4 ...proudly brought to you by Mazda. Tonight on Sunday, young women and booze. A scary cocktail. What have you been drinking? Wine? How much wine have you been drinking? It's not the drinking, it's how they're drinking. I was tough and I was just like the boys, and I could drink just as much. Young women are the new problem drinkers. We don't want her choking on her vomit. They're utterly vulnerable. They can't stand up. They can barely communicate. I could become a real bitch. From a life of crime,... Assault police officers. Unlawfully takes motor vehicle. MD. ...to life in the outdoors and the long ride to redemption. When you're out there riding, your mind's just free, really. Breaking the cycle. I love showing people what is possible in themselves. (GUNFIRE) And she's using her voice as a weapon. # United. United. # The pop star at the top of the ISIS hit list. Monsters. One word ` monsters. We're inside the city of Mosul in the last days of the ISIS empire. (MACHINE GUNFIRE) Captions by Anne Langford. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 Kia ora. I'm Miriama Kamo. Turning 18 is a big deal for Kiwi teenagers. They can vote, get married, make a will, and, eagerly anticipated, buy alcohol. But that freedom is having serious consequences for young Kiwi women. Experts say the girls are outdrinking the boys. Tonight, Hayley Holt reveals her battle with the booze, but first we go for a night on the town. It's disturbing and we reveal exactly who is most at risk. Here's Melissa Stokes. (ELECTRONIC MUSIC, CHATTER) It's violent, messy. Keep your head up. You wanna keep your airway` You don't wanna choke on your vomit. It's young women behaving badly. Young, good-looking girls think they can get away with whatever they want. An extreme group drinking themselves into a state they'd rather forget... I can call an ambulance. ...and often do. They're the ones that are coming in just plain pissed. They couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag. So just what is going on with women? Tonight we go public and deeply personal. I was tough and I was just like the boys and I could drink just as much and I could be just as raucous. (SIREN WAILS) (INDISTINCT CHATTER) What song do you guys want? It could be any flat on any weekend anywhere in the country. This is Amy's place, and along with her mates, it's time to relax and get ready for a night out. (POP MUSIC PLAYS) Describe the perfect night out. We would go to the flat, have a few drinks and go to town, get some food and then come home. That would be it, I'd say, for most New Zealand teenagers. The food is the best part. She's been restrained by security and we... The night's just getting started here too. What bar's that? Auckland Police City District Command Centre ` Got a bit of a scrap on camera. RT: Yeah, can you see what happened? ...a place where they see... They're lining up. The preloaders are already there. ...and have seen it all. Inspector Mark Benefield, 28 years in the force. There's one female being restrained by security. This is the Auckland he deals with after dark. The violence is quite horrible, you know. Not so much pretty as pretty ugly. You'll have to sit with her, eh, cos you don't want her choking on her vomit. Yeah. Yeah, OK. That's terrible. She shouldn't get drunk and fall in the middle of the street. We're here for her care and protection. They're all running around preloading, walking up to the door with bottles of wine in their hand. It's a tiring sight for bar managers like Chris Barron. His team turns away dozens of drunk young women a night. Men or women ` which are the worst`? Would you say which is the worst to deal with? OK, I'll tell you what, so girls will turn up to the door just expecting to get in, so they'll turn up more intoxicated, whereas the guys ` they know we're gonna be tougher on them, so they turn up a bit more, like, 'We gotta keep our crap together to get in,' you know? So, yeah, turning up to the door, probably more intoxicated young girls. Are you gonna look after her? Cos she needs to be` She doesn't look very well. For some this is the result. Are you all right? What have you been drinking? Wine? How much wine have you been drinking? Oh, it's pretty standard for the team to have to deal with that every week. The risk that they put themselves at is scary. They say they can drink and hold their drink like anybody else, but they're drinking wine and spirits at 15%, 20% alcohol level. You go from being compos mentis to, you know, unconscious in the state of one drink. And the amount of alcohol they've drunk ` it would anaesthetize an elephant. Our young women grossly drunk and to dramatic effect. (KENDRICK LAMAR'S 'SWIMMING POOLS') Not just keeping up with the boys but ` in hospital admissions for intoxication ` surpassing them. Women in terms of just plain pissed actually dominate. Doctor Paul Quigley has walked these halls for more than a decade as an emergency department specialist in Wellington, and for those 10 years, the hard-core party girl has remained a problem. People blame a lot of binge