TONIGHT ` THE PM GIVES WAIROA CLEAN-UP CASH; THE LOCALS SAY IT'S NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH. KEIR STARMER VOWS TO REBUILD BRITAIN AFTER HIS LANDSLIDE ELECTION VICTORY. WAS A SACKED WEST AUCKLAND PROBATION OFFICER SPYING FOR CHINA? WE HAVE A SPECIAL INVESTIGATION. AND RAZOR'S BIG NIGHT OUT IN DUNEDIN AS THE ABs BEGIN A NEW ERA. TENA TATOU KATOA, MALO E LELEI, GOOD EVENING ` AND WELCOME TO THREE NEWS. THE GOVERNMENT HAS PLEDGED A FURTHER $3m TOWARDS THE CLEAN-UP OF FLOOD-RAVAGED WAIROA IN HAWKE'S BAY. IT BRINGS THE GOVERNMENT'S TOTAL CONTRIBUTION TO $3.6m ` BUT AS ZANE SMALL REPORTS, THERE'S $40m OF DAMAGE. UP BRIGHT AND EARLY ` THE PRIME MINISTER GETTING STRAPPED IN FOR A CHOPPER RIDE TO VIEW THE FLOODING IN WAIROA. PARTS OF THE REGION ARE STILL UNDERWATER A WEEK ON FROM HEAVY RAIN THAT FLOODED AROUND 400 HOMES. CHRISTOPHER LUXON TOUCHED DOWN WITH AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF FINANCIAL RELIEF. AN INVESTMENT OF $3m TO HELP WITH THE CLEAN-UP. IT BRINGS THE GOVERNMENT'S TOTAL CONTRIBUTION SO FAR TO $3.6m ` BUT THE REPAIR BILL IN WAIROA IS ESTIMATED AT $40m. THE REGION IS STILL RECOVERING FROM CYCLONE GABRIELLE, AND FOR RESIDENTS LIKE DANIELLE BROWN-MCKENZIE, THE LATEST FLOODING IS TRAUMATIC. I'VE ALWAYS LOVED BAD WEATHER, LIKE RAIN, STORMS; NOW I CRY EVERY TIME. YOU GET HIGHLY ANXIOUS. THE PRIME MINISTER PAID A VISIT TO HER DAMAGED HOME. HER VEHICLES ARE WRECKED. IT WAS WAIST DEEP. I WAS CARRYING MY BABY, WAITING FOR MY UNCLE ` THANK GOD HE CAME. HE CAME AND RESCUED US. THERE COULD BE MORE MONEY ON THE WAY ` $10m WAS SET ASIDE IN THE BUDGET FOR CYCLONE GABRIELLE, AND THE GOVERNMENT HAS ASKED HAWKE'S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL TO PRIORITISE WAIROA WHEN DISTRIBUTING IT. THE REGIONAL COUNCIL IS ALSO THE SUBJECT OF AN URGENT GOVERNMENT REVIEW AFTER IT FAILED TO DIG A CHANNEL IN THE RIVER BAR AHEAD OF LAST WEEK'S STORM. I THINK IT WAS HIGHLY PREVENTABLE. THESE PEOPLE KNOW THE BAR WELL ` THAT THE BAR PROBABLY WASN'T MANAGED AS GOOD AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN AND THIS COULD'VE BEEN AVOIDED. AND NOW A POPULATION OF NEARLY 9000 IS LEFT WITH DAMAGE IN THE TENS OF MILLIONS. SO, ZANE, WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE REVIEW? WE FOUND OUT TODAY THE GOVERNMENT REVIEW WILL BE LED BY FORMER POLICE COMMISSIONER MIKE BUSH. HE ALSO LED TO THE REVIEW INTO THE CIVIL DEFENCE RESPONSE TO CYCLONE GABRIELLE, AND THE FINDINGS OF THAT REVIEW WERE QUITE DAMNING. THEY FOUND A STATE OF EMERGENCY WASN'T DECLARED FAST ENOUGH AND THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WAS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. LUXON HAS SAID TODAY THE LATEST REVIEW WILL BE SHORT AND SHARP AND WE CAN EXPECT THE FINDINGS OF IT