In the heart of Wellington, where the hills kiss the sky and the harbor reflects the dreams of many, Paul Eagle enters the fray. A man of the people, a family man with a heart full of hope and a deep love for his city and community. As a city councilor and very connected, and  an influential  individual, he was known for his dedication to making Wellington a better place—a good guy, many would say. He was the kind of person who could light up a room with his presence, his smile reassuring those who believed in him.

And to many as Eagle climbed the political ladder, the weight of expectations began to press down on him. The higher he climbed, the more the feedback emerged. His ambitions led him into Parliament as Labour MP for Rongitai, and then a run for mayor, a campaign filled with promises of a brighter future, of change, of hope and “promises of roles” for his team that never eventuated. 

A promise to bring back Wellington’s MANA. But the city’s trust was fragile, and on the day of the election, Paul Eagle was left standing on the steps of City Hall, a losing candidate with dreams shattered at his feet. Many were shocked, and only a few knowing the reasons.

Eagle was widely known for his connections to wealthy people and political power, but this story echoing that of former MP and Wellington mayor Mark Blumsky who also ended up deep in the pacific.

In the wake of his crushing defeat, whispers began to swirl around Eagle. He had always been seen as a good guy by his mates, a reliable friend and confidant. 

But those who crossed him began to feel the sting of his influence. One by one, connections disappeared, opportunities dried up, and soon, people began to wonder: Was Eagle the kindly man they once knew, or was he something more sinister? Was he the Don of Wellington, pulling strings from the shadows, or was he just Paul—a kind of Eddy the flightless Eagle, struggling to stay aloft in a world that had changed around him? Many even describing Eagle as being complicit in Tory Whanau’s win, and others who helped him at Parliament calling him just downright lazy. A big call, but one that crops up again and again in this man’s story. 

In his new role as the CEO of a remote island 800 km or a 2 hour flight, Eagle finds himself in a place far removed from the city he once loved. But if social media images “mean anything” Eagle is still delivering the goods to mates in power, this time through the plentiful bounty from the sea.

The island nation Eagle now manages as CEO is beautiful, but it has an incredibly questionable underbelly, a place where darkness lingeres just out of sight. As Eagle walks its shores, he musnot help but feel the weight of his choices. The hope that once fueled his journey has dimmed, replaced by the remote reality of a political world that wasn’t as simple as he once believed.

As this new chapter plays out, the question remains: Was Paul Eagle the Don of his own destiny, or had he become a flightless bird, grounded by the very ambitions that once lifted him to the skies?