Media Insider: Tom Phillips case – Dame Julie Christie on her police Netflix documentary; Hosking, Du Plessis-Allan talk Newstalk ZB success and their futures

“Ordinary cops work incredibly hard, and these guys did … you couldn’t have worked on that case without being emotionally involved.”

NHNZ Worldwide chief executive Dame Julie Christie.

Christie’s documentary has the working title The Marokopa Project, according to the production contract released by police to the NZ Herald under the Official Information Act last year.

The 90-minute to two-hour documentary is being produced for Netflix by Christie’s NHNZ Worldwide and UK-based Grain Media.

A camera operator followed the inquiry’s lead detective and several other officers as they worked to find the fugitive father.

But police were later criticised by other media for allowing Christie and a camera operator behind cordons on the day Phillips was shot last September.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers – while acknowledging that police often work with documentary crews – has said police should not have let them behind the cordon.

The contract reveals that police have powers to preview and demand edits to the documentary. Police also have the ultimate sign-off on the content involving themselves, and are currently reviewing their involvement.

Christie told Media Insider this week that she was in regular touch with police. She and her production company have followed all the rules and requirements – she said police had said many times that the production company had done nothing wrong.

“I talk to the police frequently, including yesterday. No decision has been made as to future police cooperation in the documentary, but we are working towards a resolution,” she said.

“The footage we filmed with police related primarily to the work of the lead detective and three other detectives, so it was very focused.”

Christie – whose extensive CV includes The Chair, Celebrity Treasure Island, and more recently, Forever Auckland FC – has not been happy with how other media, including the NZ Herald, have portrayed the documentary.

She has described a “vindictive campaign”.

“While every other media organisation, including your own, was criticising police for doing nothing, I was filming them working extremely hard.

“Those detectives put so much work in. The four or five that I dealt with were amazing people working incredibly hard, and that’s what we had access to. Nobody else asked.”

Tom Phillips disappeared with his three young children for nearly four years in December 2021. he was found and shot dead last September.

Christie says headlines and stories about the documentary have missed a key point – anybody could make a documentary.

“It’s important to remember that a documentary about this case could be, and likely is, already being made overseas. There are four years of news archive footage available to buy.

“And when you think about what else you could put in it – there’s no doubt that several people tried to insert themselves into the case during the police search. How many more ex-police, ex-PIs and ex-SIS could the media have dragged up to criticise the police? I’m sure they’d be happy to be interviewed even without any firsthand knowledge.

“If this story isn’t made here in New Zealand, it will be made overseas with little regard to the facts or the legal restrictions which apply to New Zealand only.

“It is very naive to think that New Zealanders won’t want to, or be able to, view such a version.”

Some members of the Phillips family have said they don’t want the documentary to proceed.

Christie said: “Prior to September 8, we had – I think I added up – more than 30 interactions with the family. I was regularly in touch with the family. I don’t want to speak post that time regarding the family because that’s up to them – they’ve been through enough.”

She said when she began this project, many others were also pitching documentaries “including those who are now the loudest critics”.

“This has been pretty much a media jealousy campaign against this documentary. If any news organisation had asked, they might have got the same access. Because they didn’t think to ask, they seem to have become vindictive.

“I think a lot of media have disgraced themselves through this campaign regarding the documentary.”

Dame Julie Christie and a camera operator at the scene of the Tom Phillips shooting and recovery of his children last September. Photo / Mike Scott

She said the rules around her project were well known.

The contract states that the documentary must abide by any court orders, including suppression orders. It cannot be released until all court proceedings (such as a coroner’s hearing) are resolved.

These are not clauses that any international-based production would need to heed.

“Everybody’s read the agreement,” said Christie.

“Everybody knows what’s required for it to move forward. But in the end, anybody could be making this.

“It’s just my one happened to have a particular angle with the police, but you could turn around and do this tomorrow. There’s nothing stopping you doing it. Nothing stopping anybody.”

Inquiry touches on doco

This week, an independent inquiry into the Phillips children’s disappearance – and how multiple government agencies handled the case – was released.

“I haven’t thought about this,” said Christie, when asked whether it would be included in her documentary. She pointed out it had only just been released.

“I don’t know. Obviously I’ve read the report. I never got to a point where we looked at anything other than following the process that they [police officers] went through, putting their lives on the line because the closer they got, the bigger the danger. [That] seems to have also been forgotten.”

The head of the independent inquiry, Simon Moore, wrote in his report that he was surprised police had allowed a documentary crew to be involved in the case.

But he also accepted officers’ views that it did not and would not have changed the outcome.

Moore wrote that police entered an agreement for the Netflix documentary “sometime around late 2024″. (That is when the initial ok was given, with the final contract dated March 2025.)

“The decision to involve the documentary is outside the scope of this inquiry, except to the extent it may have had some impact on the steps police took to find and recover the children,” wrote Moore.

He also pointed out that it was not unusual for police to participate in documentaries.

