IS IT REALLY A GIFT CARD IF YOU HAVE TO PAY TO USE IT? TONIGHT WE'RE LOOKING INTO THE WEDDING GIFT THAT ENDED UP COSTING THE BRIDE AND GROOM. IT'S A WARNING FOR ALL OF US. HERE'S MARY-JANE AGGETT WITH THIS FAIR GO STORY. (MENDELSSOHN'S WEDDING MARCH) LOVE IT. TOASTER. WE'LL PUT MRS TOASTER THERE. WHEN IT COMES TO WEDDING GIFTS, TOASTERS, WINE GLASSES AND SALAD BOWLS ARE PROBABLY THE MOST OBVIOUS CHOICES... CLASSY. ...BUT BEN HEANEY WANTED TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. I WANT TO GIVE THEM SOMETHING THAT WOULD GIVE THEM JOY. HIS SISTER WAS GETTING MARRIED. THERE GOES BEN. SHE'S, YOU KNOW, ONE OF MY LIFELINES, AND JUST WANTED TO GIVE THEM SOMETHING NICE AND SOMETHING THAT THEY WOULD ENJOY. SO BEN BOUGHT A $250 FLIGHT CENTRE GIFT CARD. (SOFT MUSIC) YOUR DAD WAS SO PROUD. (LAUGHS) WHEN I CAME DOWN IN MY DRESS, I'D NEVER SEEN A SMILE SO BIG. SO WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU OPENED THE CARD? WE WERE QUITE EXCITED BY IT. IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS WE'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE TAYLOR ON A PLANE. SHE ABSOLUTELY LOVES PLANES. # I LEARNED TO FLY... I THINK THAT MIGHT BE A TWO-STOREY ONE. IT MIGHT BE TWO ROWS OF SEATS IN THAT ONE. SHE CAN HEAR A PLANE COMING. WE JUST LIVE DOWN THE ROAD FROM THE AIRPORT, SO A BIG PLANE CAN TAKE OFF AND SHE'LL GO RUNNING OUT. TAYLOR'S A PINT-SIZED PLANE FANATIC. THIS WAS WAY MORE THAN A GIFT ` THIS WAS TO BE A MEMORY FOR THE YOUNG CHRISTCHURCH FAMILY. IT WAS SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. BEN REALLY WANTED US TO GET AWAY LIKE THAT, AND IT IS QUITE EXPENSIVE, SO A $250 GIFT CARD IS A GOOD ONE. (DOG BARKS) BUT THE TRIP NEVER GOT OFF THE GROUND. TO BE HONEST, I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT LIKE DAYLIGHT ROBBERY. OK, SPOILER ALERT. RIGHT NOW, GETTING A SALAD BOWL AS A WEDDING PRESENT IS LOOKING PRETTY GOOD. THE WAY THE LIGHT JUST REFLECTS OFF THAT ` YOU COULD USE THAT FOR ANYTHING. MAGNIFICENT. WE THOUGHT WELLINGTON WOULD BE GOOD, BECAUSE IT'S A, YOU KNOW, A REASONABLY SHORT FLIGHT FOR HER FIRST` HER FIRST TRIP. SO, YEAH, WENT ONLINE ONE NIGHT. THESE ARE QUITE GOOD TIMES. GOT TO THE PAYMENT PART, AND NO OPTION TO USE A GIFT CARD. THINKING SHE WAS MISSING SOMETHING, JANE RANG FLIGHT CENTRE, WHO TOLD HER TO USE A GIFT CARD, YOU HAD TO GO INTO A BRANCH OR DO IT OVER THE PHONE, AND THAT WOULD INCUR A SERVICE FEE. SO I SAID, 'OK, WELL, HOW MUCH IS THE SERVICE FEE?' AND SHE SAID, 'OH, IT'S $50 PER PERSON.' SO I SAID TO HER, 'SO IT'S GONNA BE $150 THAT YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE 'FROM OUR $250 VOUCHER?' AND SHE SAID, 'YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT.' WELL, THAT POPPED OUT OF NOWHERE. TOASTER'S WAY MORE RELIABLE. YEAH, WE WERE A BIT SURPRISED, CONSIDERING THE TOTAL FOR THE FLIGHTS WAS ONLY 330, THAT THEY WANTED TO TAKE 150 OF IT. CONSUMER NEW ZEALAND WARNS GIFT CARDS CAN BE TRICKY. IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT TO CASH, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THERE ARE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF THAT CARD. AND YES, IT IS ALL THERE IN THE FINE PRINT. 