NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

The Diary: 'He is banned' - Astle gives Dotcom the word

NZ Herald
20 May, 2014 05:30 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Antoine's owner Tony Astle won't be shifting furniture to accommodate "that man". Photo / Babiche Martens

Antoine's owner Tony Astle won't be shifting furniture to accommodate "that man". Photo / Babiche Martens

Net millionaire's call for a couch puts him offside with top eatery.

Single dad Kim Dotcom, who testified yesterday against his former friend John Banks, can forget about possible future date nights at exclusive Parnell eatery Antoine's, owner and executive chef Tony Astle told The Diary, "because he is banned".

The most enduring fine dining restaurant in Auckland turned away the troubled internet tycoon recently after a booking was made for him requesting a couch.

"Someone rang and made a booking and when I saw the booking was for Dotcom I rang back and said, 'I'm sorry, we're full, we can't let you in'. They wanted a couch for him to sit on, for goodness sake! I'm not moving furniture and bringing in a couch. For that man!" Astle said.

Astle is no stranger to controversy. The eccentric "godfather of New Zealand chefs" has banned Helen Clark - and jokes that David Cunliffe could be in his sights.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I would have to consider banning Mr Cunliffe, should he ever become prime minister."

Antoine's, the favourite haunt of Prime Minister John Key, who is a frequent Sunday diner with his wife Bronagh, has entertained the great and the good for more than 40 years.

Astle is bringing out a book next year, and says he'll dish the dirt on some of his more scurrilous patrons.

Len Brown, he says, was a frequent diner, coming as often as four times in one week before the SuperCity election. "But we don't see him as much now."

Astle is a staunch Tory supporter. The glittering 40th anniversary party he threw for Antoine's last November billed Mr Key as a main attraction and many rich-lister Nat donors as guests.

He has donated more than $165,000 to the party coffers.

Discover more

Entertainment

Louise Nicholas story on TV

22 Apr 04:15 PM
Entertainment

The Diary: Let's hear it for the stage jester

24 Apr 04:15 PM
Entertainment

Kiwi actress collects Oz gong

29 Apr 05:00 PM
Entertainment

Ed Sheeran's Shorty St stint

01 May 09:30 PM

Key faced charges of hypocrisy from political opponents in March for criticising Mr Cunliffe's secret TR Trust while receiving donations from Astle before the last election. Astle told The Diary: "The donations didn't come out of my pocket, but from fundraising dinners I hosted."

The National Party had disclosed them to the Electoral Commission and denied any wrongdoing.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It was at that time Dotcom suddenly wanted to come to Antoine's - after he heard the story about my donations to the National Party and the Prime Minister being a frequent diner here," Astle said.

"But I don't want [him] here. I'm perfectly in my legal rights to ban him."

A rep for Mr Dotcom did not return calls.

Rich Watson gets richer

Eric Watson's fortune has increased £103 million ($200 million) this year, says Britain's Sunday Times Rich List.

Tweets of the rich and famous ... Rich Lister Eric Watson posted this picture of him with his mum on Mother's Day.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The expat Kiwi who calls London home, started his working life as a butcher's apprentice. He now has an empire worth £240 million ($468 million), says the Sunday Times.

He has jumped 189 places on the Rich List to No 396 - ahead of David Beckham, Mick Jagger and the Marquess of Bath.

Sir Douglas Myers, who has been battling terminal cancer, remains New Zealand's richest man in the annual British list. He's worth £460 million, up £12 million on last year. David Richwhite is not far behind on £424 million, up £7 million.

Both are worth more than the Queen, whose fortune is estimated at a conservative £330 million.

Alan Gibbs (£235 million) and Sir Colin Giltrap (£167 million) are the other Kiwis on the list.

But it's Watson who's had the biggest financial gain. Will that windfall help him buy out Sir Owen Glenn from the troubled Warriors franchise they co-own? Surely he can afford to cough up more than the $1 million he has allegedly offered for the half-share.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Single, ready to mingle

Last week we told you golf pro Michael Campbell has split from his wife of 18 years, Julie. This week we can tell you she's embraced her newfound singleness with gusto, taking to Facebook with a saucy new profile picture bearing more than her pearly whites.

Single again, just getting back out in that wild jungle. Julie Campbell on Facebook.

The platinum blonde mother-of-two smiles in a selfie that leaves little to the imagination.

"Single again, just getting back out in that wild jungle," she purrs.

Her relationship status is not all she reveals. There's a veeery plunging neckline and a glint in her eye. Andalucia eat ya heart out.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Julie works as marketing manager at the Michael Campbell Golf Academy at the Villa Padierna Palace Hotel in Benahavis, Spain.

Her former husband is taking time out from his professional golf career, admitting he's not "mentally ready".

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Sir Rod Stewart eyes sprinting record at 80

23 May 12:13 AM
WorldUpdated

'Wanted to fight him': Cudi's testimony at Diddy trial

22 May 11:21 PM
Entertainment

'Extremely difficult to perform': Miley Cyrus opens up on health battle

22 May 08:16 AM

Sponsored: How much is too much?

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Sir Rod Stewart eyes sprinting record at 80

Sir Rod Stewart eyes sprinting record at 80

23 May 12:13 AM

He used to enjoy a good chart run, now he's after something different.

'Wanted to fight him': Cudi's testimony at Diddy trial

'Wanted to fight him': Cudi's testimony at Diddy trial

22 May 11:21 PM
'Extremely difficult to perform': Miley Cyrus opens up on health battle

'Extremely difficult to perform': Miley Cyrus opens up on health battle

22 May 08:16 AM
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning | trailer

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning | trailer

Sponsored: Cosy up to colour all year
sponsored

Sponsored: Cosy up to colour all year

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP