Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024 - Tonight on our final episode of Sunday ` a life full of love. This is Lena's legacy. - She didn't let fear get in her way. - Nothing stop her. - But the shock of her murder... - He took my daughter, but it felt like he'd taken my life too. - I can't believe that she's gone. I miss her. - ...has a sinister echo... - At that stage, I was like, 'I'm pretty sure he's following me.' - ...and how a life of service is paying off for this young Tongan doctor. - Did you feel like you had to work harder than everyone else? - I thought so. - Mm. - Struggle, sacrifice... - Like, you wanna be a kid and like, you know, go play and stuff, but I understand now. - ...and success. - I just try to enjoy the ride and do it for the people. - Kia ora. I'm Miriama Kamo. It's our final Sunday programme. We'll leave the farewells to the end, because we want to do what we've always done ` bring you the stories that matter. Tonight ` Lena's story ` it was a shocking crime. Young, beloved and vulnerable, Lena Zhang Harrap was sexually assaulted and murdered. And just 24 hours earlier, Lena's killer had targeted another woman, who we meet tonight. In a Sunday exclusive, Conor Witten with an extraordinary story of faith, forgiveness and perseverance. Now, a warning ` this story has confronting themes. - It's a really beautiful walk. - Yeah, I'm glad she did this walk. This is pretty special, this place. - CONOR WHITTEN: A walk down memory lane for Su Harrap, one well worn by her daughter, Lena... - I'm glad that Lena was able to have this independence of being able to do this on her own. - ...but one that Lena can travel no more. - I just wish she hadn't done that walk that day. - Two strangers brought together by an act of violence, sharing their pain with each other and the public. - There's no other way to describe it. It was evil. - A predator targeting vulnerable women. - And he had literally taken her to the depths of hell. - One life taken, others changed forever... - (SNIFFLES) - I just went jogging, like... - He took my daughter... but it felt like he'd taken my life too. - ...and one mother's extraordinary choice. How could you ever forgive that person? (BIRDS CHIRP) - So, this is my darling girl's room. This is Lena's bedroom. - Su Harrap's daughter is no longer with her... How do you feel when you come in here? - I love it. It's comfortable. She loved this room. ...but everywhere you look, Lena is there. - What I call some of her stuff is her Lena sparkles, um... the things that make me smile. Her pencils that she used to twiddle, so that's why they're worn out. - Her soft toys and love for Christmas, they're all Lena sparkles. - Those special things that I feel that God gives me. Yeah. - How much do you miss her? - I miss her every day. Every time I get in the car, I put the radio on, I think of Lena. I walk up the mountain, I do all the things we normally did, I think of Lena. - 27 years of memories. Lena's always defied the odds. - I always would call her my little warrior, um, because she fought to live. She fought to survive. - Lena Zhang Harrap was born with Down's syndrome. Her parents gave her up five days after birth. - But what I do know is that they loved her dearly, always have and always will. - Su Harrap and her husband decided to adopt. - We weren't looking for a baby, and we weren't looking for someone that had Down's syndrome. It was just` Yeah, we just felt what we wanted to adopt a child as well. - Did you have any reservations? - Um, for sure. But I have never ever had a day of regrets. - But finding a family was only the beginning. She needed urgent surgery for a hole in her heart. Repeated bouts of pneumonia meant she couldn't get it. Three times she went into cardiac arrest. Was there a chance in those early years that she wouldn't survive? - Yes, definitely. - CHILD ON DEVICE: What I like is.... just being with my sister. - There's a lot of love in these pictures. - Yeah, yeah, um... as you can see, very close. - Love from her parents and her two new sisters. - Sasha and Sarah sometimes argued like normal sibling rivalry, um, but no one ever argued with Lena, and she never argued with them. She was such a peacemaker. - They looked after her, and they had to. She was half the size of other children and had problems with balance and sight. - She did worry at times that she was different. She noticed it, and she would sit and cry, but she showed an amazing strength of character, um, and I would say she was really strong. - How did you foster her independence? - I think a big thing was, um, StarJam. I remember very early on that joy she found from it. - StarJam is a charity for Kiwis with disabilities, to express themselves through music and dance. - # Shake it off, shake it off. - Kiri David was Lena's tutor. - I started working at StarJam in 2010, and Lena was one of the very first Jammers that I met. - Did you see her change over time through this? - Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. All of these guys. Everybody matures in different ways. I think for Lena, it was more about her independence. - Paul Takiwa and Lena's friends come to StarJam every week. The joy is infectious, but there's pain here too. - Lena is best friends of us who likes dancing and have fun, and she's a unique dancer. She's really cool. - You must really miss her. - Yeah, I do, yeah. Can't believe that she's gone. Rest in peace. I miss her. - Lena was an amazing, amazing person. She teach me so many things in life. - Consuelo Rutherford is a support worker who knew Lena for seven years. - Guys with disabilities, they finish school at 21 and they go to daycare programme to learn life skills. So Lena came to us. - # We are family. - (CHUCKLES) - She's got moves. - Yeah. She got the moves here. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) - They bonded over dancing, fancy dress and cooking. - She was funny. She called me Suelo. 'Suelo, Suelo!' And she likes to hide somewhere, like` Let me show you. She used to do this. Like, you know. She'd just come, like, hide, 'Suelo!' - (LAUGHS) - 'Suelo!' - (LAUGHS) - She'd always do that, yeah. So I always remember that, um, yeah. - She like to play hide and seek? - Yeah, hide and seek. (LAUGHS) - She brought that childlike innocence. In many ways, she was like a 6-year-old girl, and yet, she strove to be the adult and for that independence and being able to do things. So she lived both worlds. - What did Lena teach you? - Oh my gosh, this is very important, actually, because, um, Lena, teach me that the attitude in life` You know, she was very, um, conscious that she has a disability. She knew it, that she has a disability, but she never feel like it was a limitation. Yeah. - Key to that attitude were Lena's walks. - And the two places she'd walk was a walkway near my house, but more often than not, she'd walk up the mountain. - A two-hour trip up Owairaka Mt Albert. Her mum had taught her how to do it alone. - I made sure that I had... thought of everything, everything I possibly could that would protect her, that would make sure that she was safe, um, short of wrapping her in cotton wool. But you let them live, and to me, that was really important. - She was my example for many people. She was always very confident, and nothing, nothing, stop her. Mm. - September 22nd 2021, the end of Auckland's second Level 4 lockdown, Lena set out on her usual walk, alone. - For some reason, I begged her ` and I never beg her ` I begged her to walk with me that day, and she said no. And I told her, 'I'm going on a much easier walk today, hon. Why don't you come with me?' I said to her. And she's like, 'No.' No, she wanted to walk on her own. - How long would her walk normally take her? - She'd be gone for two hours normally. - So when did you realise something was wrong? - Um, as soon as I got home. - Lena had been gone for more than three hours. - I started panicking, and I drove to both the walks that she did, looking for her. - I knew that it was something very wrong straight away because` because Lena will never go anywhere without contact her mum. - I can't find her. I go up to the mountain again, and I wait. - I knew straight away that Lena's missing. I feel something really cold in my heart, because I knew it. This is not Lena. - Su called the police, and a search began. - And all of a sudden, you could hear helicopters, and the police were here. It set up a whole nother panic for me. - I went out, and I started walking. I went to the train` New Lynn train station. I walk everywhere, but it was no. - It never even occurred to me that she wasn't alive, just that she was hurting somewhere, and that we needed to find her. - Lena was found by a member of the public. The news was worse than anyone feared. - It's like the unimaginable. It's like hearing something from a movie, but it's the fact that it happened to my daughter. I'm wishing it had happened to me, wishing I'd been the one on that walk that day, wishing that I'd been there and could save her. - Lena had been sexually violated and murdered. - How scared she must have been, not knowing what was happening, what he was doing to her. - Do you ever think today about how she died? - Too often. Yes. And to think that your daughter, and to think that someone so beautiful and so innocent and so loving was taken that far and taken to that place. It occurred to me that he had literally taken her to the depths of hell. - Coming up ` the footage that helped catch a killer... - I just went jogging, like, without a shirt, you know. Like, it was a hot day. - ...and another victim... - His intentions were to do exactly what he did to Lena that day. - ...who escaped with her life. - I was worried that she might blame me for being there when her daughter wasn't. - ALL: # Mana is my mountain, # and aroha is my sea. - May 4th last year at the Auckland High Court... - # And whanau is waka # and