- Tonight on Sunday ` How did a picture perfect day at the beach go so wrong? - You could see the death in the water. You could hear it. You could smell it. - A day in the waves... - Your arm rounds and rounds, and you get a breath in when you can. - And I thought, I'm gonna` I'm gonna die. - ...Became a day they'll never forget. - Could you even comprehend that that had happened? - No. I just, I just couldn't. - Through goes Robertson. - Once I became an All Black, I knew that I wanted to be an All Black coach. - And we're at home with Razor. - You know, All Blacks win. That's what you do. - On the rejections and what's ahead. - The first time was tough. The second time` (EXHALES). And the third time was like, ooh, OK. - Is there some fear in you? - Plus ` remembering a friend, Matthew Perry. - I consider myself losing a son and the other kids losing a brother. - The good times... - Could we be more white trash? - ...And the struggles. - You know, Matthew had had his problems, but he was on a good path. - Kia ora, I'm Miriama Kamo. January 18th. It's a beautiful day, a beach day. Donna and her family go to Opoutere Beach in the Hawke's Bay. But the effects of a recent cyclone are still broiling under the surface. The family of seven becomes caught in a rip, and their lives are changed forever. As we move into the summer season, the family want to share their tragedy and a vital message with you. Here they are with Kristen Hall. (WATER SPLASHES) (PERSON CHOKES AND GASPS) - I was just getting slammed by these huge, huge waves. - It was almost like a washing machine. You were getting, like, pulled back and forth. And I just remember wanting it to just come knock me out or just like, you know, take me right then and there. - You know, I honestly thought I was going to die. - There are few places Kiwis love more than the coast. Vast ocean, pounding waves, And for each tiny grain of sand, a memory of summers gone by. - So many photos of beaches. - This was you guys every summer, at the beach? - We'd always go somewhere. The kids dug holes, and we were always right there. Like, right within arm's length. - The Cruickshanks. Mum Donna, Dad Ian, and kids Samuel, Isabella, Ben and Jamie. A tight family unit from the tiny settlement of Takapau in Hawke's Bay. Ian built the house they've lived in for the last 16 years. - I met Ian at church. We hung out in the same friend group for about a year before he got around to asking me out. - What caught your eye about him in the first place? - His hair. (LAUGHS) He had a beautiful curly mullet. - And you thought 'that's a bit of me'? - Yeah. (LAUGHS) It was kind of ringlety, like it was... It was... It was something pretty spectacular, yep. - A trend setter and a romantic. - (LAUGHS) - Whitcoulls. - Is it a Whitcoulls bag? Yum, some biersticks. - He was just lovely and very protective of me. We would always hold hands, and we still did. Right up until the day everything happened. Every night when he came home from work, we'd sit down with a coffee and cake and talk about our day. - An orchardist by trade, Ian passed on his sensitivity and his smile to son Samuel. - It's tempting. (WHAM'S 'LAST CHRISTMAS' PLAYS) # But the very next day, you gave it away. # - Samuel... Samuel was the one most like Ian. In looks and in temperament. He was his mini me. He was funny, silly... This is so cute. He loved his little cousins. You look comfy, Samuel. - I am very comfy. - He was a 15-year-old... ...cool kid. Just really kind. - I'm spraying your hair. - OK. - To untie your knots. - To untie my knots? - Siblings don't always get along. How did you two get along? - I think we probably got along the best. It was always kind of me and Samuel, and Ben and Jamie. - OK, OK. - Isabella's boyfriend, 20-year-old Ethan Goddard. Part of the crew as well. - Me and Samuel were kind of similar in a lot of ways. He loved his basketball. I used to give him a bit of trash talk for his chosen team. You know, these guys are like a second family to me. - In January, after weeks of rain and a battering from Cyclone Hale, a scorching day brought the group of seven to Opoutere Beach in the Coromandel, 20km from Whangamata. No shops, patchy cell phone reception; a slice of secluded paradise. - I can remember walking through that forest with Ian, just talking about how nice it was that they've gone off ahead of us and we're not worrying. This is amazing. Just really talking about how good this stage of our lives was. Yeah. - After nearly 23 years of marriage. It would be their last conversation, and their last swim together as a family. - It was beautiful. It was sunny, clear. Really lovely day. And Ian had said, 'oh no, I'm not going to go in'. 