You've been, um, out of the country ` international roaming.' I said, 'No, (CHUCKLES) I haven't been out of the country. I went to Napier.' (CHUCKLES) Irene is pretty certain the ship never lost sight of the shore. Whenever we looked, we could see land,... OK. ...but we cruised at night, so I don't know. Is it possible that they slipped into international waters while you were all sleeping? No, they couldn't have done that, because we were told that, um, because the, um, ship didn't go into international waters, we were not able to purchase any duty-free. 'So let's get this straight.' You're in international waters when it comes to your phone. Yes. But you're not in international waters when it comes to the duty-free shops on board. Correct. How do you feel about being charged? I think it's a scam. (CHUCKLES) I think it's terrible. It's not a huge amount of money, but you're worried that other people might get caught out as well. I look at families, and all the kids have got their phones. So if you had Mum and Dad and two children, that's four of you. That's a huge amount of money to be paying for basically nothing when you're going on a cruise around (CHUCKLES GENTLY) New Zealand waters. (THE WEEKND'S 'CAN'T FEEL MY FACE') Irene has paid the bill grudgingly but needs to know how she got it, so we've called in the big guns ` telecommunications whiz Craig Young. The tricky bit for you, of course, is that you don't think you're leaving New Zealand, but you're are on board the ship, which has its own network, and so the phone is picking up that network, and it should be sending you a text message to say, 'You're now roaming, and you're going to be subject to roaming charges.' Cruise ships use maritime roaming networks. Irene's charged about 80c per text, and if that's all Irene had done on board, she'd be looking at a bill of around $8. Problem was ` she was also unknowingly using data every time she switched her phone on. The data roaming wasn't switched off, and it's only 3.5MB, and that's probably something like Facebook doing a background update or something of that nature, but charging $89 for 3.5MB is 25 bucks a megabyte. (SCOFFS) $25 a megabyte? That's really expensive. I've just been overseas, and I thought that, uh, Europe was expensive at $10 a megabyte, but $25 is really at the steep end. That's huge. Why are the charges so expensive on a cruise ship? What's happening on a ship is they're using satellites to provide the backhaul for those calls, so you're actually being charged more because of the type of technology that's being used. So how can I stop myself rackin' up charges like this? If you go into your settings, you can go into mobile networks... Yes. ...and turn of data roaming. So if you were in a roaming situation, you wouldn't be charged data. Or you could buy a Wi-Fi package on board ship. And that might be a better solution, because using Wi-Fi, then you can do Facebook Messenger, you could do WhatsApp, you can do Viber, you can any of those sorta messaging services. (HIP-HOP MUSIC) Irene's off on another cruise quite soon ` on a proper ship, not the Waiheke ferry ` but this time she'll be fully tech-savvy, spending less money on this and more on this. Cheers, Irene. (CHUCKLES) Poor Hannah ` no cruise for her, just a slightly rough trip on a ferry, but, look, Vodafone has been in touch. They say the steep charges are actually set by the cruise line and the satellite provider. They just pass them on. They also reckon Irene should've had a text spelling out the roaming charges, but Irene says she didn't get one until two days into the trip, which was all a bit late. Now, the good news ` and we do have some good news ` Vodafone have now reversed those very steep roaming charges. Good on you, Vodafone. Good stuff. Yes, and be aware. Coming up after the break ` why is it always the little things that get people really wound up? Are Big Macs shrinking? It's gotten quite a bit smaller since a couple years ago. What's got temperatures rising in this kitchen? Come on, Tegel. I can't read that. We put some little gripes and grumbles under the microscope. Welcome to Haydo's Mailbag. Plus ` (APPLAUSE) Oh my God! we tip our hat to 40 years of hard knocks. (CREAKING, TYRES SQUEAL) Welcome back. Now, we have a little saying on this show that no problem is too small. Yeah, I'm big on small problems, and you know how they said that I could never ever have my own segment on the show? Yes. Well, this is the perfect opportunity for me to have my own segment on the show. It's called Haydo's Mailbag. I think you're really gonna like it. ('JEOPARDY' THEME MUSIC) (WHEELS WHIRR) Welcome to Haydo's Mailbag. It's a bag, probably got some mail