'TRAVEL EXPERT FEE'. UH-HUH. THIS IS FOR ANY IN-PERSON OR PHONE BOOKING, AS YOU'RE USING THEIR EXPERT, WHICH YOU HAVE TO DO WITH A GIFT CARD. IF SOMEONE'S GOING OVERSEAS, IT'S $150 PER PERSON, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS PRETTY RIDICULOUS. IT'S A BIT LIKE ONLY GIVING HALF A WEDDING PRESENT. OH, THERE'S ONLY TWO! WHERE'S THE REST? IT WAS KIND OF EMBARRASSING FOR ME, EVEN. THEY NEVER SAID AT ALL THAT THERE'D BE FEES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT WAS` I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS JUST A VOUCHER. CASH FOR CASH. OK, SO THE FEE IS IN THE T'S AND C'S. COME ON. SO WE CONTACTED FLIGHT CENTRE. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE FOUND SOME HANDY TIPS ON GIFT CARDS. A-HA, FOUND YOU! WHEN YOU BUY A GIFT CARD, THERE ARE NEARLY ALWAYS STRINGS ATTACHED. SO WHAT'S YOUR ADVICE? IF YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN A GIFT CARD, POP THE EXPIRY DATE INTO YOUR CALENDAR SO THAT YOU DON'T FORGET, BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT WITH AN EXPIRED GIFT CARD. YOU MIGHT FIND THAT YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO PAY A FEE JUST TO USE THE CARD. YOU MIGHT HAVE TO PAY A FEE TO REPLACE THE CARD, AND SOMETIMES THERE ARE FEES EVEN JUST TO CHECK THE BALANCE. GOOD TO KNOW. I'VE ACTUALLY GOT A RESPONSE FROM FLIGHT CENTRE. IT'S NOT THE OUTCOME WE WERE HOPING FOR. READS: 'FLIGHT CENTRE APPRECIATES THE SITUATION WILL BE FRUSTRATING 'FOR THE CUSTOMER. HOWEVER, WE REMAIN CONFIDENT 'IN THE TRANSPARENCY OF OUR SERVICE FEES.' LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS RESPONSE. ALL RIGHT, WE KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THIS. PAPER PLANES... HERE WE GO. I, FOR ONE, DEFINITELY WILL BE ASKING THAT QUESTION ANY TIME I BUY A GIFT CARD. WHILE IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THE JOURNEY WE WERE AFTER, IT HAS BEEN A LESSON FOR EVERYONE. NEXT TIME FOR A WEDDING, IT'LL PROBABLY BE JUST CASH. AND HEY ` THAT SALAD BOWL... IS CERTAINLY THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING. (IMITATES PLANE) # I'M LEARNING TO FLY...# AND FOR MORE FROM FAIR GO, POP OVER TO TVNZ+. WE NOW HAVE A DEDICATED NEWS PAGE. JUST SCROLL DOWN TO SEE OTHER STORIES. CAPTIONS BY KATE MCCULLOUGH, JOHN GIBBS AND SAM BAKER. CAPTIONS WERE MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF NZ ON AIR. WWW.ABLE.CO.NZ COPYRIGHT ABLE 2024 THERE ARE PLACES DOTTED AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT ONCE UPON A TIME WERE BURSTING WITH LIFE ` PA SITES THAT HAVE BEEN LOST OR FORGOTTEN. FOR ONE MAN, RESTORING HIS ANCESTRAL PA SITE HAS BEEN A LABOUR OF LOVE THAT'S CONNECTED HIM WITH HIS PAST. LUCAS DE JONG WENT TO THE EAST COAST TOWN