October 5, 2024 • 36 mins
This week, Paula's guest is broadcaster and mental health advocate turned farmer, Matt Chisholm. They both discuss their mental health struggles and learning to identify when things are wrong, before Matt shares advice on moving to rural life and what we can learn from farmers.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I am Paula Bennett and welcome to my new Zealand
Herald podcast Ask Me Anything.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
One thing I've learnt in life is it's never too
late to learn something new. So on this podcast, I
talk to people from all walks of life to hear
how they got to where they are and get some
advice and guidance on some of life's biggest questions. Today,
on the podcast, we are going Rural Rural. I like
to say my guest is former current affairs reporter and
(00:37):
TV host turned farmer Matt Chisholm and man as he
can have some advice and guidance on some of life's
biggest questions. Matt has left Auckland behind and now breeds
sheep and cattle on twenty nine hectares just outside of
Alexandra Beautiful. Matt has sheared his story in his new book,
The Road to Chatto Creek, leaving the rat race for
(00:58):
life in the country.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
He joins me now from the.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Farm, I'm Matt, how are you bloody marvelous?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
How are you doing well?
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Should? I think I might be bloody marvelous as well? Actually,
and I don't often answer that question that way all
the better for speaking to you today.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
My mother would have bet it in some really nice
sarcasm to me, saying that, oh, yes, you're marvelous, aren't
you marvelous?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
That's right?
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
To are sam quick fire questions? If you could go
out for dinner or drink with any celebrity, who would
it be?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Will Ferrel?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Although, do you worry about comedians that they're so funny
on screen that then they just kind of aren't as
funny if you meet them in real life?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Because yeah, but I've met Will interview him once and
he is really funny, and I don't think we can
have enough laughter. It's really good medicine.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, that's true, that's very good. So what about the
drink of choice? Because you've been sober how many years now?
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Thirteen years, thirtey and a half years, So what would.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
So what would you drink a choice be?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Then, well, it'd be kids drink of some description? Do
you just black coke?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Do you do the Zero Bears?
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Oh? I do do the Zero Bears, And I used
to always drink the same one, and I've recently discovered
it's ratchet. So there's a few crafty ones out nowadays.
Which are quite nice. Yeah, it's good.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Ah, it's really good.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Real good, real good. You know, times have changed them,
they have.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
You got a favorite bar or parble restaurant anywhere in the.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
World, Well, just two k away from me, I can
almost see it is the Chadow Creek Hotel. It's historic,
it's one hundred and something years old, it's got the
old schist walls, and it's just a really cool little
community hubs. About thirty five people live where we are
Chadow Creek and would be lost without that pub, even
(02:51):
though I'm a teetotler.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah no, but it's a good place to meet and
greet and talk and catch up, right, and get a feed.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
That's right, I get a feed. We have the soccer
breakup and the rugby breakups there and we meet people
there all the time. Yeah. No, it's cool.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Yeah, I like that.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Okay, we're going to chat about your big move in
the second segment of the podcast, but first out, I
want to focus on you really and talk a bit
more about you. It's fascinating how open you've been about
some of the mental health battles, and I just really
admire you for it.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
And so you know, you talk about it quite a bit.
I mean, how are you now? How are you? How
are you today?
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Well, bloody, marvelous, just the same as you today. But
you know, I've had gone for a really good patch,
probably got a good bit of balance. But maybe ten
months ago I was sort of under the pump again,
and there was the lamming and putting in the new
lawn and talks all around New Zealand, and I was
producing directing a TV show, Nadia's Farm and Now with
(03:50):
Nadia Leam and Carlos Beagriy over in Arrowtown, and I
was doing the sports coaching, and I had to finish
this bloody book and the first book I write I
was during the pandemic and the lockdown. They had heaps
of time, and this year, last year, rather I didn't
have any time at all. And when I needed to
take a break, I actually had to punch out another
(04:10):
two thousand words for the day and just sort of
got a little bit relentless and I got a little
bit over it, and so I wasn't that good all
over again, which just kind of ironic for a mental
health advocate. But I used to make a living and
partly I still do out of being a journalist and
asking people to be honest about their story. And I
sort of thought, for a long time, I'm not really
(04:32):
that honest with people about what I've been up to
and where I'm at. So I just sort of thought,
you know, if I have some kind of a platform,
not as big as platform as you might have, Paula,
I should probably use it for good as opposed to
sell Louis Vaton handbags or some shit like that.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Can you see the signs of when you know that
you need to take time out or look after yourself differently?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Can you identify that earlier rather YEA, yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Absolutely, hundred percent. Like I think life is easier the
older you get funny enough, and my awitness around the
stuff is a whole lot better now, which is good.