“But the inquiry was surprised that police invited a documentary crew to document an investigation that not only heavily relied on sensitive operational technologies and specialist personnel from police and NZDF, but also involved children whose privacy and welfare [were] at stake.”

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. Photo / Cameron Pitney

Moore said the officers he spoke to acknowledged the presence of cameras “likely did have an effect on the way the investigation was conducted: both a chilling or limiting effect on the openness of police internal communications, and a logistical impact with covert or sensitive police resources having to be deployed away from documentary cameras.

“While registering its concern, the inquiry accepts the evidence of all officers it spoke to on the topic that the documentary did not have an impact on the outcome of the investigation.

“Of more concern is the potential impact on the children. There is an inherent risk of publication of sensitive information relating to this investigation interfering with the privacy and welfare of the Phillips children.”

The contract released to the NZ Herald is sensitive to these matters and is clear that the documentary makers must comply with all suppression orders.

And ultimately, police have the final say when it comes to their own involvement and footage.

The Hosk with HDPA: ‘I could still be here in 20 years’

Heather Du Plessis-Allan and Mike Hosking sit down for their podcast. Photos / Alyse Wright

Newstalk ZB’s two headline hosts, Mike Hosking and Heather Du Plessis-Allan, have spoken candidly in a new podcast about their career paths, the success of ZB, and where they might end up.

“In 20 years, I could well still be here, Heather,” breakfast host Hosking, 61, says on the podcast, to be released this weekend as part of ZB’s 100-year birthday celebrations.

“I operate on the basis I’m only here because I enjoy it.”

Du Plessis-Allan – widely considered an heir apparent for the breakfast show – says she too would like to still be at the station in 20 years.

“I am slightly more risque. I do have a personality that tends to the childish, which you don’t – so I do have to check myself all the time. But if I can behave myself properly, I would like to be here as long as I possibly can.”

She was continually trying to build. “I reflect on things that I said five years ago and think ‘jeez you’re an idiot’.”

The pair discuss the rise and success of ZB, with Du Plessis-Allan questioning Hosking about his ratings surge, especially since 2020 and the Covid pandemic.

“It happened because I believe I was the only one questioning the government at the time, and that said something about the media,” Hosking says.

“But I don’t think there was any doubt that I read the mood of the country and that there was anger, frustration, and fury and a few more questions needed to be asked.

“I’m so embarrassed by that time. I still think back at that time, and there’s that 1 o’clock thing and ‘Jessica and then Tova’.

“I honestly believe in 30 years’ time if they study it, they’ll look back on that, and they’ll see that as a defining moment/turning point in the relationship between the New Zealand public and the media that got blown to pieces.”

Listen on Sunday to the full podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

Stuff director steps down

Longtime Stuff executive and one of Stuff owner Sinead Boucher’s key right-hand people, Dale Bridle, has stepped down as one of two directors of the media firm.

Bridle is still listed on Stuff’s website as the company’s chief financial officer and operations director, although it is understood he may be about to depart. Neither Stuff nor Bridle has returned multiple requests for comment over the past week.

Stuff chief financial officer Dale Bridle.

Bridle ceased being a director of Stuff Ltd on July 21, according to Companies Office records filed last month.

That leaves Boucher, who is also chief executive of the firm, as the sole director of Stuff Ltd.

Stuff Ltd owns 50% of Stuff Digital, publisher of the Stuff website. The other 50% of Stuff Digital is owned by TradeMe.

Stuff Ltd owns 100% of Stuff’s paywalled digital sites and print mastheads, such as The Post, The Press and Sunday Star-Times.

News of Bridle’s directorship move comes just a week after Stuff Masthead Publishing managing director Joanna Norris was announced as TVNZ’s new news boss. She joins TVNZ next year.

Stuff Masthead Publishing is likely to remain of interest to potential new investors including NZ Herald owner NZME, South Island-based Allied Press and even several high net-worth individuals.

Oopsie

Another from the stones-glasshouses, there-but-for-the-grace-of-God file … Three News didn’t quite get the date, or year, right on last night’s 6pm bulletin.

Wrong date, wrong year…

CRL advertising goldmine

Deep under the ground, Auckland’s new City Rail Link is already proving an advertising goldmine for Auckland Transport.

Six foundational advertisers have agreed to hefty sums – up to $650,000 each for the next six months, Media Insider understands – to appear on digital billboards in the new CRL train stations.

Those advertisers are ANZ, BNZ, Spark, 2degrees, The Warehouse and Tower.

Auckland Transport and its outdoor advertising partner QMS will collect almost $4 million from those advertisers over the next six months, with much of that revenue going into AT’s coffers.

On a visit to the Karanga-a-Hape and Te Waihorotiu stations this week, Media Insider discovered the billboards on high rotation, playing ads for all six advertisers.

2degrees is one of six ‘foundational’ advertisers on the CRL.

It will be interesting to see what impact the new deals have on the advertisers’ spend in other media, such as television, digital, print and audio.

While neither AT nor QMS would confirm prices in July, they did say the packages had been “fully subscribed”, ie sold out, for the first six months.