'Oh, you guys go in.' But he changed his mind and came in with us. - The waves, kind of, they were fine for a little bit. And then they started picking up. Ethan and Samuel were way far out, and they're coming over a wave, and they're kind of just being dragged out the back of it and kind of screaming and waving their arms, like, 'help, help!' - I wouldn't have been much deeper than here when I got caught. Another wave pushed me off balance and I was gone. I could hear Isabella screaming. - A whole family dragged out in seconds. - I tried to go under a wave and ended up being spat back at the other side of it. - I could see other people on the beach, and I could see them looking at me, and I thought, I'm gonna` I'm gonna die. And they're just going to watch me, like, why is nobody coming? - Isabella tried to let the rip take her like she'd been taught at school, but she got pulled into bigger and bigger waves. - It was intense. It was almost like a washing machine. You were getting pulled back and forth. I got angry, to be honest, and I kind of thought, 'well, I'm not done yet. Like, this isn't OK. This isn't fair.' - Samuel, Ben and Ethan were the furthest out. - Your arm rounds and round, and you get a breath in when you can. It was like being slapped in the back, just, over and over and over again. - I had two thoughts in my head. Don't fight it. And breathe. I just let myself be hammered by these waves. And whenever I could get my head above the water, I breathed. I realised there was ground under my feet. Well, they got me onto the beach and I could see Jamie there, and he told me that everyone else was still in there. Couldn't believe it. Could not believe it. - All that was on my mind was Samuel. A 15-year-old kid way out from the shore, tried to get over to him, hold on to his hand or his arm, or just try and keep him up above the water. One wave came and s` smashed both of us, and then I don't remember seeing him after that. - And what was going through your mind when that happened? - I'm done for. There's no way that I'm gonna get back to shore, you know? And there's no way that anyone else is gonna get out to me without, you know, putting themselves in any danger. So I was like, well, you know, this is it. - Out of nowhere, this guy comes along on a kid's boogie board. And it was Robin. - Robin Richardson, originally from Denmark, now living in Portugal, was visiting Opoutere with his wife and two young sons. - I still remember that... that scream. It was pretty intense. Ran down, could see that someone drifted out, ran back up to get my son's boogie board. Just out of reflex, I went into the water and tried to help. - Robin tried to reach Samuel first, but he'd disappeared. - I was surprised by just how strong the current was. - You know, calling for help and struggling to breathe and being sucked under. I just wanted the pain to stop. - When Robin reached Ethan, he was barely conscious, and Ben was struggling too. Three grown men and a powerful current on a 6-year-old's boogie board. Did you think at any point that you might get swept away as well? - Of course it crossed my mind as I was out there that I had two young boys, and I did consider whether it was a good call to go out. But at the same time, I'd want someone to do that for my boys if they were in trouble. - About 30m from the beach, a wave knocked them off the board. - I remember coming up for breath, and I thought I'd lost him at that stage. I thought, 'he's gone.' I managed to get him up on the board again. He'd lost consciousness completely. I screamed at the people on the beach that I needed help. I needed someone to help me get him in because I said 'he's dying.' They all made a human chain to make sure that no one else was wiped out. - By pure coincidence, Tony Brooks, a veteran surf lifesaver, and his partner Kathy Lahav, a nurse of 33 years, had just arrived at Opoutere to a scene of chaos. - We were only standing there talking for maybe 10 seconds. And then I looked over to my left, and... I literally noticed a unresponsive body rolling around in the surf. - The body was Ian's. - It's very hard to do CPR when someone's literally filled to the brim with water. So we did our best that we could to get that water out of his initial airways. I handed the CPR over to Kath, she took over there, and then I went on to Ethan. Couldn't find a pulse on him at all. There was no breath. His lips were blue. There's a really uncomfortable 15-20 minutes where they're in a real danger zone. Then he let out his first few moans about 20, 25 minutes into it. I remember actually tapping him on the head, just going 'welcome back, welcome back.' - I wake up in the helicopter and the first thought that came to my mind was, you know, I'm alive. I don't know how, but I'm alive. - Isabella was alive, too. Just. - So I ended up passing out in the water, and somehow the waves managed to push me back towards the shore. I couldn't walk, I had to be, like, dragged out of the water. I threw up a lot of water on the beach. - This footage from the days after the drowning shows how powerful the surf was. Isabella, her brothers Ben and Jamie and mum Donna were all safely back on the beach, but Samuel was still missing, and there was little hope for dad Ian. - There was a really sad moment when Ian's son said, 'that's my dad, can you please save him?' Oh, my heart broke. You know, we have children of our own. And to see a woman like Donna standing there over her husband's body. - Could you even comprehend that that had happened when you still had one child out in the