all of that is me. # - ...Su Harrap and Lena's family pay tribute... - To our family, Lena was everything. She was kind, gentle and thoughtful of others. - ...to a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece. - Lena was robbed of all her tomorrows with us, her fun, her laughter, her joy. No sentence is long enough. - Inside, Lena's killer, Shamal Sharma, had just been sentenced for her sexual violation and murder. - Your offending involved a high level of brutality, cruelty, depravity and callousness. - Sharma pleaded guilty three weeks before trial; an apology came the day before he was sentenced. - In my view your remorse is too late, and I'm suspicious of its sincerity. I sentenced you to life imprisonment. You are to serve a minimum period of imprisonment of 19 years and six months for Miss Harrap's murder. Mr Sharma, you may stand down. - He took my daughter, um, but it felt like he'd taken my life too. Um, it felt like he'd taken my family's. - 24 hours before he killed Lena, another life was forever changed. - There was a feeling of, 'If it had been me instead of Lena, 'maybe there would have been a lot less sadness 'if it had been me.' - That's an awful thing to feel. 2021, and Auckland's second lockdown had dragged on for a long five weeks. - It was the morning of the 21st of September, the last day of the Level 4 lockdown. - Tejal Acharya had cabin fever. - I had twisted my ankle the week before, stumbling down the stairs in the middle of the night without the light on. I was getting a little bit antsy, particularly during lockdowns, if I didn't run. So I decided that morning that I'd risk it. - So just after 6am, she set off from her home in West Auckland to run an 8km loop. - I've seen this footage from the street cameras, and you could see that I had a limp and that I was struggling a little bit. - Tejal battled through. By 6.41, she was past halfway and on her way home, heading down busy Lincoln Rd. - It started on my way back. It was crossing a little cul-de-sac when I first noticed a car wanting to turn into that. - The white car slowing down belongs to Shamal Sharma. He pulled over next to Tejal. - And asked for directions to, I want to say, Tudor Rd, and I didn't know where Tudor Rd was. And I also thought it's a Level 4 lockdown, if you don't know where you're going, you shouldn't be going there. And then he asked me again, and I cut him off and said, 'No, I don't,' cos I didn't want to engage. - How worried were you at that point? - At that point, I wasn't super worried. My assumption was kind of that he was either on drugs or looking for drugs, and that I didn't really think it had anything to do with me at that point in time. - Tejal didn't know yet that it was about her. She continued her run down Lincoln Rd. At what point did it become clear that he was following you? - I would say within the next... five to 10 minutes, when he pulled up behind me and was just creeping forward. And at that stage I was like, 'I'm pretty sure he's following me.' I... Yeah, I couldn't think of any other reasonable explanation for what he would be doing there. - Sharma followed her for 20 minutes, running red lights and driving erratically. He continued to stalk her as she headed for home. - He was driving in this direction towards us and drove over the centre of the road to drive right next to me. - On the wrong side? - On the wrong side of the road, like, close enough that he could probably have reached out the window and grabbed me. And then they ended up going back on to their side of the road, speeding ahead, going through the roundabout, coming all the way back and driving, speeding towards me until he took his entire car off the road and... dro` drove at me. - And this is where it happened. - This is, yeah. - She leapt out of the way and ran for her life. - Obviously, if I hadn't moved, he would have hit me. - Tejal immediately called the police, but had no idea what was still to come. - And then to find that 24 hours after someone has followed you and you thought they were going to murder you, they've murdered someone else. it's... yeah, it was very confronting, I guess. - What do you think he wanted to do to you that day? - That's something that I've chosen not to think about. - I believe, um, his intentions were to do exactly what he did to Lena that day. - I believe that he was looking to target someone, a woman who couldn't get away from him. - So you believe this was pre-planned. - Absolutely. Yes. - The next day at about the same time, Lena set out on her walk in Mt Albert. The man in the blue top is Sharma, turning to watch as she walks down the street. He hides in the bushes just off the path. - From this position, you could see the victim as she walked slowly up the road. As Miss Harrap walked up the pathway, you approached her, and at some point, you assaulted her. - What he did to her next is so graphic, much of her family still doesn't know. - And I know that... that during