And I I was at my memory a Field days
at the start of this year and I saw Mark
Allison come out of a tent and heed been enjoying
(05:22):
the hospitality, and he was three quarters person and we
caught up and he go get a Mark good a
Matt and I started doing fist pumps on the inside
because Mark Elis was a hero of mine growing up
in rural Otago. Is a great footy player. You know,
he goes, how are you mate? I said, mate, I've
actually slipped back into a bit of depression. You know,
I'm not that good. And he goes, wow, what an
amazing opportunity. And I was like, one hundred percent. I'm
(05:45):
fully that's how I'm seeing it now, because I've slipped
in and out of this stuff so often that I
do see it as an opportunity. Now. It's just an
opportunity to get better and I know what I need
to do, and I just needed to say no a
few more times and think about me and get a
bit of time back. So yeah, it's amazing. You know,
thirty years ago, I would never have believed Mark Ellison
I would have been having that conversation.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
But what a cool reaction from him. Because we often
don't know how to react right when someone says, actually,
I'm not doing so good at the moment and I'm
really down and I feel depressed.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
We go, oh, my goodness, here for you.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
And like that. I probably would have set it and
up beat way because even with him, I still want
to be upbeaten. Yeah, but you know, one hundred got it,
and I just thought it was a cool little moment.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
And they're looking after yourself.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
But you know, because I think, you know, I know,
for me, when I was in the height of the
political career, so much pressure, so little sleep, everything going on,
everything going wrong, you know, not enough time with family,
all of that sort of stuff, I would get to
a stage where I would get so sick.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
I'd generally be hospitalized every couple of years.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
I'm really sorry to hear that.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
And then I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
I just sort of thought, well, I'm just so run down,
and that's how I you know what I mean. And
then I realized, actually, most of this is almost in
mental health, and I'm just not taking the time out
when I need it to actually keep myself well. And
of course, as you say, we get older, we get wiser.
I learned to block things out in my diary of
you know, two or three days, you know, once you
really sort of five weeks.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
So I just knew that, I you know, you just got.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Me, that's right. How did you conceal that from the vultures? Well,
from journos and people who would.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Have like loved it, because I'd get pneumonia, I get,
you know, and so in that respect they'd probably know
I was in hospital. But I was in hospital with pneumonia,
which is true, I was, But how did I let
myself get to a point of that level of illness?
And it was because I wasn't looking after myself well enough.
But I suppose the message out there is is that
(07:49):
you can. And that's I haven't had that for seven years,
I want to say eight years, well probably longer, you
know what I mean, I've learned, you know.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Even ys tod I was I call it full up.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I was full up.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
You know, I'm full up, but I'm at the top
of I'm at the top of the here.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
I've got a.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah, that's great, and I could see that.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Sign and I knew that it wasn't going to get
you better in the next couple of weeks. So what
I've done is, you know, blocked three days out. I
know I can look forward to them. I'm already thinking
about the books I'll read, you know, like, I'm just yeah,
you've got to do that, right.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
And good on you for sharing that. That's that's really
powerful for a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
So you sharing, what's the reaction been like, you know,
like and particularly from you, because our rural farmers are
good stoic. You know people, aren't they?
Speaker 1 (08:37):
And absolutely, well you touched on you know, some people
are a little bit awkward if you said to them,
you know, I've slipped into a bit of depressions. Some
people might be a little bit awkward around that. But
some people are just a little bit awkward. We're not
all good communicators, right, We're all different, whatever strengths and weaknesses.