water? - No. No. I just, I just couldn't. Jamie was fine. Ben was OK. Isabella was conscious and breathing, and Ian wasn't. They tried everything they could, and he just... he was gone. Knowing that Samuel was out there and seeing that sea, that was just terror for him. Um, yeah. - A father gone, a son missing at sea. The big question ` could this tragedy have been prevented? Is there anything, do you think, that could be done at that particular beach to make it safer? - If it's dangerous, close it. (HELICOPTER WHIRRS) (PHONE RINGS) - Fire communications, you're speaking with James. - James, it's Jo Adams. There's people in difficulty in the water at Opoutere. - Onemana Fire Chief Jo Adams has lived near Opoutere Beach for 62 years, but has never witnessed a day as tragic as January 18th this year. - You could see the death in the water. You could hear it. You could smell it. - When Jo first met Donna Cruickshank, she just lost her husband, Ian, and nearly her own life, in a fierce rip. - Towards the end of the incident, she was in a state of shock, disbelief. Her life had just fallen apart in front of her. Ooh, there was` the grief, and the pain was in her eyes. - Kids Isabella, Ben and Jamie made it back to shore, but 15-year-old Samuel was still out at sea, far beyond the ferocious waves. - I was thinking, there is no way. There is no way that he will still be OK. And nobody had said anything to me at that point. But I knew. - Gave her a big hug, told her that we would do our best to bring him home, and we did our best. We spent a lot of time going up and down that beach. - Donna's playful, caring boy wasn't found until three days later. - The nights were the hardest. Knowing he was out there in the dark. Yeah. - When were you finally able to see him? - We didn't. - You didn't? - He'd been in the water too long. Yeah. Yeah, that was very hard, not being able to see him. Hi. - But as much as this family has lost, they're grateful. These are the people who dropped everything that day. Tony, who resuscitated Isabella's boyfriend, Ethan. - How are you, bro? - Good, man. How are you? - I'm good, thanks. Looking good man. - Appreciate it, man. - (LAUGHS) - Hi, Jo. - Jo, who made sure Samuel was brought home. - I'd like to thank everyone for being here. The opportunity to come back. It's been a hard 12 months` 10 months. Meeting up with Donna and whanau gives us time to reflect of those who are not with us. Sad times. Thank you. Amen. - A meeting too with Robin in Portugal, who risked his life to save Ben and Ethan on a kid's boogie board. - Hi. Hi, Robin. I'm Donna. - Hi. Hi. - Isabella... - Great to see you again. - ...Ethan, Jamie. - I'm so incredibly grateful you were there that day. And without you, I wouldn't be here. And I'll forever be grateful for what you did that day. Putting your life at risk to help out a group of strangers. And it says a lot about who you are, and the values that you have. So I'm very appreciative, and I always will be appreciative. So, just, thank you. - In seeing you guys and catching up, just, yeah, that's... That makes it all worth it. - Yeah, yeah. - I'm so happy I can help. It was just pure instinct to go out and do my best, and I'm happy it paid off. - It was the people like Robin who brought them in. To bring in two teenagers on a kid's boogie board in surf like that? You know, there's a hero. - With two lives lost and a family forever changed, an uncomfortable question remains ` could what happened at Opoutere Beach have been prevented? So do locals know, Jo, that this beach can be really dangerous? - All the locals know. Yeah. The conditions, the rip, a lot of them are aware that there's no backup. So they're cautious around that. - But visitors, not so much? - No. No. No. - There was no signage at the time. This one's been put up by the local campground in the wake of Ian and Samuel's deaths. - I'd only chased a couple of young ones out of the water a few days earlier, cos it was too rough. I'm not a surf lifesaver, but I could see what was gonna happen if it went pear shaped. 2 or 3 days later it went pear shaped. - And, like 98% of our beaches, Opoutere is not patrolled. Local fire chief Jo Adams wants to see authorities close it when it's dangerous. - Somebody from Surf Lifesaving. We've got Onemana, we've got Whangamata. Should be coming out and putting the signs up themselves, that either the beach is closed or it's open. Beware of the rips. - What do you know now that you wish you had known then about the conditions of the sea? - It had been really wild, because Cyclone Hale had gone through the weekend before, but it was calming down. What we didn't know was the effect that a cyclone can have on the beach floor. So, it can look the same beach that you've always known, and it can be very, very different underneath the waves. There can be rip currents even when it doesn't look like it. - You gotta know what you're getting yourself into. I didn't. My lack of knowledge for the sea nearly cost me my life. - The rescued and the rescuers want us all to learn from their story. Is there any advice you would give to people who might find