AS SOON AS NEXT MONTH. ZANE SMALL, THANKS FOR THE UPDATE. BRITAIN'S NEW PRIME MINISTER, KEIR STARMER, HAS PROMISED TO 'RESET' THE COUNTRY AFTER A LANDSLIDE VICTORY FOR LABOUR. THE HISTORY-MAKING VOTE BROKE 14 YEARS OF CONSERVATIVE PARTY RULE; HERE'S GRACE THOMAS ON WHAT IT MAY MEAN FOR KIWIS. OUT WITH THE OLD... I WILL SHORTLY BE SEEING HIS MAJESTY THE KING TO OFFER MY RESIGNATION AS PRIME MINISTER. ...AND IN WITH THE NEW ` YOU MUST BE UTTERLY EXHAUSTED. KEIR STARMER'S OFFICIALLY BRITAIN'S NEW LEADER. YOU HAVE GIVEN US A CLEAR MANDATE, AND WE WILL USE IT TO DELIVER CHANGE, TO RESTORE SERVICE AND RESPECT TO POLITICS. THE UK NOW HAS ITS FIRST FEMALE CHANCELLOR, RACHEL REEVES; A RECORD NUMBER OF FEMALE MPs WILL ALSO SIT IN THE NEW HOUSE OF COMMONS. SO BIG CHANGES THERE ` BUT IN FOREIGN POLICY, NOT SO MUCH. THE MAIN THING THAT THE WORLD WANTS FROM BRITAIN IS CONSISTENCY. AND I THINK, LARGELY, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE. AND THAT CONSISTENCY IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE WITH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEW ZEALAND AND THE UK. WE WERE A BENEFACTOR OF THEIR BREAK-UP WITH EUROPE, AND SO WE HAVE GOT A GOOD FREE TRADE AGREEMENT. I THINK THIS WILL CONTINUE TO GROW. BUT WITH RUSSIA AND UKRAINE'S CONFLICT STILL GRINDING ON, THE WAR IN GAZA, AS WELL AS GROWING TENSIONS BETWEEN GLOBAL SUPERPOWERS... THE WORLD IS NOW A MORE VOLATILE PLACE. ...AND AL GILLESPIE SAYS OUR MILITARY COMMITMENT MAY BE TESTED. WHAT'S EVOLVING IS THE MILITARY RELATIONSHIP. AND INCREASINGLY, AS THE TENSIONS GROW AROUND THE WORLD, BRITAIN, AS ONE OF OUR TRADITIONAL FRIENDS AND ALLIES, WILL START TO ASK US TO DO MORE THAN WE HAVE DONE TRADITIONALLY. SO, GOOD LUCK, LONDON ` NEW ZEALAND'S WELL USED TO NEGOTIATING PRESSURE FROM MAJOR INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS. WE CAN REVEAL TONIGHT THAT A PROBATION OFFICER SACKED FOR SNOOPING THROUGH THE FILES OF DOZENS OF CHINESE OFFENDERS WORKED CLOSELY WITH FORMER NATIONAL MP AND ALLEGED SPY YANG JIAN FOR A DECADE. SECURITY ANALYSTS SAY THE FORMER MP'S LINKS WITH SACKED PROBATION OFFICER XU SHAN RAISES 'SERIOUS QUESTIONS' FOR INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES AND THE GOVERNMENT. INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST PAULA PENFOLD HAS THIS EXCLUSIVE REPORT. PROBATION OFFICER XU SHAN KEEPS A LOW PROFILE. THERE ARE HARDLY ANY PICTURES. BUT HE DOES ANSWER HIS PHONE. HELLO, DR XU. AND HE HAS A BIT TO SAY. WHAT INFORMATION DID YOU GLEAN FROM THOSE FILES? WERE YOU PASSING THAT INFORMATION ON TO ANYBODY ELSE? WHAT CORRECTIONS CALLS XU'S 'SERIOUS MISCONDUCT' WAS CAUGHT IN DECEMBER 2022, JUST TWO WEEKS AFTER HE STARTED WORK HERE IN WEST AUCKLAND. ANOTHER PROBATION OFFICER NOTICED AN OPEN OFFENDER FILE ON