But so I was probably pretty honest about four and
a half years ago, and and I people when I
(09:00):
talk around New Zealand that I've not had one piece
of negativity around it, whether it's online or to my face.
And that's the way it should be. And I said
that once and a guy in a meeting a talk
that I gave said, well, you haven't had that because
people probably think you're a bit of a legend. And
I was like, I don't see myself as that, mate.
(09:21):
He goes, you know what I do? And he said,
because my dad killed himself, and so you're stopping helping
helping that is not stopping, but helping stop people from
doing that. So you know, like there's been a bit
of a shift, hasn't there around And I think people
are a lot more mature around this stuff were built
(09:42):
on pioneers and the farming folk. The rural folks are
the last of those pioneers who are hanging on. They're
still working the land and they are tough and gruff.
But people like John Kerwin, you know, one of the
best rugby players on this planet, have paved the way
and helping people go. You can play great foot, you
can create a build a fence, you can do all
(10:04):
those things, but you can still be you know, under
the pump and struggling a bit mentally, and that's so refreshing.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
You're right.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
I mean, we've just moved so far and in a
relatively short period of time. Don't you also now think
though it's a bit like your bloke that you're talking to,
and that we actually all know someone that's struggling, you know,
if it's not us at times, we've all you know,
Bill English always used to say to me, anything that's
happening to a New Zealand they're out there at any
particular time, it's happening to someone in my family or
(10:34):
wider family, because he's got such a big family, you know, oh.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
And I kind of liked that because it's just like, yeah,
well that's kind of real. And that's I think why
we're a little less judgmental as well, because we talk
more openly about it.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Yeah, that's right. And this is one of one of
the things that blew me away, one of the reasons
why I talk about this stuff so often now. One
is people that you asked me. But the other is
that when I said, you know, I'm not laughing much,
I'm not smiling much. You know, I'm struggling a bit.
I don't really know if I want to do this
stuff anymore, this life stuff. Hundreds and hundreds of people
(11:11):
got in touch with me, and it was random people.
It was about a third of the TVNS newsroom, and
it was about a quarter of the TV three news room,
And there were old mates from university in high school,
and people have traveled the world with and current all
blacks at the time, and there might have been a
couple of politicians. And they all told me that they
were struggling and depressed or suicidal and still were and
(11:31):
they'd been on the pills for fifteen years. And that's
when I was like, holy shit, I thought I was
the only person that was a bit mad. But actually
most of us go through something in our lifetimes that
affects our a bleat of function, and we have to
get people to understand that normal is that stuff, because
we all live on social media, and we all live
in highlights packages, and we're not very honest and open
(11:51):
and real about this stuff. So I was blown bay
and now off the back of this pandemic, you know,
I've become a bit of a magnet for people who
are doing it, which is both good and bad. But
you know, so many people sometimes say when I was
on the Telly, I used to get sent pics of
scantily cleared women from time to time. Now it's of
(12:13):
men struggling with their mental health. And I don't know
what's better to be honest.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
In their gun boots and their overalls.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah yeah, I do know, holding a lamb and under
the arm and yeah, yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
How Alan and the kids all good.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
They're amazing, Yeah, they're amazing. On my way about I
don't know a third of the time from this little
farm here ye out over at the moment, and the
kids a phenomenal. They've had another season of rugby and
the football or soccer Saturday and Sunday. They play the
sport going well at school and Alan's she actually she
does her she does the running for her for her
(12:50):
mental fitness. And he's also just joined the local Operatic Society.
She's got a few different roles in the Hunchback for
Notre Dame. From about the eight o'clock through to about
ten thirty at night, all I can hear from my
bedroom is, you know, this sort of fantastic singing and stuff.
So I've got to just go out in the dark
on a farm and find my happiness. Well, because I
(13:12):
can't go to bed and listen to that stuff.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
No, that's probably a bit too much a young family.
How's Nack your brother?