themselves in your position one day? Having to rescue someone? - Flotation device is crucial. You don't know what you're coming out to, so you need that lifeline. You need something to keep you safe before you can rescue others. - It would be to learn CPR, because you never know when you're going to use it on your own family, on friends, a member of the public. - Ian always wanted to make sure we were safe, and I'm pretty sure that if he had known even half of the risk that we were in, we would have not been in the water that day. - In Takapau, on the window seat her husband built, Donna now drinks her coffee alone. - I often think, 'I wish Ian and Samuel could just, you know, Zoom in from heaven and just say hi.' - Samuel is missing from the basketball court and family game night. - Oh, last card. - Nah. Cheater. - OK, you two need to sort yourselves out. Is the game finished or not? - But in other ways, they are still here in this house, and with Donna, wherever she goes. - This is a stone from Ian's grave. And this one is from Samuel's, and I carry them with me. I choose which one I take, depending on whether I particularly need one of them that day. So they come with me. Yeah. - These are my first tattoos. I have this one here. So, it says 'with brave wings they flew.' So there's four of us sitting here, and then the two birds for Dad and Samuel. - I've got an angel with a spinning basketball on his finger for Samuel. - What would Samuel think about the basketball angel, do you think? - He'd probably want one like that. - This family that once loved the beach with all its happy memories have not returned. - I can't even look at waves. It was my favourite spot, and I just can't. - You know that sound in a shell of the water? I can't. That was the sound in my ears as I was trying to get back up to the top to get another breath, and I can't. - Do you think you'll ever get to a stage where you're comfortable going back to a beach? - I hope so. I hope so. I'm not gonna push it, but I hope that one day, I'll be able to go back. Yeah. - Brave and powerful story there. This year, meanwhile, is on track to be the worst year for drownings in the last two decades. Surf Life Saving New Zealand has recommended to the coroner that a full coastal risk assessment should be done at Opoutere Beach to determine whether a lifeguard service is needed. E whai ake nei ` Scott Robinson on fear, family, and knowing how to fight. - It is a challenge, which comes with a little bit of fear. But you've got to take that fear and turn it around. So, look, we love fear. - If you weren't All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. - Yeah? - Where would you be right now? - Hoki mai ano. Scott Razor Robertson is many things. All Black number 974, the most successful Super Rugby coach ever. Yet he was overlooked as All Black coach not once, but twice. Then when he did land the job earlier this year, it wasn't without controversy. But as he explains to Scotty Stevenson in this Sunday exclusive, Razor plays the game his way, and he knows how to win. - I wanted to be head coach. There's nothing better than my beloved Sumner. - For Scott Robertson, Razor, it all started here. - I did a lot, a lot of work, to be the coach in the All Blacks. - But now he's in unfamiliar territory. Is there some fear in you? - Oh, of course there is. - I confirm that the board was unanimous in supporting Scott as our incoming head coach from 2024. - I wanna take you back to that very special time earlier in the year, when you put pen to paper on a contract to coach the All Blacks. That must have been an extraordinary moment for you. - Yeah. To bring up our big moment, Mo and Joe, it was pretty special. Quite entertaining. - Mo and Joe, aka Mum and Dad. - 'Look, I've signed the contract.' They're like, 'take a photo' and send it to them, you know? Like, just to confirm, confirm. - And the love of your life, how did she respond? - Yeah, Jane knew how much it meant. You know, this moment, you know, like I'd gone deep for it. Stayed in the fight. - Jane has been by Robertson's side from the beginning of his professional career. That love and support crucial and unwavering. - I met my wife, Jane, at Lincoln University, when I sat in front of the best looking girl in class. Married her seven years later, and Jane got a double degree. She got hers and mine. (LAUGHS) She knows, you know, the highs of being picked from the All Blacks, you know, being vice captain for the All Blacks and being dropped, you know, in the World Cup in 2003, and` devastating. So she understands it. She's been there. - Scott Robertson ` they've got 50. - I love the physical side of the game. I love the contact. Growing up, I always wanted to find out who was the alpha in the other team, who was the big dog. I'll go get them for you. I wanted to be the first All Black to come out of my school, so they had a bit of a pioneering mindset even back then. And he's still the only test All Black to come out of Mount Maunganui College, winning his first cap in 1998. - And through goes Robertson! - Once I became an All Black, I knew that I wanted to be an All Black