drinking and even alcohol problems on men. You know, it's a male problem. The thing, I think, that surprised a lot of people when we brought it down to cold, hard numbers and actually looked at it was realising how many women there are. If you look at those early age groups ` you know, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 ` it can get as high as 60-40 for females versus boys. On a Friday or Saturday night, it's busy. The young girls, in particular, turning up really drunk like that upsets the staff more than anything, particularly the female nursing staff who get a bit motherly over it for those ones, because they are just so vulnerable. I mean, they're utterly vulnerable. You could do literally anything to them because they can't stand up, they can barely communicate, and then when they do come round, half of them can't even recall how they got to hospital, how they even got out for the night, because their memory's just wiped, so anything could have happened. That now-all-important 18th birthday can lead to a binge-drinking blowout. The biggest peak is 17 to 18. 18 is by far and away the biggest and, again, that's what you would expect. That's just` The gates are open and you can have a go and it all goes wrong. And a bad end to the night can often be blamed on how you start. Preloading ` it's a term most of us are familiar with. Filling up on booze before hitting town. That is a slightly new phenomena that we've seen. The truly intoxicated group actually come in earlier than you'd think. They're preloading at home, getting really intoxicated, hitting town and then the first thing they do when they hit town is have a few shots, and they have three or four of those and basically fall over. And so they're in. When you turned 18, what was that like? Did that feel like, 'Oh, I'm an adult now'? It's, like, a big thing. It was a big thing? Yeah. It's like, the first night you go to town, it's, like, the best thing ever. Back at the flat... our 18- to 20-year-olds are about to head out. Tonight they've replaced vodka with water for our cameras. So what time would you start getting ready? Um... Depending how long we want to, like, pre-drink for, I suppose. Yeah, sometimes we'll get ready at, like, 4 o'clock, and sometimes it could be, like, 7 o'clock. It's simple economics and, they reckon, just the Kiwi way. Yeah, it's probably one of the things that you` You're like, 'Oh, I wanna pre-drink heaps so I don't have to buy drinks in town,' because you're gonna come back the next day and you've spent a couple hundred in town on alcohol. Would you ever go out having not had a drink at home? No. Not to town. Like, everyone else is gonna be drunk. It's just, like, what you do. Yeah. It's just New Zealand culture. ALL: Cheers! But now town beckons. Why is drinking so attractive to young women? People believe that it is going to be a very positive experience. They also believe it's a very normal thing to do ` that everybody's drinking at that level and all their friends are. New research from Massey University has revealed a small but extreme group of alcohol-guzzling women, mostly under the age of 24, are now our biggest problem drinkers. A very small group of young women who are drinking very, very heavily. That's about 9000 young New Zealand women. What kind of amounts are they drinking? Well, we worked it out and the equivalent of about 26 cans of 7% RTDs a week, which they can buy now for about $40. But while many revel in a night out, the study also showed these heavy drinkers had the lowest level of satisfaction with life. I think the environment that we allow our kids to grow up in is supporting poor drinking choices. I drive with my kids in the car and half the time want to turn the radio off because they're singing along to these tunes that are all about getting smashed and how great it is to do that and 'I'm gonna lose it all tonight.' (RIHANNA'S 'CHEERS (DRINK TO THAT)') So they've been sold this dream... Yeah. ...but it doesn't look like it in here. No one releases a pop hit about how I vomited my guts out for the next four hours the following day and had to take a morning after pill cos I don't know who f`ed me up the day before. You know, no one makes a pop song about that. Coming up... The realisation that it was a problem came in my 20s, but I didn't deal with it then because I was probably too far into it. Our girls arrive in town. Bye! And it's not just girls. There's a group of New Zealanders out there that every day they finish work, they must have an alcohol drink just to get over the day. I mean, that's` that's terrible. 