in it. (SIGN BUZZES) (CREAKING) We'll fix that. Hi, my name's Jay, and I've noticed something really interesting. Jareth Haynes wrote to us, convinced the Big Mac had shrunk. It's gotten quite a bit smaller since a couple years ago, um, and McDonald's hasn't mentioned anything about it or changed the price. Um, to me, it feels like... that's a bit of false advertisement and bit of a rip-off. Or could it possibly be that the Big Mac has stayed the same size and every other burger's got bigger? Hmm! We went to Mickey D's, and they assured us the Big Mac is still big. (SIGN BUZZES) That seems pretty clear. Hi, Fair Go. Why do cigarettes cost more at the Auckland International Airport arrival area? I paid $10 more. We aren't in the habit of defending smoking, but Joe's got a point. The Relay store who sell the cigarettes say they regularly benchmark their pricing against high-street retailers. They offered Joe a refund, but Auckland Airport, who audits the retailers, went one better, lowering the price of the cigarettes by $5 a pack ` problem two solved. (SIGN BUZZES) Then there's Donna from Tapanui. Her courier packages don't get delivered, because they say her letterbox is the wrong way. She put it that way so the rain doesn't get her mail wet. Now, New Zealand Post say it's reasonable to expect the letterbox to be facing outwards so the postie can have access to it. They say it sounds like a small matter, but they do need some consistency. In Donna's case in Tapanui, they say they're gonna offer her a PO box until they can resolve the matter, hopefully quick smart. (SIGN BUZZES) Last but not least ` Fleur's problem was with her Tegel chicken burgers. Can't read how to cook them. She thought the cooking instructions were too small. Come on, Tegel. I can't read this. This is what she's talking about. Is that too small? (CLUCKS) Tegel say they're sorry, but there's a lot of information to get on the labels. They're gonna see how they can make the cooking instructions easier to read in the future. (CLUCKS) Hmm. So, that's Haydo's Mailbag ` a very occasional segment. (WHEELS WHIRR) Wow, that segment's got a future, hasn't it? (CHUCKLES) Oh! (LAUGHS) Television gold. This is the man for your small problems. Right, now, it is a very big week for the Fair Go team,... ...because back in 1977, you may well remember Muldoon was prime minister, Star Wars was being released, I think you were still teething, uh, April Sun in Cuba went to number one, and petrol was 40c a litre, and, oh, Fair Go first went to air. (CHEERFUL, GROOVY MUSIC) WOMAN: On the 7th of April 1977, Fair Go hit the airwaves. (GROOVY MUSIC) We can't show you that show. Some muppet threw it out; it's been lost forever, but the archives are full of highlights. (APPLAUSE) Very interesting, Mr McNair, and what did you do? (CHUCKLING) Well, Brian, I got in touch with the police... Brian Edwards was the first of many to steward the show through 40 years. (LIVELY PIANO MUSIC) Well, uh, Barbara, the problem with this particular Morris is... you haven't actually got it. This tune became the sound of fair play. (LIVELY PIANO MUSIC CONTINUES) It was embraced by rugby fans and used to signal a bad call from the ref. MAN: Hey, Ref, give the boys a fair go. We've helped the ripped-off and ticked-off,... (GROWLS) WOMAN: In the unlikely event of an emergency, follow the instructions of your crew. (LAUGHTER) (CHAINSAW BUZZES) They know what to do. ...dodged some unscrupulous traders... A faulty batch? Surely not. ...and had a few laughs along the way. That guy's actually our boss now. (BLUE-EYED SOUL MUSIC) It's been four decades of product flaws. There've been tears of sorrow and joy. Oh my God! (APPLAUSE) We've encountered some dumps... MAN: How the hell do ya live in a place like that? ...and hard thumps,... (TYRES SQUEAL) ...but it's always been for a good cause ` saving you from scandal and dodgy deals. Wow, 40 years of great television... Mm-hm. ...and some very dubious fashion choices along the way. (CHORTLES) Oh gosh, yes, and a big thank you to everyone out there too who's watched us, especially those of you who've been watching for 40 years. Yes, and later in the year, we're gonna be taking a more detailed look at our 40-year history, including the great Fair Go mystery ` where is our first show? Where is our first show? That is the show for tonight, but we will be on Facebook for the next half hour to answer your questions. And like we always say, our programme is all about your problems, your thoughts or concerns, so please do contact us. We're waiting right here just for you. Yes, you can get us on Facebook or email us ` Write to us ` That's our show. Until next week,... ...goodnight.