that time, she suffered, that she left signs of fighting for her life. I believe she was alive for at least... at least 45 minutes after he had taken her, but possibly a lot longer. - She was injured in more than a dozen places and killed over the course of two hours. Sharma left the scene and boarded a train. - You were not wearing your shirt and jersey, which you had earlier been wearing. Your abandoned clothing had been left with the deceased. This clothing was bloodstained, and Miss Harrap's DNA was found on it. - This body cam footage of Sharma was filmed only hours after the murder. - ...shirt and a mask. - Oh, I got a mask. I put it in my pocket. - With the blessing of Lena's mum, it's been released for the first time. - I just went jogging, like, without a shirt, you know. Like, it's a hot day today for me. - Sharma was homeless and living in his car. He had a history of drug use and schizophrenia and claimed he was high on meth at the time... - You claimed you were mentally unwell, demon-possessed and did not have control of yourself. You stated that if you could turn back time, it would not have happened. - ...but the judge found no evidence to support that. - Those were very deliberate actions over the space of a 24-hour period ` stalking one woman and then saying, 'I didn't achieve what I wanted to in this moment, 'so I'm going to find another vulnerable woman that I can attack,' and you can't apologise for that. To live as a woman in this world is to live in a body that is constantly under attack. - Those 24 hours have a lifelong impact... - I cried for three months. I tried to kill myself. I still have not told my closest friends because I don't know how to mourn my own loss and apologise for surviving in the same breath. - ...for Tejal and Su... - At times the storm seems overwhelming, and I know you always hated it when I cried, but I miss you so. - ...for all those left behind. - I love you, Beans, forever. Your mum. - There was a lot of survivor guilt, and then there's this other woman who's gone through some pretty severe trauma and then... been murdered, and then her entire family is having to cope with that loss. So I was worried, I guess, that she might blame me for being there when her daughter wasn't. (SNIFFLES) - Lena would not have wanted her to die and would not have wanted her to die in her place, either. If you knew Lena, you would know. And I said, 'But Lena would want you to have a full and happy life.' Lena's mum has a message for her killer too. READS: 'Dear Mr Sharma, 'Lena was everything to me, and I miss her so very much.' - Last month, she penned a letter with a remarkable theme. - 'I know Lena would already have forgiven you, for she had the biggest of hearts. 'Although your actions have broken my heart, 'I too choose to forgive you.' - Because there will be people watching this saying, 'How could you ever forgive that person?' - I think... that's pretty easy for me to answer... um, is that knowing that Jesus forgave me, that we all sin, I know that where was the worst place of her life was also the best. It's where she saw Jesus, where she was healed, and where she was taken home to be with him. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) - At the foot of Mt Albert, the place Lena was taken has been transformed. It's a shrine to her life. - # Then I'd have to say # goodbye to you # so fast. - This would have been Lena's 30th birthday, so friends and family have come to remember. - # Praying you just walk # back through that door. - What is your lasting memory? - CONSUELO: I remember she just looked at me in my eyes and gave me such a big smile. (SIGHS) (SOBS) And I remember... the eye contact she gave me that day. (SNIFFLES) It was the` It was the last time that... (SIGHS) - The sorrow will last a lifetime, but today is for Lena... - ALL: # Happy birthday to you. # - ...and all she leaves behind. (UPLIFTING MUSIC) (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) (UPLIFTING MUSIC CONTINUES) - Well, I want people to remember her how strong she was. She was a very, very amazing person. - She didn't let fear get in her way. She just did, she just was, and she just lived. And I want people to, um, see that if you can get beyond that, you could slightly, you know, just totally, um... can enrich your lives. - If Lena could do it, anyone can do it. - That legacy lives on. - Lives on, yeah, yeah. - A legacy of bringing people together, which will endure long after she's gone. - Lena had a way. - Lena had a way. - She had a way of connecting people, and she still does. - Yes, absolutely. I'm glad we've got each other. - Yeah, me too, me too. (GENTLE MUSIC) - Well, after Lena's death, money poured into her favourite charities. These donations help StarJam launch a new group in Auckland called Lena's Magic Movers. They hope to keep it going for years to come. E haere ake nei ` the doctor diversity scheme that's in the firing line... - I don't support racial discrimination. - ...when an outlook... - 'Oh, you guys got it easy. 