* Tonight ` the hidden danger of mould. I feel like we are being held to ransom. Annie's been waiting nearly eight years for her earthquake-damaged home to be repaired. Now it's been invaded by a silent killer. I find it, uh,... an unnatural coincidence. One is dead; one is dying, and there is me, trying to figure out what's happening to my lungs. Plus, be aware of the baby trap. I'm actually just calling to talk about my application for student allowance. Getting ahead just got a whole lot harder for this young mum. I've got an extra mouth to feed, and we don't qualify for it at all. And while we're on the topic of little bundles of joy,... ...are you feeding your baby's sugary addiction? Some baby food does have added sugar, which is crazy, and it's completely unnecessary. Copyright Able 2018 Kia ora. Welcome to the show. We spend an average of 16 hours a day living in our homes. If it's damp and poorly ventilated, you're probably sharing it with mould. It is a serious issue that's brought heartache to a Christchurch woman who has waited nearly eight years for her earthquake-damaged home to be repaired. Here's Garth. It was the shakedown, the omen, a hint of what was still to come. It was very noisy, and it moved around a lot. It shook very hard. Pretty scary. My microwave ended up in my fish tank. September 4, 2010 at 4.35am. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake centred on Darfield rocked Canterbury to its core. MAN: Do we have water pressure here? No one died, but for so many woken, it was the end of resting easy. Hard to reach back and remember. Annie Bermingham had lived a full life until then. You were pretty active before all this. What was active Annie like? I would be out surfing as many days as I could. You knopw, it would take a lot to stop me being out in the water. These days, she has neither time nor energy. Her home of 16 years was damaged in the 2010 quake and again in 2011. The house was immaculate and in good condition, and we, you know, loved it. It belonged to my brother before I bought it off him. So, we have a love of the art-deco style of it, but it's just been deteriorating into the ground. The whole place has also tilted past a crucial threshold. There's no good ground here. They've done geological testing, and there's no good ground. The place has also been leaking since at least 2015 because of the quake damage, despite insurance repairs to make it safe while they ponder the foundations. This is a complicated repair, without doubt. It could have been sorted a long time ago. It's bad, but not so bad. A month ago, Annie rented a caravan and shifted out of the house while she continues to argue with Tower Insurance. It took over the claim from EQC four years ago. We decided to get, uh, a caravan so we can be on-site and document everything. So we have to document everything we own to put in to find out what can be decontaminated. Yes, her home's no longer fit to live in. But it gets worse. This is Loki. Loki, aka Honey Bear. Long nose, beautiful dog. (CHUCKLES) Loki was 2. He was put to sleep a few months ago after a mystery illness. He died of a pulmonary haemorrhage, effectively drowning in his own lungs. The same day, she found out 8-year-old Bunny is also on borrowed time. Even that's not the worst news. I find it, uh, an unnatural coincidence. One is dead; one is dying, and there's me, trying to figure out what's happening with my lungs, and it's all respiratory. Annie had asthma before the quakes, but now, she's on much stronger treatment, and her doctors are trying to diagnose what's started showing up on her lungs. I'm finding it quite hard. Then came the final blow ` one that, to Annie at least, seemed to make some sense of it all. This winter, when the mould test came in, it was as if a light switched on. And it made sense of what has been a harrowing time looking after dead and dying creatures and... progressively adjusting to... you know, my changed health conditions. On medical advice, Tower paid for air-quality testing inside her house. The results were stark ` aspergillus, a harmful fungus, in huge quantities. The lab report told her the natural background level is zero to 200 spores. The spore count for aspergillus in the clearest space tested was nearly 3500. In Annie's bedroom ` over 8000. In the kitchen, it was nearly 12,000, nearly 60 times higher than normal. You'd have to imagine that post-earthquake, the houses that have been broken, that are not as watertight would pose a significant health issue, and that's what we're concerned about. Dr Epton isn't commenting specifically on Annie's health ` no one has diagnosed her yet ` so he's speaking in general terms here. Mould affects people in two ways ` either the mould actually gets into people's lungs and causes infection and inflammation. But the more troublesome thing, and I think the thing that we're dealing with in Christchurch, is that mould produces chemicals, and they're the things that give mould a smell. And we know that a whole load of these substances that are produced into the air of houses can potentially cause lung inflammation and potentially lead to an increase in people's symptoms and more likelihood of getting, for instance, chest infections. Bottom line ` if you can smell mould, it