5 (UPBEAT MUSIC) A crisp winter morning,... ...and mingling at the market, a rising star in the political world. Kia ora. Hi. Can I give you a pamphlet? Sure. I'm the Green Party candidate for Helensville. You may know Hayley Holt as a ballroom dancer,... ...a snowboarder,... ...TV personality,... We've come to the British Banya, which is a traditional Russian spa... but once there was a different side. On a beautiful day like this, like, in your 20s, what would you have been doing on a Sunday morning? I would have been sleeping. I probably would have woken up at maybe 11 or 12 if I was lucky and then rung my friends, see where the party was at, gone round there, started drinking in the sunshine and that's your day. That's your weekend gone. Hayley excelled at almost everything she tried, including binge drinking. I probably would drink more than most because I was awkward. You'd get pissed before you go out, then you'd be out at an event or a party or whatever you were doing and you'd drink more, and then you'd go home and you'd continue drinking until there was no drink left in the house or you were just too exhausted and you passed out. I don't think I can remember actually putting myself to bed willingly. I would always be the last one standing. Was it a lot of alcohol that you were drinking? It was a lot and that was almost, when I was young, a source of pride. You know, that kind of 'I can keep up with the boys' mentality. I remember doing funnels at parties and thinking that that was really cool and that, you know, I was tough and I was just like the boys and I could drink just as much and I could be just as raucous. What surprised us was this what we call the masculinization of feminine drinking. They tended to be drinking more without knowing it than the boys, and so when you actually added up the standard drinks that was being drunk as a group, the women were actually drinking more alcohol, and yet they have a smaller body weight. They are significantly more intoxicated than the boys. I actually started ballroom dancing when I was 7 years old. By the time I was 18 I had turned professional. From Auckland, New Zealand, David Yeates and Hayley Holt. The first intoxicating taste started in her teenage years. Yeah, I probably learned to party through ballroom dancing. I was allowed to go out with all the older dancers and go to the bars on K Road when I was about 14 or 15. That's terrible. I'm sorry, Mum. And when she turned 18, a few seasons chasing winters. So snowboarding when I was doing it was quite anti-establishment. There wasn't so much training or health or sports fitness involved. It was more, 'Get out there and ride and at night, party.' And then a TV break ` New Zealand's Dancing with the Stars... ...which led to the big time ` Strictly Come Dancing in the UK. You're from New Zealand? Sure am. Always loved your butter. Strictly Come Dancing was just quite a surreal experience. I was kind of out of my depth. I mean, we would go to all the cool bars, all the cool nightclubs and we'd sort of get into the VIP line and we'd be sitting there with bottles of vodka on the table that cost about 600 pounds or something crazy. Alcohol always available and Hayley always ready to party. I was actually quite socially awkward and drinking allowed me to feel relaxed and to feel confident, and it sort of gave me an in to sort of hang out with people I thought were cool. The realisation that it was a problem came in my 20s, probably, but I didn't deal with it then because I was probably too far into it, so it took me a good 10 years before I knew that I had a problem. I would also get a little bit... hands-on. I'd hate to say violent, but yeah, I used to, like, kick people and think that it was really funny. People started not inviting me to parties, and one of my best friends said, 'I love you, Hayley, 'but I just don't wanna hang out with you when you're drinking any more.' But you had this life, I guess, from the outside ` you had your snowboarding, the ballroom dancing, Richie McCaw's girlfriend for a time ` your life looked pretty good. Was it? My life was good. I mean, I had a great life. But Hayley now admits it affected every relationship she's had. None of my boyfriends were stoked that I was a big drinker. They wanted to go out and have fun, not look after me. My mum hated it because I could become a real bitch, and I'm sorry for my language, but, you know, I said some awful things to my mum that I really regret and` Oh my God, I'm gonna cry. Um... Yeah, and it really... Yes, it worried me. I knew it was a problem and it was a problem that wasn't getting better. The damage moved from private to public. You're in the bad books. Yeah, well, I may very well be, you know. You're never in the bad books. Never. Were you drunk when you went in to work? I mean, yeah. Yes, I was. Yep. Taken off air from her radio job after turning up worse for wear. I was so humiliated that I couldn't leave my house for two days. I had all these people saying that I needed to say sorry to New Zealand for being drunk on More FM. So... It's probably one of the worst experiences that I've had. But the thing is I didn't stop then. It took me another year. Hayley isn't alone. More young women than ever are turning up at emergency wards drunk and in need of help. So it's a problem that's not going away? I don't think it is a problem that's going away. We've seen some declines in alcohol consumption across the whole population, although there is some sign in the official statistics that it's coming up again. We know