Newshub Live at 6pm host Samantha Hayes was reduced to tears on-air by an emotional interview with a grandmother who lost her grandson after an incident at a Gisborne beach which was believed to have involved forestry slash.
Eleven-year-old Oliver Shone died after the incident at Waikanae Beach in which he was injured after playing on a log.
Speaking exclusively on Paddy Gower Has Issues, grandmother Marie Shone opened up for the first time since the death of her only grandson in January.
"He was very loving," Marie told host Patrick, revealing he was a fan of Lego and Minecraft.
In early 2023, the Waikanae beach had been covered in debris including large logs due to severe weather events in the region.
Marie said Oliver had found a single log and jumped on it, then stood on it "for a bit, laughed and then he jumped off".
She said it all happened so fast.
"Then he got on it again and that was it," she said, before breaking down in tears.
"I don't know what happened because I can't see it. I just remember all these people rushing past me and grabbing him and they carried him off the beach."
After the interview aired, the show cut back to the studio and a devastated Samantha struggled to hold back tears.
"That's pretty heartbreaking, but amazingly brave of Marie to come forward and tell that story," she told Patrick.
"You know how hard that would have been for her, so hats off to you Marie for doing that and my heart goes out to you and your whole family."
Samantha revealed the interview had spurred her on to investigate the tragedy.
"Because Marie was able to do that, we have the impetus to get accountability. It makes it much greater," she said.
A subsequent investigation by Samantha revealed the slash that killed 11-year-old Oliver was a freshly cut pine log, most likely from a forestry harvesting site in the Waimatā River catchment.
It also found as much as half of the land planted in forestry at the top of the Waimatā River catchment has given way in slips and landslides.
Hayes discovered the consequence of that means there is a huge amount of wood debris being washed downstream and onto beaches in the years ahead.