XU'S COMPUTER. WHEN CHALLENGED, XU SAID HE HAD JUST LOOKED HIM UP USING HIS NAME. CORRECTIONS DOCUMENTS SHOW XU WAS SUSPENDED AND AN INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED, WHICH SHOWED HE HAD SNOOPED THROUGH THE FILES OF 43 OFFENDERS ` THOUSANDS OF PAGES, ALL CHINESE NAMES. HE WAS SACKED. ANOTHER TERM FOR UNAUTHORISED ACCESS IS 'SPYING', ISN'T IT? CORRECTIONS SAYS THAT IN YOUR TRAINING, IT WAS VERY, VERY CLEAR THAT YOU WERE ONLY ALLOWED TO ACCESS FILES WITH APPROVAL. BUT THIS RAISES FURTHER QUESTIONS. XU'S HIGH-POWERED AND CONTROVERSIAL CONNECTION... I'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT UPFRONT. ...TO FORMER NATIONAL MP DR YANG JIAN. YANG WAS OUTED IN 2017 AS HAVING STUDIED AND TAUGHT AT AN ELITE CHINESE SPY SCHOOL. SO, JUST TO BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ` ARE YOU A SPY? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A SPY? NO. IN SPITE OF HIS DENIALS... WE HAVE QUITE A LOT OF INFORMATION REGARDING HIS 15 YEARS OF WORKING IN A SERIES OF PLA INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATIONS. AND THEN THERE WERE TWO INVESTIGATIONS BY S.I.S. WHICH LED TO YANG BEING QUIETLY ASKED TO STEP AWAY FROM POLITICS IN 2020. IN HIS VALEDICTORY SPEECH, HE GAVE A PUBLIC SHOUT-OUT. SHU KIM AND SHAN HAVE BEEN MY LOYAL COLLEAGUES AND MOST TRUSTWORTHY ADVISERS. THE SHAN HE MENTIONS IS DR XU SHAN, THE SACKED PROBATION OFFICER. THEY HAD WORKED TOGETHER FOR THE NINE YEARS YANG WAS AN MP. IT SEEMS LIKE A LONG-STANDING ASSOCIATION, AND IT DOES WARRANT FURTHER INVESTIGATION. CORRECTIONS REFUSED TO BE INTERVIEWED BUT SAID IN A STATEMENT IT DID NOT FIND EVIDENCE XU HAD PASSED ON THE OFFENDER INFORMATION, BUT ITS INVESTIGATION OF XU'S PHONE RECORDS SHOWED ONLY THERE WERE NO CALLS OR TEXTS, BUT THAT HE COULD HAVE BEEN CALLING OR MESSAGING USING DATA WHICH WOULDN'T BE RECORDED. A FORMER SECURITY ANALYST SAYS ONE WAY TO MEDDLE IN A COUNTRY'S SECURITY APPARATUS IS TO INFILTRATE A GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT LIKE CORRECTIONS, AND THAT SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT OFFENDERS AND ABOUT CRIME AND PUNISHMENT GENERALLY IS OF INTEREST TO A FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE. IT COULD ALSO BE VALUABLE TO TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED CRIME NETWORKS BECAUSE OF THE DETAIL IN THOSE FILES ABOUT GANG MEMBERSHIPS AND CRIMINAL HISTORIES. DO YOU DENY ACTING ON ANYONE'S INSTRUCTIONS` ...TO ACCESS THOSE FILES? XU SAYS HE REGRETS WHAT HE DID. HE'S NOW WORKING AS A FREELANCE WRITER. SO, PAULA, HAS THE SACKED PROBATION OFFICER GIVEN A GOOD EXCUSE WHY HE ACCESSED THOSE PRISONER FILES? HE SAYS LITERALLY IT WAS FOR THE PURPOSE OF STUDY. HE WAS IN TRAINING AND WANTED TO BE A BETTER OFFICER. THE QUESTION NOW FOR