there is still some very heavy drinking going on out there. Remember our 18- to 20-year-olds? They say it's just a phase. Yeah, like, I don't feel like I have to drink every weekend. I think it's just our culture. It's definitely a phase, eh? They're in for a shock. You may believe that, 'Oh, I'm just young and I'm hitting it pretty hard now 'but I'll grow up and I'll change.' No. If you expose the brain at an early age to this style of drinking so that you go, 'Right, I'm just gonna have 10, 15 drinks on a Saturday and get mashed and things,' then that's what the brain wants, and so it doesn't matter` As you grow up, that's the style of drinking you'll have. In town, Amy and her friends have their evening sorted. (LAUGHTER) Tell me about your night. What have you been doing so far? We've come out to go to a gig, actually, so, yep, gonna be a good night. It should be a good night. As long as we have our mates, eh? Yeah, we all stick together. Yep, and we do. Yeah, you look after each other. Yeah. This girls' night out ended as it should ` safe and sound. Bye! As for Hayley... My birthday is, like, next week. I know. I haven't even got you anything. I can't think of anything. You could magic up a man for me if you wanted. ...life's never been better. Her last drink ` two and a half years ago. Stopping was pretty much the hardest thing I've ever done. Would you say you were an alcoholic? I would say yes. I'm an alcoholic and I go to AA meetings because it's the only way that I know I'm gonna be able to stay sober. What do you see for the future of you now? Well, I mean, the changes in the last two and a half years have been so huge, I can't even imagine where I could get to. But this is my story and this is my journey. I can only hope that I'm just happy and that I've got real relationships and that I'm sober. And if you need a bit of encouragement to curb your drinking, 'Dry July' started yesterday, or seek help from your GP. Later, the angels of Mosul. A pop star and a child trauma specialist taking very different roles in the fight against Islamic State. But up next, how a humble mountain bike is helping turn around the lives of some of our most at-risk young people. When you're out there riding, your mind is just free, really. It's the road to the rest of your life. It's an opportunity that's never been given to these young people before ` to test themselves mentally, physically and also to challenge the community. 5 He was just a boy when his father was murdered. Reeling from his death, Reon Nolan began a life of crime. Drug addicted, over a hundred criminal convictions. The turning point came after a brutal prison fight. Since then, Reon's been turning others' lives around. For 11 years, he's been taking troubled youth off the path to prison and on the road to hope. How? Amazing what a gruelling mountain bike race can do. Here's Billie Jo Ropiha. It's race day in the majestic valley of Motatapu, on the shores of Lake Wanaka. And in these early hours, hundreds of athletes gather to take on the challenge that is Motatapu, a high-country race to Arrowtown. Amongst the hundreds of athletes are a bunch of young lads who are rearing to go. Hyped up. Ready for this event. I'm gonna smash it. Nervous. Excited. Yeah, very excited. Yeah, a bit nervous. Got a bit of a cold, but, yeah, I'll live, hopefully. This may look like an ordinary scene of excited young men, but what's extraordinary is how these three young men got here. My name is Shah. Aggravated assault, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle. I was dealing synthetics, weed, MD. My name is Leo. Burglary, assault a police officer. My name's Connor. My new patch. Today marked a day when these boys will say goodbye to the old life. What does The Road to Motatapu mean to you? It means... Nah. Means everything to me at the moment. When you're out there riding, your mind's just free, really. Yeah. The road to the rest of your life. I don't really care if I come first or last, as long as I cross that finish line on my two wheels. The race over Mt Motatapu ` the end goal of a six-month adventure therapy course to help turn these young men's lives around. They are here in part because of this guy ` Reon Nolan. How are you feeling this morning? Uh, pretty nervous, eh. For myself but also for the other guys. If I'm nervous and scared, then those guys are gonna be... shaking, probably. For six months, Reon and the boys have trained for this event. The group have biked through the hills of Christchurch, riding on second-hand and donated equipment. I'm not government-funded. I'm funded by people in the community ` an amazing family. Do you know what I mean? To help young people. To pull them up. Everything you see in this room is donated. Everything. Everything. Bikes, shoes, jerseys. Everything you can think of. Some member of the public has donated it to me to use me to get to the young people. Reon is a youth leader using the magic of mountain biking to tame the young and the lawless. From when we first started, from being in prison and now in the community, for