coach. - Straight away? - Uh, I wouldn't say straight away, but the longer I was around Wayne Smith` Wayne Smith taught me the love of the game. - Tries on Robertson, who is good on the tackle. - What it can give you` great rewards, the camaraderie, the people that you meet, the travel, the amazing highs and the lows. Just another game and another rectangle. That's how we look at it. I wanted to educate myself. What do I need? Who do I need around me? So I went and chatted to Robbie Deans and bowled up. ' OK. I'm pretty keen to start off. Let's get into the coaching thing.' And he goes, 'OK, son, well, I'll give you a call in.' We've got a spot, you know. I thought it was straight in there. What he was saying to me is go and coach as much as you possibly can. And when your time comes up, when you're ready, an opportunity will be there. - Scott cut his coaching teeth at Sumner in Christchurch, his local club. - I learnt to inspire someone who was a bricklayer. People from all parts of life. You had to learn how to win in the wind and the southerly rain. You had all these challenges. How do you inspire, motivate, collect a group together? And that's how I learned to get a vision for a team. - Robertson learned how to create a team like no other. (CHEERING) - Now, Razor, I've been all through your house because I like to snoop. And I was expecting Crusader jerseys, All Black jerseys, frame photographs. Nothing. But I have found this patu. - The story behind it is pretty powerful. It's for 100 games as coach, as the Crusaders. It's so unique. It holds so much mana. People are just drawn to it, and they can touch it and get the energy from it. It's a great conversational piece, and a big part of my life. - Many punters picked it, and now it's confirmed. Ian Foster has been selected as the new All Blacks coach. - In 2019, the continuity thing was quite important to them. - I was nervous about whether the panel would like my plan versus his plan. - I was fresh, I was young, I had all these different ideas, probably a little bit of fear in it really. So I thought, OK, just gotta keep winning, just stay in the fight. - That fight bought two more titles for the Crusaders. For the All Blacks, a different story. (CHEERING) - I was contacted. 'Are you interested?' I said 'yep, I'm still ready.' 'I'll have a crack at it whenever you want me to.' Then I got a phone call half an hour before the press conference that they've decided to stay with the status quo. - Delighted to get the strong support from both Robbo and the board for us going forward. - I went to Mooloolaba, and at the airport in Brisbane and getting my bags, and a guy come up to me and goes, 'mate, I feel for you, you should have got the job.' The first person I saw, just like, straight reminder, you know? - But Razor is a glass half full kind of guy. - I'm a natural optimist. If you have a heavy backpack, you want to cut it off, get rid of it and move forward. - Something quite interesting happened. One of your guys did get an opportunity, Jason Ryan. But it must have been tough that here was your assistant coach getting that crack. - Tough, it was real tough when I got the call from Jase. You know, in the back of your mind you think, who would you take? Of course you'll take him. My real job was from Canterbury, the Crusaders, New Zealand 20, always great All Blacks, you know, select All Blacks. Same with your staff, selecting on the field, but also off the field. And the best thing for the country was Jason. - Then he puts it up, Ardie Savea. - And just the way we did it, I think it was really mature and really professional and personal. What he did, and how he prepared his team is priceless. Yeah, priceless. It's been a big, big 48 hours. Been here all day yesterday in a suit, and all day today in a suit. - If you weren't All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. - Yeah? - Where would you be right now? - Fireman? - Wouldn't be in a gold tracksuit? - Mate, Australia? No. I had a few options. Worked out third time lucky. - There's obviously an appetite for change. It's highly unlikely that I'm gonna be the next All Black coach. - Do you sympathise or empathise with Ian? - Of course you do. You know, we're humans and start playing the professional game, and you understand that you're a public figure. People are gonna pass judgement, expectation, results of what they look at. There's always a percentage beside your name, isn't there? - Robertson's appointment comes with the sport here at a crossroads. Private equity, the need for broader reach, and the increasing demands for access. - If you fight it, push it back, and it becomes tough, it will be. That's the industry. You know, people want eyes on their sport. They want money for their game. These are social responsibilities. The social media, the social, everything. And we've got to play our part. - That brings us back to those percentages and building a winning team. - An All Black player under me has to love the pressure. Have the ability to walk towards that, and they're an effort-based player. So your talent's got you here, but on and off the field, you