THE AGENCIES IS IS THAT A PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION? I THINK THERE ARE PRESSING QUESTIONS NOW THAT WE DESERVE TRANSPARENT ANSWERS TO. THANK YOU SO MUCH PAULA. AHEAD ON THREENEWS ` WHY JOE BIDEN IS STILL REFUSING INDEPENDENT MEDICAL EVALUATION AS HE APPEARS IN A HIGH-STAKES TV INTERVIEW. WE HAVE A SPECIAL STORY ABOUT A BLACK POWER LEADER'S MOVES TO MAKE PATCHES A THING OF THE PAST. AND IT'S RAZOR AND SCOTT BARRETT'S FIRST BIG TEST, AND WE'LL BE LIVE IN DUNEDIN. WELCOME BACK. ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER ASSURANCE FROM JOE BIDEN THAT HE'S NOT WITHDRAWING FROM THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL RACE. IN A HIGH-STAKES TV INTERVIEW TODAY, THE PRESIDENT REPEATEDLY REJECTED THE IDEA OF INDEPENDENT MEDICAL EVALUATION. LOOK, I HAVE A COGNITIVE TEST EVERY SINGLE DAY. EVERY DAY I HAVE THAT TEST. EVERYTHING I DO. YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY MY CAMPAIGN; I'M RUNNING THE WORLD. BIDEN DESCRIBED HIS STUMBLING DEBATE PERFORMANCE AS 'A BAD EPISODE' BUT SAID THERE WAS NO ONE MORE QUALIFIED TO BE THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE. AS THE GOVERNMENT MOVES TO BRING IN LAWS BANNING GANG PATCHES IN PUBLIC, ONE BLACK POWER CHAPTER HAS REVEALED PLANS TO STOP WEARING THEM HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED FOR DECADES. GENESIS TE KURU-WHITE, A LEADER OF BLACK POWER MOVEMENT WHAKATANE, INVITED SAMANTHA HAYES TO TALK ABOUT HIS 'SURPRISING' JOURNEY TO MAKE THE PATCH A THING OF THE PAST. AS THE LIGHT FADES, A FIRE IS LIT, AND WE STEP INTO THE RIVER. (RECITES KARAKIA) GENESIS TE KURU-WHITE, KNOWN AS TK, HAS INVITED US HERE TO MEET MEMBERS OF BLACK POWER MOVEMENT WHAKATANE AND HIS WHANAU. BEFORE WE TALK, THOUGH, HE WANTS TO SAY A KARAKIA ` A PRAYER ` TO SAFELY WELCOME US ONTO HIS WHENUA. HUI E, I! ALL: TAIKI E. TK IS THE SON OF PAORA WHITE, ONE OF THE BAY OF PLENTY CHAPTER'S LEADERS ACROSS THREE VIOLENT DECADES. HIS DAD WAS CONVICTED TWICE FOR MANSLAUGHTER AND SPENT TIME IN PRISON. BACK IN THE EARLY '90s, THE WHAKAARO ` THE THINKING AND THE MENTALITY ` RAPE, PILLAGE, PLUNDER. TAKE WHAT YOU CAN; GIVE NOTHING BACK. IF YOU'RE STANDING IN MY WAY, I'M GONNA WALK ALL OVER YOU UNTIL I GET IT. IS THERE STILL AN ELEMENT OF THAT TODAY? IN OUR SPACE ` I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR OUR SPACE ` NO. HAND ON HEART? FIST ON THE HEART. MANY OF TK'S FATHER'S GENERATION ARE NOW DEAD, BUT THREE DECADES AGO, THEY MADE A 100-YEAR ROAD MAP RECOGNISING BLACK POWER NEEDED TO CHANGE. SITTING RIGHT WHERE YOU'RE SITTING NOW, HE SAID TO ME, MY BROTHERS, MY COUSINS ` ALL OF US ` THAT ONE DAY, THE PATCH WOULD BECOME SOMETHING OF THE PAST AND THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT OF THE FUTURE WOULD BE