- Tonight ` they were sent off for grazing, so why didn't they all come back? The case of the Missing cows. - I just want some answers. Where are my animals? They don't just go 'poof'. - Plus ` surprise sanctions. Find out what your bank could stop you paying. - READS: 'Hi, Denise. Unfortunately, BNZ is unable to facilitate this payment.' - And the sought-after drink bottles causing a shopping frenzy. We put them to the test. - But along with the hefty size can come a hefty price tag, so how do the cheaper options compare? www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024 - Tena koutou katoa. Welcome to the show. Now, each year some farmers send their barren cows off for grazing ` a chance to fatten them up and get them in-calf. - Common enough, but what's uncommon is when lots of those cows don't come back. Yet that's what happened in Taranaki. - Now, the grazier blamed tomos or sinkholes, but the farmers weren't so sure. They came to Fair Go looking for answers and their money. Gill hit the paddocks. - And just a warning, some of the images in this story might disturb some people. (SLOW COUNTRY MUSIC) - Up since 4 to milk his heard, Paul's a bit knackered, really. Not so much physically, mind, like his old dog Booboo, but mentally. Some of his cows went missing, and it's driving him mad. - I'm just worried about swearing because I am a farmer. - Who'd blame him? - Hey, boys. - He and his brother sent 22 cows for a year of grazing, but only got nine back. - I just want some answers, yep. The money has got a bit to do with it. I'm not gonna lie about that. But where are my animals? Yeah. They don't go 'poof'. - Or do they? (POOF!) Because still in the shadow of Mt Taranaki, another dairy farmer was left short. 26 stocks sent to the same grazier at the same time, but come time for their return, and the grazier kept delaying. - And then when he turned up, knocking on our door 6 o'clock in the morning and saying, well, you're not gonna get them all back, but he couldn't tell us how many. - Turns out nine were missing and another farmer was short by three. - I thought, well, you're a dodgy bugger. - The cows were what's known as 'holdovers'. - Younger cows that didn't get in-calf in the mating season. And instead of chopping their heads off, and we're wanting to build numbers... - The idea is farmers pay to have someone else graze them for a year. In that time, a bulls introduced, so hopefully the cows come back in-calf and in-milk. - And we've dealt with other graziers and had never had an issue. - They both went through the stock agency Progressive Livestock. It boasts some of New Zealand's best graziers. The local agent, Kim Harrison, recommended the grazier Miles Waite. As it's a small community, the farmers did know Miles and were happy to sign the contract. So it does say the owner or the owner's agent must inspect the livestock regularly. Their website too promises animals are ` The agent says he did have regular contact with the grazier. - OK. So pretty much just relying on his word. - But when it was time to send the cows back, over a third had disappeared. - He tells you one minute, they're dead on the farm, but you say, 'Show me where.' 'Oh, I can't because they're not on the farm.' - It doesn't make sense. - Neither did this. It's the remains of a cow's head that John saw on one of the farm's tracks when Miles let him take a look. - I said, oh, well, we'd better stop and we'll see who this belongs to. Cos of the tags in their ears, we can identify who it belongs to. And so we stopped, and we couldn't find any. And he said, 'Oh, they must be there.' And I said, 'Well, they're not here because the ears aren't here.' - John says it looked cut-off. Miles said that was ridiculous. Either way, the contract clearly says... - That if you lose any, within 10 hours you finding them dead or missing or whatever, you contact the person that owns them. But we heard nothing. - Frustrating because they don't understand what's happened. - If you lost 22 cows on your farm, there'd be a hell of a stink, but there's not. - What's more, they then found out nine had gone missing the previous season. - I just hit the roof. And I said, 'Well, if I'd have bloody known this last year, 'I would have never put my cows out here.' - But the agent says that year the explanation seemed legit. - But this year and this many cows? Well, in 40 years as an agent... - Everyone agrees the contract was breached and the farmers should be compensated. Progressive says farmers should get the value of each cow as if it had been fully grazed and was in-calf, and it's confident its approach doesn't leave the farmers out of pocket. - Trouble is, seven months on, Paul's got nothing. - No worries. - 'Over breakfast...' - I can boil jugs. The rest of it's up to you, though. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - '...we get more of an idea of why all this is bugging Paul. 'I mean, just look at all the stray cats he and his wife look after 'And seems they feel a similar way about their cattle.' - Some people, cows are just a number, but... my ones are part of the family. - The missing cows and missing money couldn't have come at a worse time. Just as Paul was buying a new farm. - We've had to commit to banks and all that, and then you get this happen. We've still gotta pay the banks back. Constantly thinking about it. And yeah, you just feel a bit down every` all the time, really. - John got lucky. He and one other farmer got reimbursed directly by Progressive because of an admin error, but not Paul. - They could've made another one and paid me. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Paul feels he'll be waiting till the cows come home, so his beef is with both Progressive and the grazier. - He had a job just to look after them, and the agents had a job to see if everything was done. - But John says he's seen Paul's mood lift now we're on board. - Like, now when I talk to him, he's` Well, especially when Fair Go said they'd investigate it, it sort of put a smile on his face. - So I joined some intrigued onlookers to hit the phone. We tried the grazier, Miles Waite, but my calls and texts got no answer. Oh. Even the cows are losing interest. Progressive says it was the same for them. - They want the compensation they mistakenly paid to John. - Thankfully, the grazier gets prompted to call me back and have his say. Definitely got an audience now. (CHUCKLES) - Oh, OK. OK. So that money will be available? - I'm not sure everyone would agree with that, but we've got his word. The other big question, Miles, is ` what actually happened to the cows? - Because it's unlikely that they'd all have died, isn't it? - Surely that would stink to high heaven. - Miles says he's done nothing wrong. - Cool. Well, that's really good to hear. I'm very pleased about it. So we're off to tell Paul the grazier's selling his farm and will pay him back. - I find that hard to believe cos we haven't been able to get anything out of them. - That's the magic of Fair Go. - The magic of Fair Go. And I've been fighting for it since May. - He's really not yet convinced it'll happen. And there's this ` - Still doesn't give you closure on the cows, though. - So while we wait to see if their payout comes, we check property photos, and we ask about any significant tomos or holes ` contacting Stratford District Council, Taranaki Regional Council and Geonet. But no, none they're aware of. So I ring the agent who sold Miles' farm. - So where did the cows go? - We can't get them back for Paul, but hopefully we can help get the money. We know the farm sale was mid-Jan. - OK. So Paul needs to wait for money from the stock sales, not the farm. In two more weeks, I try again. Just wondering how you're going with getting that money cleared. - I thought this was two weeks now. No matter, the wait continues. And then... Get to ring Paul now. Because relief ` payday arrives. So Paul, I know you didn't believe me, but Miles Waite has paid up. - PAUL ON PHONE: I didn't think he would pay, eh. I really didn't. I'm actually quite shocked. - Well, I know communication could've been better with the delays and stuff, but, um... But he's kept his word on this. - Oh nah. I appreciate everything you've done, eh. I do appreciate that, eh. - Naw, great result, Gill. Great. - (CHUCKLES Well, not for the cows. - No. - Now, we hear it' the talk of the town in some parts of Taranaki, so if anyone knows any more, do let us know. - E haere ake nei, coming up ` we put the latest must-have accessory to the test. - If you want to put temperature under the spotlight, Dr Arif's your man. - And blocked payments. Do you know what you can and can't write in your banking references? - Was a huge surprise to me. - Kia ora. Nau mai, hoki mai. Welcome back. Ever made a bank payment, written something in the particulars and wondered if anyone will even read it? - Mm. I think some of you out there are certainly wondering that. Well, it turns out they do read them, and that certain words trigger a reaction you might not expect. Kaitlin has the story. (LAIDBACK MUSIC) - Live in our capital city long enough and you might start dreaming you were somewhere else, some place else. - The architecture is just outstanding. And the cars, the rum, the dancing, the music. - We love the culture and the food, and am I allowed to say mojitos? - Cuba has been calling for Denise, but her experience of the country almost didn't move beyond this street. - The Cuban visa was easy, yeah. It was all done online. She'd booked and paid for a holiday there through a tour company in Australia, or so she thought. - I was getting calls from the travel agent to say, you know, you better book this tour. You better pay for this tour. You're gonna lose your place. And I'm going, well, I have paid for the tour. - Sure enough, her $2500 had gone out of her account, but it had been blocked by the Bank of New Zealand. - READS: 'Hi, Denise. Unfortunately, BNZ is unable to facilitate this payment 'as it falls outside of BNZ's internal sanctions policy in regard to Cuba.' - Under that policy, BNZ doesn't allow