me it's absolutely important for my life doing this stuff here. He's so good at connecting with these lads because he knows their world so well. He was just 12 years old when his father was murdered, carried away in a body bag. The day my father was murdered, I started looking for stuff to make myself feel better. And I was lost, lonely. I felt abandoned and very confused that my role model had gone, the person I wanted to be. And that's when I started doing the glue, sniffing the glue, the petrol out of the lawnmower. Anything. And then it just went on to marijuana. Someone taught me how to burgle houses. They taught me at the age of 14 what to do and I wanted to be a part of this. That was my next family, you know. From serious assault to possession. For 20 years, Reon Nolan has seen it, done it and spent time in prison for it. He amassed over 100 criminal convictions. What was your darkest moment in your life? Oh... Th-There's not one. It's like the whole thing is a dark moment, to be honest. Like, I've never been killed three or four times. I've nearly killed other people numerous amount of times, you know. I've nearly OD'd numerous amount of times. There's just hundreds. So what was the turning point in your life to a better life? I honestly reckon it was when I was, uh,... I had four or five guys come into my cell in C Block, come to stab me up. Two prison officers broke their procedure. They ran up to the top landing, jumped on top of me, fighting off these gang members, pulling me into my cell, locking the cell, and these were the guys I was taught as a young person to hate, despise and spit on. And now they're saving my life. Reon's long road to redemption started that day and for the past 11 years, he has worked with inmates to break their destructive cycle. So what does The Road to Motatapu really mean? Opportunity. It's an opportunity that has never been given to these young people before, to test themselves mentally, physically. Um, and also to challenge the community and the public's perception of criminals or young offenders or taggers. It's to understand, show them that they can actually achieve something with healthy people doing positive things around them. Connor, Liam and Chance ` from all different walks of life, but all on a path that would see them falter. I was dealing synthetics, weed, MD. A lot of drugs. Nothing to be proud of, though. I sort of drifted off and then got into a bit of crime. I got led up on to the wrong track and got locked up in Paparua Prison. I was sharing a cell with another guy. He was a gang member. I didn't know what was going to happen. Reon said to me, you know, 'If you ever get locked up after you're 17, 'it's a big change,' and all that stuff. So he's helped me since that day, you know. Having come out the other side of the legal system, the boys are now on their way to Motatapu. My goal is to get the five kids to the start line of Motatapu. They can do whatever they want. They will finish, but for the last six months, we've been through the emotional roller-coaster of life. They've started working. They've stopped working. They've started working. They've stopped working. They're having fights with Mum. They're not having fights. They've got on with their brother. So it's all those little conversations that we've had in the six months that are life-changing. To get to the start line was my goal for these guys. So we are back to where we started ` race day. (ALL TALK ENTHUSIASTICALLY) It's a gruelling 47km ride across mountainous alpine track. The rough terrain of Motatapu is brutal. Not for the fainthearted. It's a climb that claims many an athlete. But not these guys. Just two and a bit hours after starting, Reon crossing the finish line exhausted. These boys are gonna learn so much from this race, eh. If I was challenged, trying to talk myself out of it, scared, afraid. Those guys are going through that now, so it's pretty epic. This is exactly what we do this for. And just over an hour later, the first of The Believe Foundation riders makes it to the end. How was that, brother? I've got, like, sharp pains. (EXHALES) Good man, bro. You good? You OK? Each one of them physically and mentally challenged. Almost five hours after starting, young Connor completes the race. How do you feel, bro, about finishing the Motatapu, brother? Massive goal for you, Connor. You finished, bro. You made it the whole way. Yeah. Pretty challenging, bro? Yeah, it was at some points. You know, I just wanted to give it in. Find an excuse to go out, but it was probably easier to go forward than to go backwards. I'm only here because people see that I can make change. I feel good about myself. Feel real good, um,... that I've actually completed something good. He's had a big impact on all our lives cos he's gotten us into something that we like doing away from stuff that we thought we liked doing, like crime and stuff. He's pulled us all away from that and got us focused on the straight road instead of a curvy road. Well done. Well done. Oh, well done. Very proud. What about you, Dad? Yes! No, very