WALKING AROUND IN SUITS AND TIES, KNOWING WHO THEY ARE, KNOWING WHERE THEY COME FROM, HIGHLY EDUCATED, SOPHISTICATED. THAT'S GONNA BE THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT OF THE FUTURE. TK SAYS HE PROSPECTED FROM THE AGE OF 6 AND WAS PATCHED AT 16. IT'S TAKEN TIME, BUT NOW, IN HIS 30s, HE'S STRIVING TO EMBODY HIS FATHER'S VISION. HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN ON CAMPUS NOW? UH, THREE YEARS. THREE YEARS? THREE YEARS, YEP. AND HOW MANY OTHER BLACK POWER MEMBERS DO YOU KNOW THAT ARE ON CAMPUS? UM, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NONE. NONE? JUST YOU? MM. JUST MYSELF. TK WAS KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL AT 14. HE HAS ADHD AND ADMITS TERTIARY EDUCATION WAS CHALLENGING ` AND THERE WERE MIXED REACTIONS TO HIM BEING ON CAMPUS. I DEFINITELY FELT IT. WHAT DID YOU FEEL? I FELT THE, UM, 'HM, WHO'S THIS? WHAT IS THIS FULLA DOING HERE?' BUT NO ONE ACTUALLY EVER COME DIRECTLY TO ME. DO YOU THINK THAT THEY DIDN'T BRING IT TO YOU DIRECTLY BECAUSE THERE WAS A FEAR TO DO THAT, OR DO YOU THINK THAT WAS BECAUSE YOU CAME INTO THIS PLACE RESPECTFULLY, WITHOUT A PATCH ON, AND YOU WERE GETTING ON WITH BEING A STUDENT? PERHAPS A BIT OF BOTH. (LAUGHS) PERHAPS A BIT OF BOTH. THAT'S AN HONEST ANSWER. GENESIS TE KURU 'TK' WHITE. (CHEERING) WHEN TK GRADUATED, MEMBERS OF BLACK POWER, THE MONGREL MOB AND THE FILTHY FEW WERE THERE TO CELEBRATE HIS SUCCESS. I ACHIEVED WHAT I SET OUT TO DO, WHICH WAS COME TO THIS SPACE AND TO SHOW THAT IF I CAN DO IT, ANYBODY CAN DO IT. GROUP: # HI! # (CHEERING) GANG PATCHES ARE BANNED ON THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, BUT AS A COMPROMISE, THEY WERE HELD RATHER THAN WORN. SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU TO BE ABLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR PEOPLE; THOSE OF US WHO WEAR PATCHES LIKE TO DO THAT ` THE SAME WAY A SOLDIER WOULD, OR THE SAME WAY, UH, A DOCTOR MIGHT. CEREMONIAL DRESS, YOU MEAN? ABSOLUTELY. OK. ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT MEANS BEING PATCHED UP? YEAH. WEARING THE REGALIA? YES, ABSOLUTELY. WHY WOULDN'T YOU? I MEAN, IT'S A BIG ACHIEVEMENT, ISN'T IT? WELL, YOU COULD ARGUE BECAUSE IT MIGHT INTIMIDATE OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE FOR THEIR GRADUATION. YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD POINT. THAT'S A FAIR POINT. BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO SEE, 'HUH, THESE FELLOWS ARE PEOPLE JUST LIKE US.' IN KEEPING WITH HIS FATHER'S VISION TO MAKE THE PATCH A THING OF THE PAST, TK NO LONGER WEARS HIS. SO YOU'VE PUT DOWN YOUR PATCH NOW FOR THE FUTURE? NO. YOU WON'T WEAR IT ANYMORE? WE HAVEN'T PUT THEM DOWN; WE'VE ELEVATED THEM. WE'VE ELEVATED THEM TO A STATE OF TAPU, AND THEY ARE