OF WHATATUTU. ('RECONNECT' BY MAISEY RIKA) (LAUGHS) MATE! I FEEL LIKE I'VE STEPPED BACK IN TIME. (GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES) SO THIS IS OUR TRADITIONAL PA SITE, TE PAKAKI, OR WHIRIKOKA. THE WHARE, THE HOMES, WHERE ALL MY ANCESTORS USED TO LIVE. # DO YOU HEAR THE TUI CALL? # WELCOME TO A LIVING PIECE OF HISTORY EMBEDDED IN THE HILLS OF WHARETUTU. IT'S A LABOUR OF LOVE FOR US, AS A FAMILY, AND FOR OUR IWI, TO RESTORE A HISTORICAL PLACE OF SIGNIFICANCE THAT, THANKFULLY, IS STILL ON THE LAND THAT WE, WE ARE A PART OF. IT'S BEEN RELATIVELY UNTOUCHED OVER THE GENERATIONS. IT USED TO BE A HOLDING PEN FOR THE COWS. SEVEN YEARS AGO, THEY BEGAN RECREATING A LIFE THEIR ANCESTORS ONCE LIVED. YOU DIDN'T JUST DECIDE TO START BUILDING WHERE IT LOOKED NICE, THOUGH. YOU'VE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE LAYERS OF THE LAND. ABSOLUTELY. ONCE WE CLEARED OUT ALL OF THE WEEDS, YOU GET BACK TO THE DIMENSIONS THAT ARE EXISTING IN THE GROUND. AND IT'S THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PAST WHICH SPRINGS TO LIFE TODAY. FOR MATAWHERO, THIS WAS ABOUT REDISCOVERING HIS HISTORY. THE ARMY BRAT KNEW LITTLE ABOUT HIS HERITAGE UNTIL A RARE VISIT HOME CHANGED IT ALL. AND THEN HE GRABBED AHOLD OF MY EAR AND SAYS, 'WHY DON'T YOU COME HOME MORE? WHY DON'T YOU COME AND LEARN MORE?' AND I SAID, 'WELL, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.' HE SAYS, 'YOU HAVE TO COME BACK FOR THAT.' THAT BEGAN MY JOURNEY INTO REDISCOVERING WHO I WAS, MY HISTORY. AND THAT CAME WITH A LOT OF LEARNING. (CHIRPY MUSIC) WITH MY EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND IN I.T.` (LAUGHS) ...I HAD TO GOOGLE HOW TO DO EVERYTHING, AND HAD TO LEARN AS I EXPERIMENTED AND GAVE IT A SHOT. NO POWER TOOLS? WELL, MAN POWER, AND DAUGHTER POWER, AND SON POWER, AND FRIEND POWER, AND ANYONE WHO COMES AND VISITS. WHEN YOU'RE DOING THINGS SLOWLY, YOU'RE TAKING YOUR TIME, THERE'S AN INTIMACY BY ACTUALLY DOING THINGS THE HARD WAY. WE TRY TO DO IT, AS MUCH AS WE CAN, THE WAY THEY USED TO, BUT WE DON'T LIVE IN THOSE DAYS, SO SOME OF THE RESOURCES AND SOME OF THE MATERIALS AND TOOLS THEY HAD, WE DON'T HAVE. BECAUSE THE WORLD AROUND THEM HAS CHANGED. TAKE THE THATCHING, FOR EXAMPLE ` TODAY, HE'S USING CABBAGE TREE LEAVES. TRADITIONALLY, THEY USED RAUPO ` SO, THE SWAMP GRASSES. UNFORTUNATELY FOR US, ALL THE SWAMPS HAVE BEEN DRAINED FOR AGRICULTURAL AND FARMING PURPOSES, SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY RAUPO THAT WE CAN USE. WE'D HAVE TO CREATE A WHOLE NEW SERIES OF SWAMPS TO DO THAT. MATAWHERO QUICKLY REALISED HOW CONNECTED THE PA WAS TO THE PLANTS AROUND IT. WITHOUT NATIVE BUSH, NONE OF IT WAS POSSIBLE. WE'VE BEGUN THAT JOURNEY OF REPLANTING NATIVES, AND TO REPLENISH IT AND TO CREATE NEW RESOURCES AND NEW MATERIALS, UH, AS A PART OF WHAT THE WHOLE ASPIRATION OF THE PLACE IS. TWO YEARS AGO, THE SITE WAS MORE ESTABLISHED, BUT CYCLONE GABRIELLE WIPED THE LAND CLEAN, AND THAT'S