might be able to harm your health, but how much is hard to say. If someone has got an underlying lung or health problem and there's a cold, damp mouldy house, then it's worth considering whether that is having an effect on that person's health. And maybe not just people. Annie has been told the illness that is killing Bunny is aspergillosis. Huge aspergillosis fungal balls in there, eating into the cribriform plate between her sinus and her brain. She looks perfectly healthy from the outside. Inside, just like the house, there's something going on. That's right. When it hits all the way through, she'll have seizures, and we'll need to have her put down. Experts we consulted are divided. Bunny's fungus could well have come from a natural source outside or from inside the quake-damaged home. The mould report tells me that all of that was all preventable. As soon as it had the report, Tower Insurance acted swiftly, paying Annie $27,000 to shift out and store her stuff. That's how she could afford to rent this caravan. It's on-site, and it means I can still do all the work. More than that, my mum and my daughter live really close by. But that's her full relocation payment under the policy, so Annie has to make it last until the house is repaired. She's already been waiting eight years for that to happen. I feel like we're being held to ransom and being robbed of many years. It is important to point out that Tower only took over this claim from EQC four years ago and lays blame on Annie for one year of delay. Annie says that delay was spent getting her own advice, which helped her to argue for changes to what Tower's experts proposed. So after we spent $16,000 on reports, they came to the party on that. We're still waiting for a detailed design on the foundation. Fair Go understands that design was finalised the day after we contacted Tower about this story. Tower has implied the leaks may not be quake-related, and right after the 2010 quake, EQC claimed Annie's roof was in poor condition. Just an observation filed with no report to back it up. But Annie had proof from a detailed inspection 10 weeks before that first quake that her roof was in good condition. And both EQC and Tower have since paid to try to fix leaks they agreed were caused by quake damage. So far, Annie has seen two 'scope of works' proposals. She says they weren't detailed enough for her experts to evaluate. How hard is it to just attend to this and sort it out ` for myself and others? The estimated repair bill has risen from $425,000 to $546,000 A rebuild would cost more ` at least $800,000, by one rough estimate. Annie just wants a house she can live in safely so she can get out of the caravan and focus on her health. In my view, I think that they should be moving heaven and earth to get us settled and out. This is a battle that Annie feels has literally taken nearly everything she has of value ` a terrible price for trying to hold on to her home. Hmm. Hideous situation. And look, it seems unbelievable, but it was eight years ago tomorrow that Christchurch was rocked by the first big quake. According to the insurance council, 26,000 claims for homes needed repair or rebuilding have been settled ` which is good news ` but there's still another 2000 waiting to be settled, and that is eight years. Wow. Too long. Too long. Coming up after the break ` a love story with an unexpected and expensive twist. Whoo-hoo! Having a baby is expensive. Just calling to talk about my application for student allowance. It's also made getting an education a whole lot harder for this young mum. I think that's why I got so angry and I was, like, in a rage, messaged you. And are you unwittingly feeding your baby's sugar addiction? Some baby food does have added sugar, which is crazy, and it's completely unnecessary. * Welcome back. Did you know the average student loan is now more than $20,000? Nearly three-quarters of a million Kiwis are paying off a mortgage on their brain. There are allowances available to those struggling to make ends meet, but beware of the baby trap. It can leave you seriously out of pocket. Here's Gill. Whoo-hoo! Little Kendall was an unexpected gift. Yeah, a great surprise, but wouldn't have it any other way. Whoosh! (CHUCKLES) She gives her mum, Danielle, heaps of joy and a drive to do better in life. I want to be able to pay for the dance lessons and everything else in how many years' time. And if I'm stuck in a job that I don't necessarily love, and... You know, I just wanted to have a job I was proud of. Danielle couldn't see that happening with the university degree she tried first. I'd done speech therapy before. And, for me, I just` I didn't enjoy that as much. But she didn't come away empty-handed. She got Jonny. We just met, fell in love, and decided to get married young. Obviously, I loved him. (LAUGHS) I still do. Jonny's working in double glazing ` a reasonable salary ` but they say not enough for the future they want. Kendall's obviously going to get more and more expensive as she gets older. So Danielle's back to full-time study for that better future, all while looking after Kendall. I'm studying a bachelor of business, majoring in accounting. What do you hope it will lead to? An accounting job, hopefully. (LAUGHS) Well, that