THERE TO SERVE AS A REMINDER, AS A CONNECTOR TO OUR PAST. WE'VE PUT THEM AWAY IN A SAFE PLACE. OK. (CHUCKLES) THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY. OK. NOT ALL MEMBERS ARE MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION OR AT THE SAME PACE, BUT TK WON'T FORCE THEM TO. HE'S PROUD OF HIS OWN ACHIEVEMENTS AND THE EXAMPLE HE'S SETTING FOR THE GENERATION THAT WILL COME NEXT. STILL TO COME ` WE'RE LIVE TO DUNEDIN AHEAD OF THE ALL BLACKS MATCH. PLUS, WE CATCH UP WITH THE MAN VOWING TO MAKE THE FAMED ALL BLACK NUMBER SEVEN JERSEY HIS OWN. AND LULU SUN ENDS A KIWI DROUGHT OF OVER SIX DECADES TO REACH THE WIMBLEDON ROUND OF 16. WELCOME TO A NEW SWIFT WORLD WITH SUZUKI. A NEW ERA IS ABOUT TO BEGIN FOR THE ALL BLACKS, WITH THE FIRST TEST OF THEIR 2024 SEASON KICKING OFF SHORTLY AGAINST ENGLAND. IT'S A BIG NIGHT FOR SCOTT 'RAZOR' ROBERTSON, AS HE MAKES HIS COACHING DEBUT AFTER SUCCEEDING IAN FOSTER. GORDON FINDLATER'S IN DUNEDIN. GORDON, SO MUCH ANTICIPATION AROUND HOW THE NEW COACH AND CAPTAIN WILL GO. THAT IS RIGHT. PLENTY OF ANTICIPATION HERE TONIGHT. THE STADIUM IS SOLD OUT. PEOPLE ARE EXCITED FOR THIS NEW ERA OF THE ALL BLACKS UNDER SCOTT ROBERTSON. HIS NEW COACHING STAFF AND A NEW ALL BLACKS CAPTAIN IN THE SCOTT BARRETT. THEY FACE A VERY TOUGH TASK FIRST UP ` IS VERY STRONG ENGLAND TEAM WHO HAVE HAD A STRONG SIX NATIONS AND A FAMOUS WIN OVER IRELAND. THEY COME HERE WELL-PREPARED. IT WILL BE NO EASY TASK. LOOK AT THE PEOPLE AS THEY COME IN TONIGHT. THEY HAVE BEEN OUT ON THE OCTAGON PROBABLY, HAVING` ENJOYING THE FINER SIDE OF DUNEDIN. THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE HERE FOR THEY ARE HERE TO SEE WHAT THE ALL BLACKS LOOK LIKE TONIGHT. WHAT CAN RAZOR BRING TO THE PARTY? IF YOU WANT TO SEE SOMETHING COOL, THIS IS ANOTHER THING THEY HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT THEY WANT TO CHANGE. THEY WANT TO BE MORE INTERACTIVE WITH THEIR FANS. HOW GOOD IS ETHAN BLACKADDER? HE IS NOT THERE TONIGHT; INSTEAD HE WAS SCANNING PEOPLE THROUGH THE DOOR. THAT IS PRETTY COOL. EVERYBODY IS ABSOLUTELY PUMPED. LET'S GO THE ALL BLACKS. LET'S SEE HOW RAZOR GOES IN HIS FIRST BIG SHOW. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S NOT JUST A NEW COACH AND NEW CAPTAIN UNDERLINING THE START OF THE NEW ERA FOR THE ALL BLACKS. DALTON PAPALI'I STARTS IN ONE OF THE MOST COVETED POSITIONS, GETTING THE 'FIRST CHANCE' TO BECOME THE 'FIRST CHOICE' NUMBER SEVEN. HE SPOKE WITH OLLIE RITCHIE. TEST WEEK IN DUNEDIN, AND DALTON PAPALI'I IS TRYING TO TREAT THIS ONE AS HE WOULD ANY OTHER. IT'S A NEW CHAPTER IN THE LEGACY FOR THE ALL BLACKS. PAPALI'I ISN'T NEW TO THIS ENVIRONMENT ` FAR FROM IT. AT JUST 26 YEARS OLD, HE'S ALREADY WORN THE BLACK JERSEY 32 TIMES. NOT A NUMBER THAT SETS THE WORLD ON FIRE, BUT WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE JERSEY HE'S HAD HIS SIGHTS ON, IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE. I'M ALWAYS GRATEFUL WHEN I GET MY OPPORTUNITY. THE ALL BLACKS NUMBER SEVEN JERSEY IS SYNONYMOUS WITH ONE OF THE GREATEST TO EVER PLAY THE GAME IN RICHIE MCCAW. MORE RECENTLY, IT'S BELONGED TO SAM CANE, THE PLAYER PAPALI'I WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK GUIDANCE FROM. THE GOOD THING ABOUT THE ALL BLACKS IS YOU HAVE SUCH AN ABUNDANCE OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL SETS. WITH CANE GRANTED AN EARLY RELEASE FROM HIS NZR CONTRACT, THE PATH HAS BEEN CLEARED FOR PAPALI'I TO MAKE THE NUMBER SEVEN JERSEY HIS OWN. I'VE JUST GOT TO WORK HARD AND KEEP HELPING THE PEOPLE AROUND ME TO GET BETTER. TONIGHT'S FIRST MATCH OF THE SCOTT ROBERTSON ERA IS A TEST FOR THE ALL BLACKS IN SEVERAL WAYS, BUT A TEST FOR ROBERTSON HIMSELF, A COACH WHO BRINGS IMMEDIATE EXPECTATIONS TO WIN. I THINK IT'S JUST A REMINDER WHEN YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET, THE KIWI PUBLIC ` HOW EXCITED THEY ARE ABOUT THIS TEST. THE ALL BLACKS HAVEN'T FACED ENGLAND SINCE 2022, A GAME TO REMEMBER FOR PAPALI'I, BOTH FOR PERFORMANCE AND LOOK. I MIGHT HAVE TO THROW IT BACK, EH, AND ACTUALLY GO GET MY HAIR DYED. DYED HAIR ASIDE, A RUNAWAY TRY UNDER THE STICKS PROVIDES PAPALI'I WITH FOND MEMORIES; THE RESULT, NOT SO MUCH. THIS GROUP ADAMANT NO SUCH COMPLACENCY WILL CREEP IN IN DUNEDIN. THE MINDSET IS, ARE WE GONNA GO OUT THERE AND DOMINATE? THE ALL BLACKS ARE KEEN TO START THIS YEAR AS THEY MEAN TO GO ON. LULU SUN HAS BECOME THE FIRST KIWI FEMALE IN 65 YEARS TO REACH THE TOP 16 AT WIMBLEDON. THE 23-YEAR-OLD'S COME FROM A BREAKDOWN AT THE END OF THE FIRST SET TO DEFEAT CHINA'S ZHU LIN 7-6, 7-6. ONE SUN STILL SHINES... BY TWO SETS TO LOVE ` 7-6, 7-6. ...AT THIS W19, AND IT'S THE 23-YEAR-OLD QUALIFIER LULU SUN ` INTO HER VERY FIRST GRAND SLAM FOURTH ROUND AT WIMBLEDON! SUN WILL FACE BRITAIN'S FORMER U.S. OPEN CHAMPION EMMA RADUCANU FOR A PLACE IN THE QUARTER-FINALS. THE WARRIORS AND BULLDOGS ARE EVEN AT 12-12 MIDWAY THROUGH THE SECOND HALF OF THEIR NRL CLASH IN SYDNEY. THE BULLDOGS OPENED THE SCORING IN THE 20TH MINUTE WITH THIS TRY AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY ` MATT BURTON SPRINTING MOST OF THE WAY BEFORE PASSING IT OFF TO BRONSON XERRI ` BUT THE WARRIORS HIT STRAIGHT BACK ` DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK SLAMMING ONE DOWN IN THE CORNER BEFORE MARCELO MONTOYA POWERED OVER FIVE MINUTES LATER. SPAIN WILL FACE FRANCE IN THE FIRST OF THE EURO 2024 SEMI-FINALS. SPAIN SCORED A GOAL LATE IN EXTRA TIME TO BEAT HOSTS GERMANY 2-1, WITH MIKEL MERINO THE HERO FOR THE SPANISH, WITH HIS GOAL IN THE 119TH MINUTE. FRANCE WERE ALSO TAKEN TO EXTRA