As Media Insider reported at the time, the ratecard has certainly raised eyebrows in the advertising industry.

One industry source said that the pricing was “obscene money” and that it had not gone down well with some agencies. In a similar vein, another source said clients would be demanding to know that those prices are supported by audience delivery.

The other, broader view was that this is great news for city ratepayers who are already on the hook for the CRL. This was another way that the project can drive money back into the public coffers.

“Revenue generated through the CRL advertising network helps fund the ongoing operation and maintenance of Auckland’s public transport infrastructure, reducing pressure on other funding sources while helping ensure stations and public spaces remain safe, attractive and well-maintained,” said AT and QMS in a joint statement in July.

Publisher, author apologise to political leader

Book publisher HarperCollins and author Byron Clark have this week formally apologised to Conservative Party leader Helen Houghton for the way they referred to her in Clark’s 2023 book Fear: New Zealand’s hostile underworld of extremists.

“The book is a wide-ranging work of social and political commentary and contains analysis of various political parties, including the Conservative Party of New Zealand (then known as the New Conservative Party) and its representatives and members,” HarperCollins said in a statement.

“Ms Houghton is a champion of free speech, strong proponent of Christian and conservative values, recently qualified lawyer, and leader of the Conservative Party of New Zealand.

“Ms Houghton has objected to the book on the basis that inclusion of her name in the book, and in a chapter entitled ‘Women and the Alt Right’ (which chapter was also published online as an edited extract by The Spinoff in February 2023) implies that she associates with, and holds the views of, far right extremists.

“HarperCollins and Byron Clark never intended to defame Ms Houghton and apologise to her for hurt and distress caused.”

The Spinoff appears to have removed the extract from its website.

Conservative Party leader Helen Houghton. Photo / Supplied

Houghton said in a statement that the settlement was “much bigger” than being about herself.

“This is a win for freedom of speech and for every New Zealander who believes that holding conservative, Christian or traditional values should not automatically result in being labelled an extremist,” she said.

Details of the settlement have not been disclosed.

The Kiwi journo, the lost passport and a feel-good story

When New Zealand rugby journalist Jamie Wall lost his passport on a Washington DC train, he feared he was stranded in the US.

Then a call came from Air New Zealand. A retired Virginia man had found it – and not just any man.

Read the full story, involving some detective work and extraordinary kindness from stranger Park Wollam here.

Riding for Andy

Former TVNZ executive Andrew Shaw. Photo / TVNZ

One of New Zealand’s most experienced film editors is planning to take to the road this summer, in memory of his brother – another of the country’s best-known media names.

Bryan Shaw is eyeing a 4000km round road trip from Auckland to the Deep South to raise funds for Mercy Hospice, in memory of his brother, TV producer and executive Andrew Shaw.

Andrew died in May last year at the age of 68, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

He initially joined TVNZ as a teenager in the 1970s to host the Hey Hey It’s Andy children’s show, before forging a successful career as a producer and media executive.

“Some of the biggest programmes in TVNZ’s archive carry Andrew’s name in the credits,” said TVNZ in a tribute at the time of his death.

Now his brother Bryan – who was overseas editing a film at the time of his brother’s death – wants to give back to the people who cared for Andrew in his final days.

“Since then, I have thought deeply about how to honour my brother. I want to complete one final South Island tour with some of his ashes in a custom-made necklace.”

Bryan is planning the trip – which will take up to 12 days – for November-December, or January-February. He plans to ride from Auckland to the South Island, taking in the West Coast, Haast, and Queenstown and possibly Milford Sound.

Andy Shaw, left, with Richard Driver, centre, and Bryan Shaw at Hampton Downs race track.

Bryan told Media Insider that he and Andrew were close from a young age. “I was the younger one. If I had any troubles, I could call, and he would be there, no questions asked.”

He followed Andrew into the TV and production industry – his credits as a film editor include a range of TV dramas including Outrageous Fortune, Westside, A Remarkable Place to Die, One Lane Bridge, and My Life is Murder. Big-budget films have included Evil Dead and Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.

Their father Barry was a famed TV critic for the NZ Herald, and another brother, John, was also a journalist.

“Motorcycles and motorcycle racing have been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” Bryan said.

“Both of my older brothers, Andrew and John, rode when they were young, and some of my earliest memories are filled with motorcycles, race fumes, and engine noise.”

Bryan said the necklace he would be wearing was made from West Coast pounamu.

“I commissioned it from Waiheke-based jeweller Jane Vile, who worked with Paora Toi Te Rangiuaia (Ngāti Porou), a renowned Māori carver, sculptor, and jeweller. Paora carved the pounamu, while Jane created and fitted the silver cylinder containing Andrew’s ashes.

“To make the journey more than a personal tribute, I want to use it to support the people who cared for Andrew and our family when it mattered most.”

He plans to set up a Givealittle page to raise money for Mercy Hospice.

Bryan says he’s also in discussions with Triumph. “Triumph Motorcycles New Zealand is enthusiastically engaged in discussion to support the ride, with details to be confirmed soon.”

Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.