all sounds good, doesn't it? But Danielle is frustrated, and that's all because of the rules around student allowances. It was a massive, like, shock. You see, when Danielle was at uni, her allowance was based on her parents' income. They earned less than the threshold of $55,000 a year, meaning a full grant of $9276. My parents ` I don't think they'd mind me saying that they're a lower-income family. We're a one-income... Like, I come from a one-income family, so qualified for the full amount. Even when she married, the student allowance stayed the same ` still based on her parents' income. If you are married or in a de facto relationship, it doesn't count. Like, you're not classified as a couple unless you're over 24. She's still 23, still married. The only change is she has a baby. So now she's back to studying full time, she expected at least the same grant. I just kinda assumed there was a wee bit more help. But she found the opposite. Her application was declined. Student allowance ` zero. I think I was just really surprised because my sister is in the same position ` but she'll be married under 24, same parents, same threshold ` she gets the full allowance. And then, I've got an extra mouth to feed, and we don't qualify for it at all. I'm actually just calling about my application for student allowance. She rang Studylink to find out why. All they said to me was that that's the system they've put in place. You sit here. The Ministry of Education confirmed that once a student has a baby, their income isn't based on their parents income any more; it's based on their own income and their partner's, and to get a full grant again, between them, they'd have to earn less than $22,590 a year. Like, no one's partner who is working full-time is gonna be earning, like, $11 an hour before tax. It just` It really frustrated me. You should be able to get it if you're on minimum wage. And at this rate, like, no one is earning low enough. There are other forms of financial help for parents who study, but what did Studylink tell her about them? Nothing. Well, obviously, I get student loan in place of allowance, there was no suggestions for why or what other things could help. So Danielle got in touch with Fair Go. We contacted the Ministry of Social Development, and then Studylink rang her back,... Oh, then I got a call, (LAUGHS) which you don't normally get. ...this time explaining the additional help, but it's only so much. They suggested that I put in the wrong forms and then said, 'Oh, you might qualify for some accommodation supplement and childcare subsidy.' The childcare subsidy is irrelevant, because she looks after Kendall herself, studying when Jonny's back home. The accommodation allowance is very welcome. But add that to her family tax credit, and she works out the total as $6506 a year. The student allowance was over $9000. So that's $2770 less. Just meant to help low-income families, so I think that's why I got so angry and I was, like, in rage, messaged you. Was like, 'Gotta get this sorted.' (LAUGHS) It's more than a little ironic, given the Ministry of Education says the system reflects that students with dependent children face additional financial needs. I genuinely think it needs to be looked at and really make it fairer, cos it's unfair for families who are trying to better their future for their children. Just to be clear, Danielle's no bludger. She works one night a week at a restaurant, much to Kendall's dismay. (CRIES) She also makes baby clothes to sell at markets. So she knows they can get by. Like, I'm really thankful for the amount of money we can get from the government to help us, but I'm thinking about all young families and young parents in New Zealand ` it's not just us. Any changes might be too late for them, but they hope common sense will eventually take over. In the meantime... But I'm taking it Kendall's worth it? Yeah, she's so worth it. So much work, but she's so good. (LAUGHS) Now, we've been in touch with the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Education. And they don't seem to share the view that Danielle is worst off for having a baby. They told us... Hmm. Keep going. Right. (LAUGHS) Continuing with the baby theme ` every parent wants the best for their child. So what should we be looking for when we hit the baby food aisle? Healthy Food Guide nutritionist Claire Turnbull's got some tips. There's a huge amount of choice when it comes to store-bought baby food, but make sure you know exactly what you're buying. The main thing to consider when you're buying baby food is to check the ingredients list as well as looking what's written on the front of the packet. So, it might say something like, kumara, carrot and apple, but you look at the back and it's 60% apple, and you don't want to be giving fruit as the main thing for all meals. You are really setting up your taste buds of your child at that point in time. So if they are being offered fruit-based, sweet-based food all the time, that's what they're gonna to get used to. It's very difficult to move from apple-based everything on to broccoli. So you really need to actually help train your baby to prefer savoury-tasting foods, because that's much more helpful for when things go on later in life. Babies are sweet