Captions by James Brown. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. - Tonight we bring you a very special episode of Fair Go. - We slap a big old 'please explain' notice on the companies who issue unfair parking tickets. - Apparently I was in the drive-through for over seven hours, from 1 till 9.30 in the morning. - And we ask why a lift which was supposed to help an elderly man get out and about isn't really going anywhere. How many times would you say Walter actually got to use that lift? - Probably... three times. He used to say to me, 'I've got a bad feeling about this lift.' - And then join us as we honour Fair Go's five decades on air fighting for the little guy. - Oh my God! (APPLAUSE) - Mwah! www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024 - Tena koutou katoa. Welcome to Fair Go's final show as you know it. Look, we'll save the goodbyes for later, though, because first we have got your stories to tell. - First up ` lifts. Getting stuck in one is bad. But so is getting stuck with a $30,000 lift that barely works. - Yes, when Walter's health issues meant he could no longer use the stairs, he and his wife had an elevator installed. - Turns out it was trouble from the get-go ` trouble that no one would put right. - So we elevated it to the very top. Here's Kaitlin. - For nearly 55 years, Ulrika had someone by her side. - This was our special place to relax and just enjoy nature. - Last year she said goodbye to her Walter. She'd hoped their final memories together would be here, outside. But something was in Walter's way. - He couldn't walk any more. And we needed a wheelchair, and we needed a lift, and, yeah, it always comes back to the lift. - The Auckland couple decided to get one for their two-storey house when Walter could not longer get around on his own. - I said to him, 'You know, that would give you a chance to get out,' because he could not go down the front door stairs. He was terrified of it. - His hospice recommended three lift companies. But only one of them did outside lifts. - We couldn't have put one in here. It would have taken up half our lounge. - That company was Phoenix Elevators, who agreed to put in an external platform lift at a cost of around $30,000. The installation was supposed to take two weeks and be finished by the end of March 2022. But shipping delays pushed this out to around July. - When the lift arrived, oh man, we were so excited. (CHUCKLES) - Ulrika took photos of the progress for Walter, which is how he spotted the first problem. - I took a photo. And I was standing there thinking, 'Something's not right here.' And he took one look at it, and he says, 'Wrong door.' - They'd made a point of asking for folding doors in the paperwork. Phoenix Elevators had put in swing doors. - And those swing doors could have swung back and hit him with the wheelchair. - The doors were replaced, but... - From then on, it's just been... one thing after another. - No sooner was the lift installed, when... - The lift started rusting... All the joints, all the panels. Every bolt and screw started rusting. - So Phoenix got someone in to de-rust and repaint it. - And I thought, that's not going to work. And sure enough, it only took a few months, and it started rusting again. - All the while, Ulrika says the lift would only work now and then. - Mostly when I needed it for Walter, it didn't work. So we had to get help. - Spending hundreds of dollars on health services to get him to appointments. How many times would you say Walter actually got to use that lift? - Probably... three times. Funny ` sometimes he used to say to me, 'I've got a bad feeling about this lift.' - Walter died in June. The lift problems remained. - I would have liked to have spent that time with Walter going somewhere nice. Yeah. He used to look around and often say... (SNIFFLES) 'I love this place, you know? You've made it beautiful.' And... that was the only thing that he had. - By now, Ulrika had paid Phoenix Elevators just over 27,000. In September the lift started leaking. - Now it rains into the cabin, because there's gaps in the roof. - Ulrika says the last time she tried using it was a few weeks before Christmas. - And then it just stopped. One time I was in it, and it stopped halfway down. And I was thinking, 'How am I gonna get out of this thing?' I can't jump that high. - She says she called Phoenix Elevators one more time. - And I thought, I'm not using this thing. It's too risky. - She was told the business was closing over the holiday period, so she'd hear from them in the New Year. - And I've heard nothing. - So she came to Fair Go ` reluctantly. - I don't like even complaining. But I knew I had to do this for Walter. - We're no lift experts, but we know how to find them, enlisting the help of independent engineering consultancy Vertrans to carry out an inspection. Ulrika's lift failed the test. - In my opinion, the lift is not fit for purpose. It has serious issues with it, as far as safety is concerned, and is not, from our opinion, it's not designed for use in an outdoor environment. - The lift was manufactured by a company in China called MORN. Parts of the lift are aluminium, which he says is fine, but a large part of the cabin is mild steel, and is rusting a lot. - Already