direct or indirect transactions with the following countries ` - Which was a huge surprise to me. I didn't know what had any issues with Cuba whatsoever. - Even though Dennis was paying an Australian travel company, BNZ froze her payment because, quite simply, she'd written 'CUBA TOUR' into the particulars. - He said, 'If you hadn't put 'Cuba' in the reference, it would've been fine. - But this goes much further than disrupting Denise's travel plans. Kiwis can freely travel to Cuba, we freely trade with Cuba, but paying Cuba seems nearly impossible. None of the major banks in New Zealand will deal with Cuba. The same goes for the others that got back to us. If you're in Cuba, you'll need to check if you can use your credit card or internet banking. For example, the Co-operative Bank doesn't have a policy but uses Mastercard and Convera for international transactions, and they have their own rules. So with that in mind, imagine being a Cuban in New Zealand. Welcome to the Cuban embassy. The outgoing Cuban ambassador to New Zealand agreed to an interview with us right before he finished up his post here in December. Hola. In that time, he says he's been called on for help by countless Kiwis and Cubans. - I have received emails from a father whose daughter was studying in Cuba and he wanted to send her some money and a birthday gift, and he couldn't find a way to do that. From people that have been to Cuba, they have tried to use their credit card in Cuba, and the credit card was cancelled. - He says even the embassy struggles to function here because of restrictions. Only one bank has agreed to work with them, but under strict conditions. They can't make any international payments, not only those related to Cuba. They can't have a card for their bank account or access foreign currency. - I would say that it is very sad and very difficult for us, you know, to be in a country where all the authorities and people welcome us very well and we are treated so badly by the banks. - It all comes back to the United States' 60-year-old trade blockade against Cuba. Restrictions were loosened under Obama's presidency back in 2015, but that was reversed under the Trump administration, which re-designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. Every year the majority of the UN General Assembly, including New Zealand, calls for an end to the embargo, most recently shot down by two countries ` the US and Israel. - Because now everybody understands that the blockade not only affects Cubans but also American citizens and the citizens of any other country in the world. And New Zealand is not an exception. - The diplomat says he's raised the banking issues with our government, but it won't interfere with private institutions. Which is pretty much what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and BNZ told us too ` saying banks here operate in a global environment. And if they want to stay in the game, they need to keep big players like the US onside or could face fines in the hundreds of millions. - So if there were not so many regulations and sanctions and restrictions, I'm sure that more Kiwis will be travelling to Cuba because every time they said 'Cuba is in my list of things to do' and 'I would love to go there'. But you know, it's always difficult. - It's a headache for Roger too, and part of the reason why he stopped importing speciality rum. - We couldn't actually pay through one of the Australian banks like ANZ, Westpac. We would have to divert that money into a British bank account and then send it back into Cuba through either Britain or Canada. - He says banks in New Zealand should be just that. - Why do we have to keep sucking up to America? We're all independent countries, and we should be able to freely deal with countries like Cuba for trade. - It took ten days, but Denise eventually got her money back. But BNZ's messages had her worried about what to do next. - READS: 'Please do not attempt to resubmit this payment or any payments 'relating to this transaction.' - So she went back to the bank... - ...and said to them that I was going to pay my friend for this tour. Were they gonna stop this payment as well? And the guy at the bank said, 'No, just don't write anything about Cuba on your statement.' - What did you write instead? - I wrote 'Happy Birthday'. (BOTH CHUCKLE) And the payment went through, and yeah, all was well. - If only international relations were that simple. - Well, I'm really glad Kaitlin did that story cos I'd quite like to go to Cuba some time. - (CHUCKLES) - Just don't write 'Cuba' in your bank notes. - (CHUCKLES) Mm. - Just a note, though. The official advice from BNZ is to be honest in the particulars. E haere ake nei, coming up ` they flew off the shelves this summer, so how do they stand up in the lab? - Let's see how they measure up. I brought the drinks. - Kia ora. Nau mai, hoki mai. Welcome back. Now, if you thought a drink bottle was just a water container, think again, because these have became an in-demand accessory ` inspiring memes, collectors editions and shopping frenzies. - But with their tall frame comes a tall price, so we hit the labs to see how the cheaper options measured up. Mary Jane Aggett has the story. (RELAXING RETRO MUSIC) - Back in the day, an accessory was a handbag, gloves or a jaunty scarf. But this summer, it's a drink bottle that's become the latest must-have item. - Are you all in line for the Stanley Cup too? - A drink bottle that's a sippy cup of sorts ` so huge it can hold six cups of tea. ECHOES: Hello. But along with the hefty size can come a hefty price tag. So how did cheaper options compare? It's like Christmas! Fair Go went shopping. It's from Stevens. Nice mint green. We'll pop her there. EXCLAIMS: Oh. And Stanley Cup. 