'You didn't have to work as hard to get in.' - ...becomes an obstacle. - It kind of makes you revisit, like, if you were good enough to be in the system in the first place. - Hoki mai ano. Everyone deserves a good doctor who understands their needs. Now, a lack of diversity among doctors leads to poorer health outcomes. Long-standing admission schemes at our med schools have been key to addressing this. But some say the schemes are unfair, even discriminatory. And the government has promised to review them, but what will they find? Tonight, from working in the fields at just 13 to becoming a doctor, Mava Moayyed meets an extraordinary recipient. - MAVA MOAYYED: In Tonga, life moves with a unique rhythm. The steady beat of tradition... (CHILDREN LAUGH) ....the playful pulse of youth... - Hi! - ...and the unshakeable melody of faith. (ALL SING HYMN) - God has a plan for you. And through that plan, there would be suffering, there would be trials. But if you have faith and you persevere through it all, everything will be OK. - Suffering, trials, perseverance, despite her age, this young Tongan has been through a lot. - Malo e lelei. Ko hoku hingoa ko Tatila Helu. Oku ou ta'u ungofulu ma tolu ua-tolu. So, kia ora, my name is Tatila, and I am 23 years old. - Are you nearly 24? - Yes. - Because you thought about it. - LAUGHS: Yeah. - Are you looking forward to 24? - No. (BOTH LAUGH) - Why not? - I like being a kid. - Yeah. - 24 Sounds like responsibilities. (LAUGHS) - For Tatila Helu, being here in Tonga brings the comfort of childhood. - Lots of kids, a lot of laughter... a lot of arguing, a lot of crying... (BOTH LAUGH) ...but, uh, so much love at the same time. So my immediate family consists of my mum and dad and eight brothers. And unfortunately, one of them passed away. He got sick, and then it was, like, they thought it might be a cold or something, and then he went to the hospital, and there was a condition at the time that impacted a lot of kids. It was the mofi'uto, which in English means meningitis, and one of my brothers was unfortunately one of the victims. - Her brother Iteni was just 18 months old. He's buried here on the family plot. - I was a little girl watching, you know, then putting my brother into the... fridge, and it was all packed, so they just put him on top of another body. Do you want grapes? - The abrupt loss was ` for Tatila and her family ` a kind of catalyst. - Most of the decisions and everything was inspired, driven by his passing... I'll make you a plate. ...for the future of us in terms of further studies and better jobs or, like, a better lifestyle. So my parents thought the best option is to move overseas, so they sacrificed everything they had. - 11 years ago they packed up and left Tonga for Pukekohe in South Auckland. - We had a family there that we could live with, so we all stayed together and then we had to kind of 'fend for yourself' kind of vibe to get food and stuff, and one of the main income was working in the local farms. - Everyone who could did, including Tatila and her brothers. - We worked, like, in the afternoons after school. (CHUCKLES) So the brothers would try to race, cos the faster we do it, the faster we go home. - Did you enjoy it? - At the time, no. (BOTH LAUGH) As you're a kid, like, you wanna be a kid and, like, you know, go play and stuff, but I understand now. My parents were just doing their best... - Yeah. - ...making sure there's food on the table. (LAUGHS) - From the early days of picking veges in Pukekohe to now mending fruit in Wellington. So is this` Like, stitching up a banana ` is that something you'd actually do in you're training? - Yeah. Yeah, that's, um, the easiest kind of material to get sometimes. - Tatila is six years into her training to become a doctor. Well, where did the idea of medicine come from then? - From my parents. - They're like, 'We've got an idea.' (LAUGHS) - 'How about medicine?' - And what did you think? - Yeah, I hated it. It sounds like hard work. (LAUGHS) - Did you feel like you had to work harder than everyone else to get to where you're at now? - I thought so. - Mm. - Um, because some of my colleagues, like, they come from, like, a family where they were well off. So it seems like they were having fun. Like, they would go out on weekends and stuff like that, and here I am about to go to my second job. (CHUCKLES) - I don't know what you think about this, Tatila, but... - That is amazing. You done way better than me. - I don't know. - This is terrible. - (LAUGHS) - I just killed the banana. - The great thing about medicine is it's quite vast, and you're always learning... - Mm, true. - ...and always new things you might think that you might know, but you don't know. (LAUGHS) - One of the things she didn't know was how, at med school, her presence would be political. - I applied through the, um, Mirror on Society pathway for Pasifika students. - Do you think without