those pins there are rusting out, causing the gate lock to be inoperable. - He saw the same leaks Ulrika was worried about. - Water is seeping into the cabin. This control box here, um, is not weatherproof, and all the components inside there are suffering from moisture. That's not gonna last for very long at all. - And this got his alarm bells ringing. - The lift door which serves the bottom floor is able to be opened when the lift is at the top floor, creating a 2.5m drop to the concrete below. If it's operational, and there was maybe grandchildren or whatever to come around and play in it, then that could be a fatality. - We took the findings to the owner of Phoenix Elevators, Clive Snell. - Can I help you? - Incredibly, he told us the lift issues were news to him. - But you installed it, correct? So, happy to take money for it, meaning by law he's responsible for it working properly. He didn't believe Ulrika had been in touch about further problems in December. After years of problems, Ulrika just wants her money back and the lift gone. But Phoenix Elevators is putting the blame back on MORN for supplying a problematic lift. MORN stands by its lifts as safe and certified ` though it appears it's not the only lift with issues, despite Ulrika being told otherwise by Phoenix. - I asked a few times, 'Am I the only one having these problems?' 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, well, you're just complaining all the time.' - But here's an email Clive sent to MORN the same day we first contacted him. - Several years ago we purchased exterior lifts from your company. We found them to be substandard. The other units are in a similar state. - We've been back and forth and back again between Phoenix and MORN to get compensation for Ulrika. Finally, MORN has told Clive they're now considering compensation but say the probability of that is not very high. We're holding out hope that, between them, they'll compensate Ulrika for the tens of thousands of dollars spent on a lift her Walter couldn't use. - That is appalling. - It's not good enough. Phoenix really needs to put this right. And look, we won't be on air next Monday night, but our new online team won't be letting this go. - E haere ake nei, coming up, parking tickets ` the over-priced, the unfair and the just plain ridiculous. - There were no cones around when we pulled into the parks. Otherwise we wouldn't have parked there. - And our final highlights wrap. We look back at the heartwarming... - Oh my God! Thank you so much. - ...and the hilarious. - Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai. Welcome back. Look, over the years, there have been many issues that have really got your goat. - So many. - But there's one that is surely a contender for top of the list. - Yep, and that is getting back to your car and spying that little white ticket under your windscreen wipers. - Uh-huh. Gill is taking parking ticketers to task, asking are they fair, and why it is so hard to win an appeal. (UPBEAT MUSIC) - Get ready to put up a fight. We're hearing that's what's needed if you want to dispute your parking fine. - The reply back from their waiver department was, 'No, we're not gonna to let you away with it.' - I got an email saying that they'd declined my appeal. - We've had dozens of complaints this year, so Fair Go is Stepping into some boxing rings, starting in the Garden City. (BELL DINGS) - My girlfriend and I were going to the Town Hall to go to the Christmas concert. I parked my car, walked over to the closest pay station, and we noticed that the couple in front of us were getting a wee bit stressed. - Can you read that? - No, I can't read anything. - I know it's done... It hasn't put the 'Y' in! - So I said to them, 'Do you need a bit of help?' - It's a bloody nightmare! - I know it is. - I've got the number in, but I don't know what I have to do now, I can't read it. - I know. It's hard to see. Now, if I cancel that... - B-4... Bloody machine! (LAUGHS) - And at that time, the parking guy came around, and I said, 'Look, it's OK ` I've got this. And it went through. $10.60. So it's given you right through till tomorrow morning. - Thank you so much. - Rhonda, now running late, paid too. She had a magical time at the concert. But getting back to her car, the spell was broken. - The ticket was sitting on my window. - It said 'no valid payment'. Turns out the fine was for taking too long to pay. Industry standard is 10 minutes. Wilson says it's more generous. - 15 minutes? - The T&Cs do say to pay for the whole duration of parking. But is it fair, paying $10 for the whole night, but fined $85 for taking 15 minutes to pay? Wilson's said... - Our breach fees are reflective of what is charged across the whole industry. - Rhonda felt she shouldn't pay at all ` she could prove she'd got a ticket, and the warden saw why she was delayed. So she appealed, recruiting Fair Go to her cause. But... - On the 8th of January they sent me a letter to tell me that I now had a $105 fine. - Then, without explanation, her fine was waived. But Rhonda makes a point. - I think, on busy nights, they need to be aware that there may be a queue. - Wilson's again ` - We accept if there's a significant queue, our officers are expected to and have