EXACTLY HOW HE WANTS IT TO BE. UH, ONE OF THE` ONE OF THE, I GUESS, THE COLOUR, THE RULES THAT I PUT ON MYSELF, IS NO UNNATURAL PRESERVATIVE FOR ANY OF THE MATERIAL, WHICH MEANS THE WOOD IS GOING TO ROT. YOU'VE GOT ABOUT A FIVE-YEAR CYCLE BEFORE THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED, SO COMING UP TO CYCLONE GABRIELLE, WE'RE ABOUT THE FIVE-YEAR MARK. SO I KNEW THAT IT'S GOING TO GET HAMMERED. THIS IS NOW THE NEXT STEP OF BUILDING THE NEXT LAYER, AND THEN WE'LL BUILD ANOTHER LAYER. BUT IF IT'S FINISHED, THEN I'M FINISHED, AND I DON'T WANNA BE FINISHED. THERE'S NO CHARGE HERE, NO TICKET BOOTH, JUST A FAMILY THAT'S HAPPY TO SHARE. (INSTRUMENTAL 'POKAREKARE ANA') ...WHICH WAS NEVER CREATED WITH A TOURISM PRINCIPLE IN MIND. IT WAS CREATED WITH A FAMILY HISTORY POINT OF VIEW. SO THE PA SITE IS A WAY OF SAYING 'COME AND JOIN IN AND SHARE WHAT THIS MEANS TO ME, 'AND WHAT THIS MEANS TO THE HISTORY, 'AND I HOPE YOU FEEL THAT SAME WAIRUA, 'THAT SAME FEELING WITH IT TOO.' SO IT'S AN ABSOLUTELY OPEN PA SITE TO ANYONE. AND HE SAYS IF THIS I.T. GUY CAN DO IT, ANYONE CAN. ONE OF THE THINGS I DO WANT TO DO IS ESTABLISH A PA SITE RESTORATION TRUST, AND RECOGNISE AND ACKNOWLEDGE, BECAUSE THERE ARE PA SITES ALL THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY THAT ARE JUST EMPTY, THAT, UM, ARE, LIKE THIS ONE, HIDING UNDERNEATH TREES AND ON HILLSIDES. HE'LL FINISH EVERY VISIT WITH A FIRE, SO THAT WHOEVER'S HERE CAN SHARE THEIR OWN STORY AND HEAR ABOUT A MAN WHO'S TYING TOGETHER THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND FUTURE. (POKAREKARE ANA) AN OLD MAN CAN JUST LIE BACK ON THE HILL WITH A BIT OF GRASS IN HIS MOUTH, AND WATCH THE SUNSET OVER THE RIVER, AND WATCH THE KIDS AND GRANDKIDS RUNNING AROUND PLAYING, AND THEN THEY'LL BE CARRYING ON THE SAME STORY, AND THE TRADITION CAN CONTINUE. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. E WHAI AKE NEI ` COMING UP ON SEVEN SHARP ` KEEN FOR A BETTER NIGHT'S SLEEP? HOW THIS COMMERCIAL BREAK CAN HELP. PLUS, IT'S AN ASB GOOD AS GOLD WITH A TWIST. WHAT MAKES THESE STONES SO SPECIAL IN JUST A MOMENT. (UPBEAT MUSIC) Ready! (BOTH CHEER) (LAUGHS) VOICEOVER: Small steps can help you achieve your goals. Get your money one step ahead with ASB. NAU MAI, HOKI MAI, WELCOME BACK. NICE TO HAVE YOU WITH US. HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG TO BE AN AGENT FOR GOOD IN YOUR COMMUNITY? EVELYN SYKES IS 10, AND SHE'S GETTING THINGS SORTED IN CARTERTON, IN THE WAIRARAPA, PUTTING OTHERS FIRST AND RAISING MONEY FOR WORTHY CAUSES. AND FOR THAT SHE'S OUR YOUNGEST ASB GOOD AS GOLD RECIPIENT. (BRIGHT MUSIC) IT ENDS IN A RAPTUROUS GROUP HUG... EVERY EXPRESSION PURE GOLD. EVELYN IS THOUGHTFUL. SHE'S GENEROUS, AND... HMM. VERY LOVING. AND SHE'S YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER. AND SHE'S MY GRANDDAUGHTER. YES. SHE'S JUST A REALLY GORGEOUS GIRL. HER HEART IS THE BIGGEST YOU CAN IMAGINE. SHE HAS OODLES OF EMPATHY. SHE IS ALWAYS