enough, so also make sure there's no added sugar in any of your baby food. Yes, so some baby food does have added sugar, which is crazy, and it's completely unnecessary. So, you know, there's a lot of custards on the market, which your little one might absolutely love, but it's not really great for them to be having those a lot. That was really interesting. Mm. Been a while since I've been on the baby food, but, man, times have changed. I know. Claire had some more good information about baby food and allergies ` when to feed babies certain foods. We've popped that on our Facebook page. Coming up after the break ` we've got some feedback for Trade Me Insurance and it involves a very angry, red face. OK, I'll be the computer, cos that's how people get in touch with us. His car was trashed and smashed by thieves. But it was his insurance company that got him really upset. I cringe when I hear the name. It's take a while, but payday has finally arrived. * Welcome back. Good things take time, and here at Fair Go, we are always prepared to play the long game. A couple of months back, we told you about Luke Chammen's run-in with Trade Me and Tower Insurance. His car was trashed and smashed by thieves, but it was Trade Me and Tower that fuelled his sense of injustice. Here's Anna. Luke Chammen's got a new ride, but he didn't find this one on Trade Me. I cringe when I hear the name. He's lost all love for the online platform after being given the runaround by Trade Me Insurance. Back in June, Luke came to Fair Go after his car was stolen, wrecked, but then recovered by police. He'd filed a claim with his insurer, Trade Me, but after months of waiting, the company turned down his claim, and then gave Luke the bill for storing his car. If I was to pick this car up, as we speak, it would be between 2200 and 2500. And do you have that sort of cash just lying around? Unfortunately not. I'll be the computer, cos that's how people get in touch with us. After Fair Go got involved, Trade Me Insurance, which is actually Tower Insurance, agreed to waive the storage fee. But it wouldn't cover Luke's claim, saying it assessed the damage at just 184 bucks. They've made some pretty serious errors in judgement. Luke's story caught the attention of one viewer in particular ` insurance adviser David Crawford. David gave me a call and said he'd like to lend his hand and expertise in the area, and he passed me on to a friend of his, which had 30 years' experience. He was absolutely flabbergasted at the mismanagement of the quote and how they've dealt with the entire process. With that help, Luke challenged Tower's assessment of his case, and the insurer then did a U-turn, offering Luke a pay out. Tower says they did this based on new information in the independent assessor's report. It was eight times more the value of what Tower Insurance came up with, so Tower came out with a couple of hundred dollars, because they only recognised a portion of what was actually damaged on the car. Luke got just over a $1000 settlement from Trade Me Insurance, minus his excess, of course, but we'll still call this a win. I'd like to thank David Crawford. He was extremely helpful. I couldn't have done this without him and his help with his associates. And I can only thank Fair Go as well for their involvement in this for what should have been a simple claim. When is corporate New Zealand gonna learn you don't try and palm off Anna Burns-Francis? I've tried. I owed her some money for lunch the other day. Whew! She's like a dog with a bone. Good outcome. Nice work. OK, time to talk about the Kids' Ad Awards. This year's theme is tourism. We want you to sell your special slice of Kiwi paradise. Thanks to the wonderful generosity of Canon, we've got some amazing prizes up for grabs. There'll be two big winners ` one in our primary-intermediate category and the other in our secondary category. The winning schools will get thousands of dollars worth of Canon goodies, including and interactive learning suite that includes a very smart board and a Canon projector, two Canon EOS M50 cameras plus lenses, camera bags batteries and cards and a printer and paper pack and also $2000 in cash. Wow. That makes first prize worth nearly $10,000. The runner-ups are also well looked after. The second prize winner gets the latest Canon digital video camera and $500 cash. And third prize gets the latest Canon digital video camera. The total prize package is worth more than $22,000, so a huge thanks to Canon. Yes, and only four weeks to get those ads in to us. And, this year, to make things interesting, the Fair Go Amateur Dramatic Society will be making its own tourism ad. So if you want us to come and promote your special slice of NZ, please get in touch. I'm not sure that's much of a privilege anyway. (LAUGHS) So that's the show, but we're always here to help. Yes, our programme is all about you, so if you've got a wrong you want made right or feel like you're not getting a Fair Go, do drop us a line. We're on Facebook or you can email us ` fairgo@TVNZ.co.nz or write to us ` Private Bag 92038 in Auckland. The postcode is 1142. Thank you for watching. I'm thinking for that tourism ad ` Yes. I'd love to go to the West Coast. Send us an email. Until next week,... BOTH: ...po marie.