permission to apply discretion. We've taken the feedback on board with regard to adjusting grace periods for surges in demand. - Next stop, Tamaki Makaurau Auckland. A couple rushed to this pretty empty car park late at night because they wanted to find their daughter, who'd called to say she'd been assaulted. - Oh, it was awful. She was sobbing hysterically. She just said it was involving two men. You just park. You just want to get there for your child. - They parked here for 25 minutes. The limit was 15. Days later, a fine arrived ` fair enough, but surely they'd waive it? - Anybody with any human decency, I thought there wouldn't be an issue. - There was. - Just this cold, almost like a template response, asking us to provide evidence that we'd shopped at one of the local shops. - A second appeal, with their police report, was turned down. - It was full and final and they weren't considering anything. - Fair Go questioned this complete lack of empathy. Now Smart Compliance said... - We now recognise there were mitigating circumstances and are in the process of refunding. - Contacting you, it was never about the money. It was just needing to call out such poor behaviour from a company. - Quite right, too. Now to Tauranga, where Sarah was worried what was getting served up. - We were off to go fishing. We were just gonna get a snack before we left. It was about 1 in the morning. Went through the drive-through as normal. It was a week later I got the ticket. What? $85? No, this is ridiculous. I've gotta ring these people. - McDonald's offers an hour free parking. Wilson's enforces it. But hold on. - Apparently I was in the drive-through for over seven hours, from 1 till 9.30 in the morning. How do you work this out? The times are wrong. Right. So how do I appeal this payment? - By email? But her appeal to Wilson's was rejected, even though the photo shows her leaving when it's pitch black ` not common at 9.32 in the morning. - I thought, 'Bugger this,' so I went into McDonald's and asked to speak to a manager. I just want to know what you guys are going to do about this. - I have not heard from them at all. I haven't heard from either parties. - So as far as you know, you've still got that fine. - Yeah. - She's worried. - On the bottom of the ticket, in bold writing, there's clauses saying that if you don't pay after the second reminder, they will send it to a debt collector, or your car can be towed, which I found quite terrifying. - So we got in touch with both McDonald's and Wilson's. Their takeaway message? - We can confirm Sarah's breach notice has been waived. It was issued due to a mis-read by the cameras. - That sorted, we're off to the adventure capital, where Lynette's adrenaline got pumping for the wrong reason. - We wanted to do some fun activities. - At 8.30 by the gondola, there were plenty of parks. - Bought a ticket for three hours' parking. - Steve went up the luge. Lynette went down to the lake. She was back just after 10. - I noticed, 'Oh, there's a cone there in front of the car. - Disabled parking. - Then I saw a ticket on the window, and I thought... What? But we've already paid. There were no cones around when we pulled into the parks. Otherwise we wouldn't have parked there. - Lynette saw red. - I drove down the hill, and I seen the parking warden. Did you just ticket my car with a $150 fine for parking on a disabled car park? And then he goes, 'Yep, yep, I ticketed you.' Well, who put the cones out? They weren't there when we arrived. He goes, 'No, I put the cones there.' (CHUCKLES) I was like, 'You what?' So he said, 'If you've got a problem, just take it up with the council.' - Luckily, Steve had been snap happy up top. Zoom in, and his photo shows... - There's no cones around our car at all. - They appealed in December, sending the photo to Queenstown Lakes District Council. They were told... - No, we're not gonna let you away with it. - They tried again, and in January the fee was waived. - With a warning and education. I don't know who's getting educated. - Because later, in March, cones were still lurking in the garden before 9am. - And I had to tell four other vehicles not to park in that park, because they'll get a ticket. - And then out of the blue, in April, a court summons demanding they still pay $180. More calls to sort it, and a call out to Fair Go. We went to the Council. It told us... - We have waived all infringements issued here ` 15 in total ` after we became aware the temporary parking arrangements weren't meeting requirements. - The cones are now gone. And it added appeals are possible. But it took these guys a lot of effort. Steve thinks the response to appeals needs improving. - It's just not fair. If they ticket people who aren't prepared to actually fight them about something, they make 150 bucks for being unscrupulous. - Every single one of those scenarios was unbelievable, but well done, Gill, cos that's four from four wins on that one. - Thanks. And parking is a hot topic right now in Central Auckland, with new charges starting for nights and weekends. - So how does your council fare? Well, you can check our Facebook page to see if it's one that goes big on dishing out the tickets. - E haere ake nei, coming up ` we look back. We've got tears, we've got