this pathway, you would have got into medical school in the first place? - No. - No. The aim of the admission scheme is to increase students from Maori, Pacific, rural, low socioeconomic and refugee backgrounds. - There were people talking about it at the time and they were like, 'Oh, you guys got it easy. You didn't have to work as hard to get in.' I know that I've... worked hard to be here. If you get through those trainings and you still maintain those grades, pass everything, do all your placements, and you come out as a doctor, your entrance shouldn't define you. - Otago University was taken to court by the parents of a student who missed out on a place in their medical school, despite high marks. The government is now reviewing what it says is race-based policy. - Do you support the scheme, the idea of the scheme? - No, I don't support racial discrimination. You qualify for the scheme if you're a certain race. So by definition, that's exactly what it is. - Do you ever encounter any discrimination or racism that seemed really overt? - (CHUCKLES) Where to start. (LAUGHS) When the university got sued, a few of my colleagues were walking out of the campus, and then people would threaten to run them over or throw stuff at them, 'Go back to your country.' Like, it kind of makes you revisit, like, if you were ever good enough to be... - Yeah. - ...in the system in the first place, even though you did the same training and everything, so... - It's safe to continue with... with nylon. Come in here and then go back. I have always believed in good and fair competition, maybe give a number of spaces for the Pacific, but they need to... feel that you qualify for that. - Lord Viliami Tangi is one of Tonga's most accomplished surgeons. He has worked across the Pacific, including New Zealand. Is there a benefit in terms of the outcomes of medical care to have someone that you are the same culture with and language with? - Very beneficial. - Yeah. - That's very beneficial, even in New Zealand. Just take your time again. Tatila credits the wisdom of medical mentors, like Lord Tangi, for getting her through. - They would talk to us about their experiences and what to look out for. They told us that, like, you would work three times as hard in anywhere in New Zealand, and you get half as much appreciated. - Wow. 'If you can't deal with it, just give up now.' (LAUGHS) That's what he said. - She knew it was going to be hard, but then it got even harder. How old were you when he was diagnosed? - I was 18. - She'd already lost a brother. Now another, Etikeni, had cancer. - It was quite frightening, especially for my mum, because having to go through losing another child again` Cos there are points where she can't talk about it without crying. I'm getting better now at talking about it without crying, so (CLICKS TONGUE). - Etikeni is now in remission after long-term treatment. But Tatila has realised she's in a hurry to help. - I loved, like, being able to work with your hands and learning about what surgery does and how fast effecting it is. I like seeing that, you know... - Immediate. - ...immediate response to treatment. - She's putting it into practice on placement at Tonga's Vaiola Hospital. - We get the option of choosing where to go, and I decided to come home. - It's a full-circle moment. How does it feel to be at Vaiola Hospital? Because it's the hospital you were born at, and I presume it's actually the hospital that your brother died in. - Yeah. - And now you're there doing surgery. I mean, that is incredible. - Helping. (LAUGHS) Helping, stitching them up. - (LAUGHS) - I loved it. - Yeah. What are your impressions of Tatila? It's a bit hard because she's just sitting here. (ALL LAUGH) Pretend she's not, be honest. What's she like? - (CHUCKLES) (ALL LAUGH) Yeah, Tatila is a lovely girl. And I have the feeling that Tatila sometime in the future in her career... will spend some time in Tonga. - I've had an unspoken contract now. Lord said that I have to come back. (LAUGHS) - It's not unspoken; it's spoken. - It's spoken. - It's spoken. Do you think you will? - I would love to. - Yeah. - If they would have me back. - Yeah. Stacey. - There's a lightness with Tatila Helu. She's quick to laugh. - (LAUGHS) - It's a show of her strength, of what she's been through and what she could be. - Instead of being angry at the world and being disappointed and sad for all the things that I can't control, I just try to enjoy the ride and do it for the people. - Well, Tatila is currently on placement at Christchurch Hospital and is finalising her honours thesis. Now, a big mihi to the Pacific Cooperation Foundation for their help with our travel to Tonga. Well, soon we begin our farewell, and we're helped by those who say their lives were changed by Sunday. - This is a sad day really, because we say goodbye to the most incredible programme. - I'm truly so grateful for Sunday. They showed me and who I am. - Nau mai ano. Well, this is