have to keep earning it and earning it and earning it. It can spit you out pretty quickly. - As a coach, Robertson says it's important to have an open mind. - Every player will teach you something. How am I gonna create the environment so you've got that energy? Let's have music in the room. One thing I'm really proud of is my teams are mentally tough and physically tough. Come finals footy where we step up in the biggest games, and the biggest moments. So look, I'll bring a lot of the learnings with me, but, you know, World Cups is a pinnacle. It's what you're ultimately judged on. You either win it or you don't. - And whether we are fascinated or fixated on a World Cup or not, The All Blacks is the most dominant rugby team in the history of the game, And keeping that on week after week, test after test, that's the challenge. - It is a challenge, which comes with a little bit of fear, but you've got to take that fear and turn it around. So, look, we love fear. This is why we play. So you can reframe, rename that, which I love doing. - Is there some fear in you? - Well, of course there is. It's a warning sign for me. It's telling me I've got to go and get ready for that somehow. It's natural. If it stays, yeah, you've got to talk to someone. If it's not, just go for a surf or a bike ride. I know adversity's gonna come. There's gonna be, 'Can he take it to an international level while he's a club coach?' Whatever it is, death can't be a part of it. - Are you ready? - Yeah, I'm ready to go. Looking forward to it. - Well, it's gonna be a huge year for Scott Robertson and his team, with the All Blacks potentially playing 15 tests across five continents. E whai ake nei ` remembering a friend. - Matthew had a way of taking a great line... - You love me, Chandler Bing. - ...and making it extraordinary. - Oh no, I don't. - And the friends who were there for him. - They helped Matt as much as they could help him. - Kia ora mai ano. The cast of Friends became such a part of our lives, many felt like they were real friends. It's why there's been so much sadness in the weeks since actor Matthew Perry died. James Burrows knew him better than most, having directed the first episodes of the hit show. Speaking with Karl Stefanovic, James remembers his great friend. KARL: In Hollywood, James Burrows is a revered TV director who's worked on some of the most iconic sitcoms ever made. When he heard about the death of his great friend, Friends star Matthew Perry, he just couldn't believe it. - I was associated with the show for really the first three years, so I got to know the kids. I called them my kids. And I considered it a family, and I consider myself losing a son, and the other kids losing a brother. - You love me, Chandler Bing. (AUDIENCE LAUGH) - Oh, no, I don't. - James Burrows was on board right from the start of Friends. - I just want $1 million. - And after directing the very first episode, he knew straight away he was working on something remarkable. - The show got incredible laughs, and the people were invested in these characters, and they were all distinctly different. So, I had a sense that the show was something special. - And what was special about Matthew Perry? - Matthew had a way of taking a great line and making it extraordinary by putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable, I like to say. He would ` 'Can it be any more exciting?' - Could we be more white trash? - Plus, his body language was extraordinary. You don't teach that. That comes with the man. # I'll be there for you... # - To foster the magical connection that was developing between the cast early on, James Burrows knew it was vital they had to be friends off screen as well as on, so he grovelled with the boss of Warner Brothers to borrow the company's private jet to take the six cast members on a bonding trip. - I took them to Vegas, and I literally said to them, 'this is your last shot at anonymity.' 'You're gonna be able to walk through this casino and this hotel. 'Nobody's gonna know you. 'But that's` That's over after the show premieres.' - But it was great. We were on this jet, and it was terrific. It was so much fun. That's all I'll say. - For James Burrows, this is his favourite Matthew Perry scene. - Oh, great. This is just` - When Chandler is stuck in a blackout in an ATM vestibule with Victoria's Secret model Jill Goodacre. - When he calls the friends to tell him where he is cause he doesn't want Jill to hear him. He says: (MUMBLES) I'm at an ATM with Jill Goodacre. - MUMBLES: I'm at an ATM machine... With Jill Goodacre. - What? - Put Joey on the phone. - But the way he did it, Joey is the only one who can understand him. - MUMBLES: With Jill Goodacre. - Oh my God. He's trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre. - It was a wonderful moment. You kind of grow into your character, and Matt, you know, stepped into that character with about, maybe, 40% Matt and 60% Chandler. And then it grew to 60 Matt and 40 Chandler, because they knew how to write to Matt Perry. There was a great part written. Matthew Perry made it extraordinary. - But what many people only learned recently