hugs, and of course, we've got silliness. (CLASSIC FAIR GO THEME MUSIC) - Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai. Welcome back. Now, as you know, tonight marks the final episode of Fair Go as you know it. - And fair Go has a legacy of gutsy reporters who have told your stories over many years. - And one of those is Hannah Wallis, who has been on the show for more than two decades ` our second longest-serving member ` and she joins us now. - Thanks, Garth. Tonight we've got to say that, while we're all really sad to say goodbye to 47 years on air, we're also remembering so many great moments, the very reasons that we all love this job. - Like those life-changing pay-outs, the epic rebuilds, and of course the people. - The people. There are so many great stories to choose from. And Pippa has had the hard job of putting together some our favourites. - Ahh! (LAUGHS JOYFULLY) - I hear we're celebrating. - PIPPA: This might go down as the longest hug in Fair Go history. And fair enough. It's 2018, and four years after losing everything in a house fire caused by a faulty heater, the Smith family have just found out they're being paid $90,000 compensation. - You're pretty happy, then? - Oh, we're ecstatic. That's awesome. Awesome! You couldn't ask for a better outcome, could you? - These are the moments Fair Go reporters have worked for for decades. - Oh my God! (APPLAUSE) - In 1993, this one was an insurance payout for widow Maria Te Whiu. - They're not just words, Maria. I have a cheque here for $100,000. - Oh my God. I don't believe it. - Back in this century, Hannah told soldier Renee Shaw's story, after a botched roof job left her family high but not dry. - Pouring ` literally pouring. Like, flooding inside my house that I had bought for my family, my first home. Yeah. It was devastating. - But then the community came through though, generously donating time and materials. And the Fair Go story caught the eye of RSAs throughout the country, who wanted to help too. Oh my God. Oh my God! Thank you so much. They are giving me $55,000 towards the refurbishment of my home. - These are the stories we love, giving a voice to someone who really needs it. - We'll try and sort this house out, eh? - Yeah. - We'll try and sort it out. It's not fair, is it? - Not fair. - OK. - And getting results. (DRILL WHIRRS LOUDLY) - Oh... - (CHUCKLES) Have you had this all morning? - Yes, sort of. Banging and... But it was welcome. Believe me, it was absolutely welcome. - GILL: And believe me ` so is the end result. - I'm so thrilled I could cry. - Aw... - Oh. I know. See? I am... I'm too emotional. - There was Garth's story, reuniting a war hero's medals with his family. - Wow. This has been such an emotional roller coaster for the last 42 years... to get those. Oh my goodness. When David handed them to me, I was shaking. I'm just so ever grateful to everyone that's been involved. - And fighting for New Zealanders across the motu has meant the privilege of meeting so many wonderful people. (BATMAN THEME MUSIC) I mean, we even went in to bat for Batman ` well, Wellington Batman ` when his Facebook page was wrongly shut down. - You guys have done such a fantastic job, and I'm so appreciative of it. - And while we always take putting things right seriously, we've never shied away from a laugh. - Ladies and gentlemen, have you seen this? It shows you the equipment carried on your airliner to assist you in opening your cheese. - Whether it's testing call waiting times... - On your marks, get set, go! ...a cheeky bit of time travel... - Hi. This must be a surprise. - Are you...? You? Yeah. October 2023. - Huh. What happened to your hair? Never mind. - ...a massive dance routine in a very public place... - This is what I wear every other day of the week. - ...or, well, you name it. (CLASSIC 'FAIR GO' THEME MUSIC) (JAUNTY PIANO THEME CONTINUES) - Ooh! Apologies for the outrageously short shorts. Speaking of outrageous... - The pony just went inside, unsupervised. - ...sometimes our stories didn't go to plan. A horse in the house? Well, just roll with it. - HANNAH: Does he watch Fair Go? - Maybe if it was raining, and he came inside. - Well, that's just made my day, I have to say. Made my day! - Hannah, I've always loved that horse. - So cool. Look, as we've always said, this show is all about you. And while we are gutted to say goodbye to Fair Go in its current form, it's not over. We will still be here for you online. - Yes, and the inbox is still very much open for business. So keep emailing us at fairgo@tvnz.co.nz or write to us ` PO Box 3819, Auckland 1140. - Follow the Fair Go Facebook page to stay updated on where to find our stories. And look out for them on 1news.co.nz and on TVNZ+. - A huge thank you, too, to the entire Fair Go team. Come on, team. Muggsy and Gary, our cameramen. - Haere mai. Bring it in. - Amazing executive producer, Nic, and our producer extraordinaire Daisy, there. Thanks, guys. It's been a very special time for us. And thanks to you, our viewers, for making our time on Fair Go so special ` for writing to us, for watching us and for supporting us for nearly five decades. So from all of us here... - ALL: Pomarie! Captions by James Brown. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.