An inspired choice

Unlike a number of iterations of the programme, we thoroughly enjoyed last night's This Is Your Life, even if it meant sitting through an hour and a half of Paul Holmes.

Sir Peter Charles Leitch was an inspired choice as the subject for this show. At first Sir Butch (or Sir Loin as John Key called him) looked a little embarrassed at first, but warmed quickly to his work. And it is Si Butch's work with any number of charities, most of which has gone on well below the radar that makes him a very special person.

There are no frills around the man, and what you see is what you get. Perhaps that's a big part of his appeal. He's also a very savvy businessman, but one who has never forgotten where he came from. The likes of Eric Watson and Mark Hotchin could learn much from him.

And although the haka is done to death these days, the haka that members of the Kiwi league team honoured Sir Butch with as he arrived in the studio was spine-tingling, such is the respect in which the players hold him. And that perhaps is indicative of the appeal of the man; from the PM to the customer in his Mangere East store, Sir Peter Charles Leitch is a much-loved New Zealander.