TIME AND THEN PENALTIES BY PORTUGAL IN THEIR QUARTER-FINAL. FRANCE WON THE SHOOT-OUT 5-3 AFTER A GOALLESS 120 MINUTES. TOMORROW MORNING, ENGLAND FACE SWITZERLAND, AND TURKEY MEET THE NETHERLANDS IN THE REMAINING QUARTER-FINALS. OUR TOP STORIES TONIGHT ` THE GOVERNMENT HAS PLEDGED A FURTHER $3m TOWARDS THE CLEAN-UP OF FLOOD-RAVAGED WAIROA IN HAWKE'S BAY; IT BRINGS THE GOVERNMENT'S TOTAL CONTRIBUTION TO $3.6m. AND THREENEWS HAS REVEALED A PROBATION OFFICER SACKED FOR SNOOPING THROUGH THE FILES OF CHINESE OFFENDERS WORKED CLOSELY WITH FORMER NATIONAL MP AND ALLEGED SPY YANG JIAN FOR A DECADE. TIME NOW FOR A LOOK AT THE WEATHER. THE LAST REMAINING FRONTAL FEATURES CLEAR UP TOP AND THE BOTTOM OF THE COUNTRY OVERNIGHT AND INTO TOMORROW, LEAVING FINE SKIES FOR THE START OF NEXT WEEK. UNTIL THEN, MORE SHOWERS AND STRONG SOU'WESTERS FOR THE LOWER SOUTH AND ONLY ISOLATED SHOWERS SPRINKLED AROUND THE NORTH ISLAND. STARTING UP TOP, ANOTHER FROSTY MORNING FOR WAIKATO AND PARTS OF THE COROMANDEL, ALL WITH WEST TO SOU'WEST WINDS. ALSO COLD HERE ` MOST OF THE REGION WAKING UP TO FROST. TOKOROA, YOU'LL HAVE SHOWERS FROM LATE MORNING, WITH A SOU'WESTERLY. NOT SURPRISING ` ALSO FROSTY TO START OUT EAST, WITH CLOUD DEVELOPING LATER IN THE DAY FOR MASTERTON AND DANNEVIRKE. FROST FOR THE USUAL SPOTS HERE, WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES ACROSS THE DAY. TAUMARUNUI, YOU'LL LIKELY HAVE A SHOWER FROM THE AFTERNOON. FOR THE SOUTH, A LITTLE MORE CLOUD FOR THE NORTHWEST. SHOWERS LIKELY TOO FOR WESTPORT, REEFTON AND GREYMOUTH, BUT WINDS WILL BE LIGHT. ANOTHER CLASSIC WINTER'S MORNING OUT EAST, STARTING FROSTY WITH ONLY BLUE SKIES. WATCH OUT FOR SUN STRIKE. SHOWERS EXPECTED FOR ALL SOUTH OF OAMARU, WITH THE WIND BEING THE ISSUE OF THE DAY. GALE SOU'WESTERS FOR DUNEDIN GUSTING 100 K'S. MELBOURNE'S ALSO STARTING THE DAY COLD ` A LOW OF 2. AND SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR APIA. LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FIRST WEEK OF THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, FOR THE NORTH ISLAND, MAINLY FINE, WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS IN NORTHERN AREAS, BUT ON THE WHOLE, IT'S LOOKING GREAT. SIMILAR FOR THE SOUTH ISLAND, WITH SHOWERS IN THE SOUTH EASING LATE, AND ISOLATED SHOWERS FOR FIORDLAND. WE SHOULD NOTE THERE IS A STRONG WIND WATCH IN PLACE FOR COASTAL CLUTHA AND DUNEDIN FROM 2AM TOMORROW. EARLIER, WE ASKED YOU IF YOU THINK THE ALL BLACKS WILL WIN TONIGHT. YOU'RE LOYAL ` 84% OF YOU BACKING THE ABs IN THEIR CLASH AGAINST ENGLAND. I HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT. THAT'S THREENEWS FOR TONIGHT. THANKS FOR JOINING US. YOU CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH US BY EMAILING newsroom@stuff.co.nz OR HEAD TO THE WEBSITE.