proud. He's done good. I love showing people what is possible in themselves and opening their eyes up to epic opportunities out here. And last weekend the boys competed in another race ` the Waimakariri Bridge to Bridge. Connor was first in his age category and Reon won the overall title. All the boys are employed and doing well. And Reon is recruiting a new group to tackle next year's Motatapu marathon. Up next, the battle for Mosul and the pop star at the top of Islamic State's hit list. # United. United. # They started to send me pictures. There was pictures of a dead woman, and they would write, 'This is going to be you next.' It's a privilege to be on their death list because it means that my message, my song, is as strong as their weapons. # We are right here. # 3 Welcome back. Right now Mosul is one of the most important cities on the planet. It's where Islamic State is making its last stand in Iraq, where the battle against the ISIS regime is being won by coalition forces. And it's where Denham Hitchcock found a surprisingly powerful warrior in the fight against terrorism ` a young woman named Helly Luv, a pop star who ISIS wants dead. And just a caution, this story deals with challenging themes. How would you describe Islamic State? Monsters. One word. Monsters. (SPEAKS ARABIC) You may not know who she is, but here, Helly Luv is royalty; a famous pop star whose songs are an inspiration for these soldiers. And that's taken her right to the top of the Islamic State hit list. There's, basically, a price on your head. That's serious. How did that happen? First, I think, because I'm a woman. That's the first thing. And I'm not afraid to stand up and fight for my people. Also because I showed who they are, who they truly are. The monsters that they are. Tonight, we take you into the battle against Islamic State; the suicidal army making a final stand in Mosul. And we meet the freedom fighters, the singer fighting with her voice, the major general winning back his homeland and the Aussie risking her life for the victims of this barbaric, religious war. With every bomb, every gunshot, someone gets hurt or killed, someone suffers a loss. Someone's livelihood gets destroyed. It's pretty simple. We're on the streets of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and we're with the Iraqi special forces. We've got snipers that came from over in the left direction. Let's go! This is the new front line. (METAL DOOR CLANGS) And everyone here is on edge. OK. You ready? I'm going across. Hours earlier, two soldiers had been shot dead by Islamic State snipers. So these are the men holding the very front line, and you can see how careful everybody is here. This wall here, no one is sticking anything above it. There are sharpshooters, snipers, just on the other side, and they're taking shots every minute. MAN: Don't raise your head. Just put your camera... (GUNSHOT) Every time they have incoming fire, they fire back. (RAPID MACHINE-GUN FIRE) Let's go. Come on. Daily clearance teams like this one are taking an enormous risk. And for every single soldier here, it's personal. Drowned them? It must have been very difficult for you to watch. Yeah. Can you push them out of western Mosul? At one stage, Islamic State's army, including hundreds of Australians, had overrun much of Iraq and Syria. The biggest prize? Mosul, where their leader, al-Baghdadi, declared their so-called caliphate to the world. How important is this battle for Mosul? The savagery of ISIS is both primitive and indiscriminate. And some of the first to suffer are the women and children. What is life like for a woman under the rule of Islamic State? There's no life. How can you call that life? They are sold in the streets like meat would be sold. I mean, I don't know how to describe it without not telling the truth. They're being raped, they're being kept as a sex slave, tortured, killed. What else? It's ongoing. It's a hell. Helly Luv is a Kurdish singer. Her patriotic songs are a call to action against Islamic State. And that's made her a marked woman. (PERCUSSION MUSIC) ALL: # United, united. We're marching there. # United, united, we're marching there. # They started to send me pictures through my social media, private messages. There were pictures of a dead woman and they would write, 'This is going to be you next.' We're about 3km away from ISIS and... (GUNSHOTS) Yeah, it's pretty... It's pretty, um... (GUNSHOT) (GASPS) Well, after the break another determined woman introduces us to the most heart-breaking victims of the fighting in Mosul ` the children. So, you'll see a lot of kids draw things like this because this is the environment they've come from. It's unusual to see a child's drawing with tanks and men with guns. It's completely foreign to us, isn't it? Kids here have forgotten how to play. Part of Erin's job is to help them remember. (ALL EXCLAIM) 4 I've seen these families leaving Mosul and they've got everything packed into a suitcase, and this is where they end up? Yeah. This is where they end up. It's heart-breaking, but they're safe, and