John Banks talks today after the Court of Appeal ruled that he should not stand trial for a second time, meaning he was acquitted of filing a false electoral return.
Relieved former mayor cleared of electoral charges says his wife is owed an apology.
The case against John Banks was thrown out by the Court of Appeal yesterday and he will not face a second trial for allegedly filing a false electoral return - but the man himself told The Diary that while he "is enormously relieved, it's not a time for celebration".
Forget the party. The famous teetotaller had no plans for a blowout. While he was thrilled with the triumph, he expected yesterday to pass with a quiet dinner with his lawyer, or a quick fly in his aerobatic plane.
"There's nothing really to celebrate," Banks said. "I'm very happy for my family and for myself, but I won't be celebrating.
"The entire process has been oppressive and torturous for myself and my family, and we were pursued in the most vindictive manner. But we were strong and we had faith in the system.
"Today I'd be a minister in the John Key Government, but the collateral damage has been huge, to my family and my reputation. The stress and the misery it caused can't be calculated."
Yesterday, Banks was acquitted.
"Those charges were trumped up from day one," Banks said defiantly. "Anyone who knows me knows I would never have filed a false electoral return."
He said his family kept him strong. Son Alex is training at Waiouru, Sergei lives in Auckland, and daughter Natalia lives in Melbourne, where she works as a nurse.
His wife Amanda, who lives in Alexandra and works as a pharmacist, came in for solid praise.
"Her persistence in tracking down the truth has prevailed here. Amanda is an extraordinary woman. She lives her life very honestly," her estranged husband said.
Banks said he hoped the High Court judge who convicted him last year would fall on his sword and apologise to his wife.
"Justice Wylie should proffer an apology to my wife Amanda for seriously and publicly maligning her honesty and integrity."
He's known for his code-hopping but Sonny Bill Williams' most fulfilling role to date is unquestionably fatherhood. The sports star is "a very hands-on dad" towards 6-month-old daughter Imaan, whom he has nicknamed "my lil boss lady".
"Sonny is up most nights doing all the feeds, but he wouldn't have it any other way," a friend told The Diary.
"He adores Imaan, she's his pride and joy. He spends as much time as possible with her, walking her in her pushchair around Hamilton. He's a complete natural, and he loves being a daddy."
Sonny and his wife Alana welcomed their first-born in November, and earlier this year settled into life in Hamilton, where Sonny Bill plays for Super Rugby franchise The Chiefs.
winner Beau Monga for taking the title, but he's not the first in his family to win a music talent competition. His parents Betty-Anne and Ryan, of Ardijah fame, won the inaugural Rheineck Rock Award in 1986 and a $30,000 cheque.
Their 21-year-old son now scores a lucrative recording contract and a Mazda CX-3 - and legions of fans.
He performed King and Queen on the live grand finale, an original R&B song he composed which will be released as a single under recording label Sony Music. Cue the views.
His audition song for the TV show, Hit the Road Jack, by Ray Charles, went viral with more than 9.25 million views on Facebook alone.
The young talent who can sing, rap, beat-box and dance has carved out a new niche for himself, and a new niche for Kiwi singers in a digital space. Let's hope the audience he has accrued will stay with him as he builds his career.
Mouthy Kills has no words for Beau
Willy Moon and Natalia Kills.
They were big fans of their own opinions, but disgraced X Factor judges Willy Moon and Natalia Kills have remained conspicuously silent following Beau's win on the
What gives? Kills only cemented her reputation as narcissism queen by posting a selfie yesterday of her sunnies while offering no word of congratulations or pride towards her former ward.
Meanwhile, her replacement, Natalie Bassingthwaite, the ever-professional TV star called upon to step into Kills' diva shoes, was the opposite, posting much praise for the 21-year-old from Manurewa.
Lorde tweet has fans guessing
Lorde. Photo / AP
Last week she posted a cryptic tweet about her independence, and two days later we learned she had parted ways with her manager Scott Maclachlan.
The Grammy winner has remained quiet on social media about the separation, but a cryptic twitter message she sent to her 3.5 million followers about going out alone has raised eyebrows. "Now, I go out alone, if I go out at all," Lorde wrote.
It is a line from the song The Rat by American indie rock band The Walkmen. But for those looking for answers to New Zealand music's biggest split, they could be prophetic.
Keisha gushes over GoT star
Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand.
Look out Jonathan Morrison, your wife has a crush. And who can blame her when he is dishy Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau?
Keisha Castle-Hughes has spilled about her role on Game of Thrones, in which she says she threw herself into the Chinese martial art training of wushu to prepare for the fight sequences.
But it was her Danish co-star Coster-Waldau (who plays Jaime Lannister) who brought added perks for the Kiwi actress.
"Nikolaj is a very beautiful man and he is also one of the leads of one of the biggest shows in the world - I was like, 'Oh wow, this just got really real.'
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays Jaime Lannister.
"I honestly think it took me like two weeks of working with Nikolaj every day ... before I got over the fact that he was Jaime Lannister.