'So four cups in all ` whatever was available at the time.' Stevens - $49.99; The Stanley Cup ` ordered online for $109; Kmart's offering was 19; and The Warehouse, last one on the shelf ` $29. - BPA-free. Food-safe. - Three-in-one adjustable lid. - Fits in most cup holders. - Four insulated cups with screw-on caps and straws. Each had a different claim about how long they could keep liquids cold. Let's see how they measure up. I brought the drinks. If you want to put temperature under the spotlight, Dr Arif's your man. - Absolutely. Yeah. You are in the right place. - He's a sensing expert at Massey University. - You can pour in hot and cold liquid into these cups and then take regular measurements. And then we can determine whether they actually, you know, live to the hype or the claim or they fail. Let's get started. So we do the same thing for the other three cups. - Yep. - Now we wait for six hours before taking the next reading. - OK, sure. The cups are made of stainless steel, and since we had some time on our hands, we thought we'd do a bit of a lab test of our own to check how robust they really are. We'll see. (EASY-GOING MUSIC) (CUPS CLATTER) Three have spilt. No dents at all. Yeah, they're pretty robust. All of them. While they might stand up to four legs, how do they go in four wheels? Can we just see if these cups fit in your car? - No. That one's better cos it's not that wide in the bottom. - Looks like it fits. Yeah, I think it'll stay on. - Nope. - No, that's... - Hang on. Hang on. - That's a no. - This one` They fit in the front. - Remember the fine print, peeps. - See. Most cup holders. - So while it's a mixed result in the car, let's see what's happening with our temperatures. So how are my drinks getting on? - OK. So in the cold test, we find all the cups did the same way, so we were able to see the same temperature. OK. - Wow. - I was expecting slightly different, you know, results from each one of these. But in the end, they're very close. - So each of the cups, even the Kmart one that says it only keeps cool for four hours, kept liquids cold for 12. Doctor Arif and his team also tested to see how long they'd keep liquids warm ` starting at 80 degrees. Again, each cup had a different claim, so they've all lost the same amount of heat. - The hot drinks, I mean, all of the cups are at the same temperature. - Yeah? - 53, 54. That's really, you know, very low temperature for a hot drink. - Yeah. However, the cups do say they keep warm. And just how warm is that? So it's more than lukewarm. I'd drink a cup of tea this... - Yeah. - I would. - OK. - Yeah, I would. - Yeah, I wouldn't really drink` I mean I can, but I wouldn't drink` This is too cold for me. - Too cold for` Yeah. - Yeah. - (MOUTHS) The bottom line is ` hot or cold, there's not much between how they all perform, even though there is in what they cost. - Any of these is good. - What colour would you go for? - Oh, I'll go for the blue one. - Would you? - Yeah. - That's the cheap one. - OK. - We put these results to the manufacturers. Kmart was not surprised by the findings. - 'Our insulated Anko drink bottles have been one of our most popular ranges since hitting the stores.' - Stanley and Stevens didn't want to comment, but we had a chat to the Big Red Shed. - We love it. It's flown off the shelves. You know, we strive to have great quality at affordable prices. So it's good that's been recognised and we've passed the test. So, we're getting some more in in March, which we're really excited about. - And there's another claim that ticks the box. - Perfect for school or work. - Well, they're dead right. You can fit a whole tub of ice cream in here. Certainly brightens up a meeting. - Oh, did she leave us any ice cream? - Oh, that would be good. No. - No. (CHUCKLES) - Sadly not. (CHUCKLES) - Look. It's amazing what can become a trend. The kids call them their emotional support drink bottles. - (CHUCKLES) Right. That's it from us. But if you only caught part of the show, you can catch our stories on the Fair Go page on TVNZ+ and on YouTube. - That's right. Our programme is all about you, so please do get in touch. - You can find us on most social media channels. Email us at fairgo@tvnz.co.nz or write to us. - And thanks for watching. We are going to hunt for the ice cream now. Until next week... - BOTH: ...po marie.