that's the main thing. Caught up in all this is another courageous woman ` an Australian. Very nice to meet you. Erin Joyce is a child-trauma specialist from Melbourne. Erin, what is a girl from Melbourne doing in a war zone? I'm here because, um, there are human beings that are suffering, and I'm acutely aware of my own privilege coming from Australia. And I just felt called to use my skills to be able to help people less fortunate than myself. This is Messi and Ronaldo, is it? Oh, what's this one? A truck. Oh, OK. It's combat-themed. This is her fourth trip to Iraq. So you will see a lot of kids draw things like this because this is the environment they've come from. This is what they've been seeing for the last two years. It's unusual to see a child's drawing with tanks and men with guns. Yeah, I mean, in Australia it's completely foreign to us, isn't it? And it isn't just tanks and guns. This is an unconventional war; a bizarre mix of medieval tactics like beheadings and crucifixions, endless car bombings and high-tech weaponry ` drones dropping grenades on to tanks and soldiers. It's no wonder the retribution against the Islamic State fighters is equally brutal. There are three bodies just on the street there behind me, and this is a very common sight here in Mosul. There are bodies littered almost everywhere. And the reason for it is very specific. It is an insult not to bury the body immediately. As we're filming, we're told one of the bodies is still wearing an explosive vest. Denham, come out of the way, mate. Just jump out for a sec. He's got a live suicide vest on. Then seconds later, one of the soldiers spots a drone. (GUNFIRE) (RAPID GUNFIRE) The drone up in the sky... Get inside the car! (EXPLOSION) Get in! Get in! Move! Is that a couple of drones or just the one? There were two. Two drones. Let's go! No, there's one right behind. It was above us. So two drones above us just while we were filming on the street. The drone attacks are a daily occurrence, that's why everyone is so jumpy. We are now moving quickly out of the area. 10 minutes later we see it again. Definitely a drone? That's a drone. I can almost see` It's coming at us again. (GUNSHOT) It's following our convoy. This plane is following us. Just hide our self for a little bit then we can move again. It's not safe. Straight up there. Get in! Get in! For three years, Islamic State has been virtually unstoppable. (JET ENGINE ROARS) But the fightback has gained momentum in recent months with the relentless barrage of coalition air strikes. But ISIS even had an answer for that. All those air strikes, billions of dollars' worth of bombs and missiles. This is how so many of those fighters survived. Islamic State carved a network of tunnels that run right underneath Mosul. And some of them, like this one, complete with electricity. That's a fan. And even CCTV cameras so they can see what's going on outside. Now, this one was abandoned only a few weeks ago. There's still clothing down here. And it was meant for people to spend extended periods of time underground. This, believe it or not, is a bedroom, complete with bed, a locker, fans. Plenty of room. Even food that's still left in this tray here. All that military technology, laser-guided precision bombs, beaten in the end by something as simple as a shovel and a pickaxe. (ENGINE RUMBLES) But ISIS has only delayed the inevitable. The reality is, in Mosul they're cornered and defeat is coming. There is not a single house that isn't riddled with bullet holes and not a single day where they don't have attacks here. Rebuilding this city will take time. Rebuilding lives, even longer. It's the kids. The kids really tug at the heart strings. You can't help but be affected. Yeah, well, they're kids. And kids here have forgotten how to play. Part of Erin's job is to help them remember. (ALL EXCLAIM) I saw you with those kids today. You were having a ball. Oh, yeah. (LAUGHS) It makes me feel like a kid again. They're just enjoying the moment. (ARABIAN MUSIC PLAYS) (PEOPLE CLAP) Ah! I think you need to work on your chair-game skills, though. You're a little slow. (LAUGHS) I was so scared I was going to break one of those little chairs. Despite what they've been through, such open, smiling, happy faces, do you worry about what's underneath that? If children feel safe, they can thrive. Kids are amazingly resilient. Probably more resilient than adults some times, I think. Over the coming months, the courage and resilience of everyone in this region will be tested. I always say that if this song is my last message or if something happens, then I can be so proud because I did something good. It's a privilege to be on their death list because it means that my message, my song is as strong as their weapons. # We are right here. # The Iraqi government estimates that in the eight-month campaign to retake Mosul from ISIS, more than half a million people have been made homeless. And that is our show for tonight. Do join us on Facebook and Twitter, Sunday TVNZ. Thanks for joining us this evening. Nga mihi nui, hei kona.