it, Sunday's final programme. We have been privileged that so many have trusted us to tell their stories. It's right that they should have a voice tonight. Now, for our 20th anniversary, we looked back into the archives, so tonight ` some of those we've featured more recently with their stories and their words. (DAPHNE WALKER'S 'HAERE MAI, EVERYTHING IS KA PAI') - Mythical, mystical Rotorua, it's the birthplace of tourism in New Zealand, but there's a dark side to this beautiful city. You've been here for a year and a half. - Yep. - You and four kids and a dog. - DISTORTED VOICE ON PHONE: There are major problems in these motels. We're waiting for someone to die. - All credit to the Sunday team. They did an investigation into emergency housing in Rotorua, and it just gained an amazing amount of attention. It was a pressure point ready to blow. - She needed boxing. Boxing was the only way out she had. - MEA MOTU: I constantly lived my life in fear. - Did he need a reason to hit you? - A lot of it was he was intoxicated. He didn't let me have an outside world. That's the first time I've ever shared my... my story, (EMOTIONALLY) and now I can help our people our on rangatahi, and now I wanna just continue to be a motivational person and inspire. I'm truly so grateful for Sunday. They showed me and who I am. - Dilworth, a school that had a sparkling reputation and a noble goal ` to take in disadvantaged children and give them opportunity. - It began with, you know, him touching and grooming me. It accelerated quickly into rape. - We were given a voice in our pursuit for justice. It was pressure from media that forced Dilworth to commission an independent inquiry. The Sunday programme has been the bastion of proper investigative journalism for important local issues, and I wonder where people like me will now go. - I was nervous about him going back to play. You know that head injuries are serious, but you don't know what the potential consequences actually can be, (VOICE BREAKS) and I never would have thought that he wasn't going to come home. The Sunday programme helped us to get extended media coverage for Tere's story, which was instrumental in getting the ACC to expedite stricter stand down periods on head knocks. But most importantly for me, uh, the Sunday programme has given us a lasting memory for our son to watch over one day. - This is my budget book, and I use this for my, um, pension. - How much is left this fortnight after paying all of the bills? - I think it worked out to $1.86, and I could feel myself starting to cry because I just couldn't afford a piece of fish. It makes me feel like I don't count anymore. So many people reached out to the Sunday programme and to me personally. I felt like I had been seen and I had been heard and that my message had got out there that, um, old people aren't to be left behind. - This is Suraya. Her father worked as a carpenter with Kiwi troops. The family hid for two months in the mountains around Bamyan after the Taliban took over. - It made our lives so hard. We were so frightened. - Under the Taliban, girls can't attend high school or university. - The world that they want us to live in, that's dark, full of darkness. The Sunday programme where they are with us from the beginning to the end. Since we have come to New Zealand, my siblings and I, we are now able to go to schools, and we're really thankful to you and all the other wonderful people who helped us through this journey. - The doctor sat me down and told me that I had terminal cancer. They said that I was an urgent case and that I would be seen straight away and... and we just believed them, didn't we? - Then when they got home, more bad news. - They're telling you that you're gonna run out of time before you get seen, and that that just should never happen. - Blair's story being shared on Sunday led to huge numbers of signatures for our petition to create a national cancer agency. I'm really sad that those that are in charge, they can't be held to account by this incredible journalism that Sunday has delivered for many years to New Zealand. - We have gang members going berserk at pubs, running right over town, chasing each other in cars, shooting each other, shooting up houses. - What do you make of the government's policy that would see you enforcing a patch ban? - With the numbers we haven't got at the moment, it just will not work. There's been nothing but overwhelming support for that programme. What has in fact been particularly humbling is the large numbers of people, including ex-clients and even gang members, coming up to me and saying, 'Well done, it's about time someone told the truth.' (DISTANCE EXPLOSION) - Let's keep, like, 5m or 10m apart in case a mortar comes in. - We're trying to find a woman whose daughter asked us to evacuate her. - Andrew evacuated hundreds of people. - You do realise that you've` you definitely saved` I don't know, man. You've done a lot of shit in this country. - Uh, I