was that behind the scenes, the talented actor battled drug and alcohol addiction. Before his death, Matthew Perry openly discussed his problem, writing about it in his autobiography, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. - You can track the trajectory of my addiction if you gauge my weight from season to season. - When I'm carrying weight, it's alcohol. When I'm skinny, it's pills. When I have a goatee, it's lots of pills. - They were very protective of him. They took care of him. Again, they were a family, the six of them. And they helped Matt as much as they could help him. - Even with his friends help, Matthew struggled, continually checking himself in and out of drug rehab. But more recently, the talented actor had turned a corner. - He was on a good path. He was sober. He founded a sober house to take care of other people. - Seemed like he'd kind of got it together and was out there doing his thing. - You know, Matthew had had his problems, but he was on the best side of himself in the past couple of years. And so, it was` it was unexpected. - Hey. - How do you think the others are doing right now? - Everybody's sad. Still sad. It'll take them a while. I think shocked is the right word. You know, it just` you didn't want it to happen. - In his 60 years in Hollywood, directing more than 1000 episodes of television, James Burrows has seen a lot, but nothing has affected him quite like the death of Matthew Perry. How will you, Jim, remember him? - Well, I'll be watching a lot more Friends than I used to watch. Just to be able to see him. I'll always have that. And everybody will always have that. There's a record of him. (AUDIENCE LAUGH) - He'll live forever on the screen. - It's true, right? - It is true. - Well, Matthew Perry's cause of death is still being investigated. The other five friends are hoping to pay tribute to Matthew at the Emmy Awards in January. Well, stay with us as we pay tribute to those who've shared their stories with us this year. Kia ora ano. A lot of us probably hoped 2023 would offer some respite, but from the get go, it's been a real struggle. The cost of living, a change in climate and war have weighed heavy, but there have also been moments to treasure and to celebrate, and our team has been there to bring you all those moments. In 2023, the reality of severe weather was thrown into stark relief. - How would you describe the scale of the damage? - Personally, I'd say it's a bloody 10. - You've lost everything. Are you insured? - No, unfortunately, yeah. - Should this be a wake up call? - Well, if it's not, somebody needs to go and find another job. Simple as that. - As were the dangers of our national game. - Do you think the sport that Justin loved killed him? - I think so. - This is rugby union. This is rugby league. This is a worldwide catastrophe. - The whole game for me revolved around collisions. - Carl Hayman has early onset dementia and probable CTE. How do you deal with a diagnosis like that in your 40s? - I think I'm still trying to, to be honest. - Kiwis stepped up to the world stage. - World champion. That's success for me. - You have this one chance. - And I've never had a backup plan. - And took a stand from another stage. - Have you ever been assaulted? - Yes. It's horribly common. - Social issues affected our young... - Truancy is a thief. It steals opportunities, and it takes away futures. The fact that there are so many of them is almost a national crisis. - ...And old. - I've had to cut down. One meal a day. - There are thousands of us out there who are going through this every single day. - The pension is nowhere near enough to live on. - Our hearts broke for those lost in Ukraine. - They told us that they'd been killed accidentally. - I believe they were shot. - So, was this an attempt by Russia to cover it up? - By all accounts, it does seem like it, yes. - Then in Israel and Gaza. - For my family, I lost more than 20% of my family. (EXPLOSION) A whole neighbourhood completely destroyed, like, nothing left here. - And we welcomed new leaders. - I'm ruthless with time. I'm ruthless with organisation. - You're ruthless with cliches. - Well, no, I'm sorry if I am, but it's just` I'm sorry, but, I am very focussed on that. - And farewell to others. - Cancer's a joke. It's the biggest joke ever foisted upon humanity, and some of us have to cop it when it all comes down to it. I've done pretty well, and I'm just thankful for that. To everyone. - Moe mai ra, te rangatira. To everyone who opened their lives to us, kei te mihi a nui kia koutou. We're privileged to share your stories. Well, finally this evening, another Kiwi business proving sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand. Proudly presented with Kiwibank at TVNZ+, you can find out about Wonky Box helping find a market for the fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be thrown away. Now that is our show for this year. Please do stay in touch with us on social media or via email, sunday@tvnz.co.nz. As always, thank you for watching. We'll see you in 2024. Stay safe the summer season. Meanwhile, e te whanau, kia tou, te rangimarie.