COMING UP WITH IDEAS OF WHAT SHE COULD DO TO SUPPORT OTHERS. SHE WANTS TO MAKE EVERYWHERE A BETTER PLACE, BUT SHE DOESN'T EXPECT ANYTHING BACK. HER KIND HEART SHOWING ITSELF WHEN, AS A 5-YEAR-OLD, SHE SUFFERED A GASH TO THE HEAD THAT REQUIRED A TRIP IN AN AMBULANCE. AT FIRST, I WAS A LITTLE BIT SCARED, COS I HAD NEVER ACTUALLY RIDED IN A AMBULANCE BEFORE. NOW I JUST HELP FUNDRAISE FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY HELPED ME, AND SO I'M JUST HELPING THEM. LAST YEAR, SHE HEARD THAT WELLINGTON FREE AMBULANCE WERE NEEDING TO BUILD A NEW AMBULANCE STATION IN MASTERTON. $7 MILLION NEEDED TO BE RAISED, SO SHE WANTED TO HELP. WE PAINT STONES, JUST AS A THING IN THE FAMILY ` PUT THEM OUT IN THE COMMUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO FIND. THEY CALL THEM HAPPY STONES, SMILING STONES, KINDNESS STONES. SO, WITH LOTS OF STONES AND LOTS OF PAINTING AND LOTS OF STALLS, SHE RAISED OVER $1500. WOW. YEAH. YEAH. SHE THOUGHT $1500 WOULD BUILD AN AMBULANCE STATION. BLESS HER. YES. SHE'S ADORABLE. AND SHE'S NOW STARTING TO IMPACT ON OTHER STUDENTS, AND THEY'RE COMING UP WITH FUNDRAISING IDEAS AND CHARITIES THEY WANT TO SUPPORT. HOW COOL IS THAT? SO COOL. (HOPEFUL MUSIC) HELLO, EVELYN. HI. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. WHAT'S GOING ON HERE TODAY? WE'RE DOING ASSEMBLY. AND THIS LOOKS LIKE A LOVELY, LOVELY SCHOOL. YEAH. WHY DON'T YOU ASK ME WHY WE'RE HERE? WHY ARE YOU HERE? WELL, WE'VE BEEN HEARING MANY, MANY STORIES ABOUT WHAT A KIND, GIVING YOUNG LADY YOU ARE. SO WE THOUGHT WE'D COME ALONG AND SAY HI. (CHUCKLES) ACTUALLY, IT GOES A LITTLE BIT FURTHER THAN THAT. I'M TOLD THAT AT ASSEMBLY, YOU GUYS WATCH A SEGMENT ON SEVEN SHARP CALLED ASB GOOD AS GOLD. MM-HM. WELL, GUESS WHAT? WHAT? TODAY, YOU ARE THE STAR OF OUR LATEST EPISODE OF ASB GOOD AS GOLD ` FOR ALL THE LOVING THINGS YOU DO FOR THE COMMUNITY. FUNDRAISING FOR THE NEW AMBULANCE STATION, THE SPCA, AND SO, SO MANY MORE. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK I MIGHT SAY NEXT? UM... TO CELEBRATE, THE ASB WOULD LOVE TO GIVE YOU $10,000. (CLASS EXCLAIMS) SHALL I SAY THAT AGAIN? OK. $10,000. AND WHAT WE ARE HOPING IS THAT YOU MIGHT SPOIL YOURSELF` LIKE, REALLY, REALLY SPOIL YOURSELF. LIKE, MAYBE A COUPLE OF BARS OF CHOCOLATE. SOMETHING LIKE THAT, EH? NO, JUST JOKING. REALLY SPOIL YOURSELF, AND IF THERE'S ANY LEFT OVER, YOU MIGHT WANT TO DONATE IT TO YOUR FAVOURITE CAUSE, WHICH JUST MIGHT BE... THE WELLINGTON FREE AMBULANCE. REALLY? YEAH! YOU'D WANT TO GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF IT? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA, EH. YEAH. SO, VERY, VERY WELL DONE, EVELYN. YOU ARE AS GOOD AS... ...GOLD. YEAH. IS SHE AS GOOD AS GOLD, GUYS? CLASS: YEAH! (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) (GENTLE MUSIC) WELL DONE. I'M SO PROUD OF YOU. I WAS SHOCKED. I, LIKE, DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. WHY DO YOU WANNA BE SO INVOLVED? WHY DO YOU WANNA HELP? BECAUSE WHEN SOMEBODY IS NICE TO YOU, IT MAKES YOU FEEL HAPPY AND NICE. I WANT EVERYBODY TO FEEL THAT WAY, SO I TRY TO BE KIND TO EVERYONE, AND DO LITTLE BITS IN THE COMMUNITY. PAINTING ALL THOSE ROCKS. YEAH. HOW MANY? I DON'T KNOW. TONS. (CHUCKLES) LIKE, HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS. AND YOU'VE CUT YOUR HAIR OFF TO HELP MAKE WIGS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR HAIR? YEAH. WAS THAT BRAVE? YEAH. AND I THINK YOU ARE A FANTASTIC EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE CAN BE, SO CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. AND KEEP GOING. WELL DONE, YOU. (GENTLE MUSIC) IF YOU KNOW A DESERVING NEW ZEALANDER, NOMINATE THEM AT ASBGOODASGOLD.CO.NZ. WHAT A WEE GEM. AS LOYAL SEVEN SHARP VIEWERS, YOU WILL KNOW THAT THERE'S NOTHING BETTER AFTER A LONG DAY THAN CURLING UP ON THE COUCH AND WATCHING YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOWS. NOW A NEW STUDY FROM THE OTAGO UNIVERSITY SAYS IT COULD BE BETTER IF YOU MIX IN A LITTLE EXERCISE IN THE AD BREAKS. GETTING A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP ISN'T ALWAYS EASY, AND THERE'S NOTHING WORSE THAN WAKING UP FEELING LIKE YOU HAVEN'T SLEPT AT ALL. (GROANS) WELL, DON'T DESPAIR, BECAUSE A STUDY FROM OTAGO UNIVERSITY HAS SOME SURPRISING FINDINGS ABOUT WHAT YOU SHOULD DO BEFORE YOU GO TO BED. OK. NOW RELAXING IN FRONT OF THE TELLY IS FINE... (SIGHS) ...BUT IT'D BE FINER IF YOU HOPPED UP AND DID A LITTLE EXERCISE IN THE AD BREAKS. NOT FULL-ON HIGH IMPACT EXERCISE ` DOING THAT IN THE EVENING IS NOT GREAT FOR SLEEP. (EXHALES) NO ` IT SEEMS LOW IMPACT EXERCISE IS THE ANSWER. RESEARCHERS GOT THEIR SUBJECTS TO DO SQUATS AND CALF RAISES AND KNEE RAISES FOR ABOUT THREE MINUTES EVERY HALF AN HOUR. AND THE RESULTS... (SIGHS) WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE THREE'S THE MAGIC NUMBER FOR A MAGIC NIGHT OF NIGH-NIGHS. (SNORES PEACEFULLY) AND FOR MORE ON THIS, WE'RE JOINED BY LEAD AUTHOR JENNIFER GALE FROM OTAGO UNIVERSITY. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT, JENNIFER. SO TELL US, HOW DID THE STUDY COME ABOUT? YEAH. SO WE KNOW THAT SITTING FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF DISEASE, SUCH AS HEART DISEASE AND DIABETES. AND WE KNOW THAT BREAKING UP THAT TIME WE SPEND SITTING IS BETTER FOR US, AND IN PARTICULAR, IF YOU BREAK UP THE TIME YOU SPEND SITTING FREQUENTLY DURING THE DAY, THAT THAT CAN IMPROVE HOW YOU METABOLISE YOUR FOOD. SO IT LOWERS THE AMOUNT OF SUGAR IN OUR BLOOD AFTER A MEAL. AND SO WE KNEW THAT THIS WAS THE CASE, AND SO WE WONDERED, HMM, COULD THIS IMPROVE OUR SLEEP AS WELL? AND SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW WE CAME UP WITH THE STUDY. AND HOW MUCH BETTER DID YOUR SUBJECTS SLEEP? YEAH. SO AFTER OUR PARTICIPANTS CAME IN IN THE EVENINGS AND PERFORMED THREE MINUTES OF RESISTANCE EXERCISE EVERY HALF AN HOUR, AFTER THEY WENT HOME TO THEIR NORMAL LIVING ENVIRONMENT, THEY SLEPT AN ADDITIONAL 27 MINUTES COMPARED TO WHEN THEY JUST SAT ALL EVENING. AND WE WERE VERY SURPRISED, BUT VERY EXCITED BY HOW MUCH EXTRA SLEEP THAT THEY GOT. OK, SO WHY IS THREE MINUTES EVERY HALF HOUR THE MAGIC NUMBER? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THERE'S BEEN OTHER RESEARCH THAT'S BEEN CONDUCTED DURING THE DAY THAT HAS USED A RANGE OF FREQUENCIES, BUT THREE MINUTES EVERY 30 MINUTES SEEMS TO BE THE SWEET SPOT FOR THE MOST BENEFITS AND THE MOST CONSISTENT BENEFITS. AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THE THREE MINUTES EVERY 30 MINUTES COMES FROM. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT EXERCISE BEFORE BED WAS DISCOURAGED BECAUSE YOU'RE SORT OF AMPING YOURSELF UP. YEAH, AND THE GUIDELINES ACTUALLY REFLECT YOUR THOUGHTS THERE. THEY CURRENTLY DISCOURAGE EVENING EXERCISE BECAUSE IT'S THOUGHT THAT IT CAN INCREASE OUR HEART RATE AND OUR BODY TEMPERATURE, WHICH IS KNOWN TO DISRUPT SLEEP. BUT THERE IS SOME RESEARCH OUT THERE NOW, INCLUDING OUR OWN, THAT HAS FOUND NO DISRUPTIONS TO SLEEP AS A RESULT OF DOING LIGHT INTENSITY EXERCISE BEFORE BED. SO WE KIND OF SAY, 'MAYBE IT'S TIME TO REVISIT THOSE GUIDELINES.' JENNIFER, WHAT WAS YOUR KEY TAKEAWAY FROM THE RESEARCH? MY KEY TAKEAWAY FROM THIS RESEARCH AND OUR KIND OF WIDER BIT OF RESEARCH, IS THAT THE MORE YOU CAN GET UP AND MOVE YOUR BODY, SO GET UP OUT OF YOUR CHAIR AND MOVE, THE BETTER THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE FOR YOUR HEALTH. OUR AD BREAKS ARE VERY CONVENIENTLY THREE TO FOUR MINUTES, AND WE'VE GOT ONE COMING UP SOON. WHAT TYPE OF EXERCISES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THAT WE ALL DO? SO REALLY, YOU CAN DO WHATEVER WORKS BEST FOR YOU IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD. WE USED RESISTANCE EXERCISES SUCH AS SQUATS AND LUNGES, BUT YOU COULD JUST AS EASILY GO AND DO A DANCE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM IF YOU WANTED, OR MARCH ON THE SPOT, GO UP AND DOWN YOUR STAIRS. THE MAIN THING IS JUST TO GET OUT OF YOUR CHAIR AND MOVE YOUR BODY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JENNIFER. THAT IS FASCINATING STUFF. ALL THE BEST. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UP YOU GET. COME ON! WE ARE GOING TO AN AD BREAK NOW. I CAN SEE YOU. WE'LL BE BACK IN JUST A MOMENT WITH YOUR PLACE TO BE TOMORROW. THE PLACE TO BE TOMORROW IS PICTON. IT'LL BE CHILLY FIRST THING, BUT THINGS WILL SORT THEMSELVES OUT, WITH PERFECT WEATHER FOR A TRIP THROUGH QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND. ON THE SHOW TOMORROW, CHRISTCHURCH'S MAD HATTER AND THEIR FLAME-GRILLED COWBOY HATS. THOSE WERE OUR PEOPLE TODAY; THAT WAS SEVEN SHARP TONIGHT. MY DREAM GREEN HOME IS UP NEXT. WE'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW. PO MARIE. CHEERIO. CAPTIONS BY KATE MCCULLOUGH, JOHN GIBBS AND SAM BAKER. CAPTIONS WERE MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF NZ ON AIR. WWW.ABLE.CO.NZ COPYRIGHT ABLE 2024