guess so. Yeah, but to me, it feels like it's not enough. I just wanted to do more and more. - Thank you all at the Sunday programme for helping us so sensitively to find out some of the truth about how our son Andrew died in Ukraine. - Ending your programme represents a great national loss. - BOTH: Nga mihi. - New Zealand women are not afraid to stand up for themselves. - Untouchable. - That's the one. (BOTH LAUGH) (THE TOPP TWINS' 'UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS') - Except, in one very big way, Jools hasn't been untouchable. - She said, 'I think my cancer might be coming back.' - And now... - I got a call saying, 'We need to get you to come in. We found something.' - Hi, Sunday. This is a sad day, really, because we say goodbye to the most incredible programme. - Lynda and I felt really safe to tell our story, and if there's just one word that I could use to sum up the mana of that team, it would be 'trustworthy'. - Thank you. Aroha nui. - E kore e puta te whanaunga ka rau nga mahara, rukaruka noa ana. The memories are precious. Thanks to all who've told us their stories. Kia mau tonu mai, stay with us, we have a surprise for you after the break. - Kia ora ano. Now, Sunday's been on air at TVNZ for over 22 years, and you may not have realised just how big our team is and how vital each and every member is. So here they are. Now, not everyone could be here tonight, but this is most of our incredible team of camera operators, editors, producers and of course, reporters ` Mark Crysell, Mava Moayyed, Kristin Hall, Conor Whitten and Tania Page. Tans, what's been the best thing about the job for you? - Oh, nga tangata katoa, all the people. Not just those here and those who have come before us, but the connections we have with the thousands of New Zealanders whose stories of injustice, mamae ` hurt ` and triumph we've elevated. It's been an absolute privilege. Sunday is the last long-form current affairs programme in mainstream, and its magic has been so much about it's look. It's stunning pictures, beautifully crafted by our editors, come from our world-class camera operators, like my friend here, Rewi Heke. What are you going to miss most about this team? - Well, it's not just me. We have outstanding camera operators, both Will Green and Tory Evans. Um, I think, you know, it's` it's working as a team. I think that's the main thing. You know, it takes a lot in order for us to be able to get the best possible pictures, um, and also, we spend so much time together out in the field. - (CHUCKLES) - It's like a second whanau for us. So those are definitely the main things I'm going to miss the most. - Kia ora. - Yeah, shot, Rewi. You even made me look good, which is an amazing achievement, but equally important are our producer-journalists. They are the key, working behind the scenes to make sure every story is as good as it can possibly be. And this is our supervising producer, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Paul Deady. - Thank you, Mark. Thank you, Mark. Um, again, it's not just me. We've got an amazing team of producers here, including Kate and Lee and Kim and Del. Uh, a couple of them couldn't be with us tonight ` Julia Sartorio and Steve Butler, unfortunately, not here with us. Steve's been here a long time, though, eh, Miri. - Yeah. - He started with you right when the show did. - Yeah. He started` It was Steve and me and Janey here. We are the last three original members of Sunday. Uh, Jane Skinner here is our executive producer. She is a great friend and, quite frankly, the very best boss I have ever had. Janey, you and I started in the same week at TVNZ as much younger journalists. Uh, you starred in the producer team and you took the helm as executive producer seven years ago. What has Sunday meant to you? - Well, it's been a monumental 22 years, uh, some of the most challenging and most rewarding years of my life. The mahi that this team does and has done is so amazing, and I really love the Sunday team with all of my heart. Um, to you at home, you've watched and supported and challenged us. And because of this support, together we've changed people's lives, changed laws, and shone a light in the dark. It's been an honour to have your company and to be able to share our country's stories together. And we don't wanna forget our studio crew. - (CHUCKLES) Absolutely. - And everyone who puts the show together every week. - Yeah. Thank you, Janey. E te whanau, ko te ringa tangata i hanga i te whare, engari ko te tuara o te whare i hanga i te tangata. We say goodbye to our whare Sunday. But as much as we built it, it built us, and we are grateful. Now, the awesome journalists here at TVNZ will continue to earn your trust and to hold power to account. But from this whanau, from the Sunday team, it is time to sign off. And so e te iwi, for the final time, we say thanks for joining us. Nga mihi nui... - ALL: Hei kona. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024.