Speaker 1 (13:18):
My brother?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
I am just I just I just want to call
a rabbit hole. But I just started reading that Nick
and then I went lot and you know, I just
I just became obsessed with him and the kids at him.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Yeah. Yeah, Well he's amazing for a guy that can't
walk and talk, so update people. He had a massive
brainstem stroke. And the year two thousand, I think so
twenty four years ago. Good look in twenty seven year
old fella and life got tipped upside down by the
good news is he still can't walk and talk. By
(13:50):
the good news is he married a woman, an English woman,
and they've got the four and a half year old triplets.
Nowadays often tell people that they can't be his because
they quite smart. But what a blessing for him. And
he's a very very happy dude. He's probably had a
happier twenty four years than I've had, considering he can't
walk and talk. And how amazing is that. Often say
(14:11):
to people, get your thinking right and the rest will follow.
And he got us thinking right as a matter of
having to you know.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
And are they close to you now?
Speaker 1 (14:20):
They live and they lived to Eden, so they're about
two hours away and we probably don't see enough of
them as we should actually, but because you know, we're
all in the trenches with kids.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Yes, and as Alan got family close as well.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Yes, Alan's parents live over that fence you know there.
We could almost walk to their house from here. And
they're great grandparents and they baby said, if that's the
right term, a lot and we catch up for coffees
and all the time, and you know, they're they're great
people and we're very lucky to have them close.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
You mentioned producing Nadia's farm. Do you miss the TV
work yourself? Do you miss being in front of the
I don't.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Miss being in front of a camera because I never
ever really thought it was there unless I was doing
live stuff. But I really missed the interviewing actually, because
you know, I don't think I'm a great writer or
anything like that. I never really read much, but I
could communicate well, and I really missed the interviewing. Last
week in a dinky, little hall and white hoook a our,
(15:20):
I hope I pronounced that correctly, Central Hawk's Bay, I
interviewed Brody Retallick, who played one hundred and nine tests
for the All Blacks, and he was glad. It was
similar sort of upbringing to me, but he was really
good at footy and I was just okay. And we
just had this rural audience of about two hundred just
laughing from start to finish, and I thought, you know,
(15:44):
I come off the stage and I thought, I need
to be doing more of this because actually it's hard
for me to say, and it's hard for me to
tell you because you'll be recording this conversation. Something I
said the other day. I'm actually quite good at it,
like you're very good at it. And I'm quite good
at it too, and it's a shame that I don't
do as much of that as I used to do.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
And it's a buzz right knowing that people have enjoyed
it and that you've got to know someone and you
know you've actually entertained if you like people for a
period of time. Absolute you get your little adrenaline buzz
and it's you know, you.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Come away thinking, should I did a good job of that?
And you know, like I was never the smartest guy
in the newsroom. I was never the most well read
or the most the most beautiful writer, but shit, I
could get good content from people and I can still
do that, and it's a shame I don't do more
of it, as I said, But I came to think
(16:38):
far out you know, I'm good at that side of
it well, and that's I really enjoyed.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Life's not over yet. You just never know what. You
never know what door all open next week?
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Do you might have I might have burned it because
written these books, and I was probably pretty honest about
what went down in the newsroom, So I might have
burnt all my bridges and probably not a great time
to get into television, Pauler.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
It doesn't have to be television. That's point.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Oh, very good point.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah, Okay, we've already.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Done some because I couldn't help getting some advice from
you and the mental health stuff in there anyway. But
we're going to take away break, then we're gonna get
some advice and we're going to chat about moving from
the Big Smoke to Chadow Creek.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Back with you shortly.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
We are back with match as a Matt, you have
made a huge life change, leaving life as a TV
host and journalist and in Auckland and to become a
farmer now in central Otago.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Was it a scary.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Decision to make because it fuils it?
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Was? It was a really scary decision to make, because
you know, I was a real jack the lad bozer
in my younger days, and I didn't get into television
until I was thirty, right, and i'd mucked about. My
older brother had this accident on the footy field, and
I went and cared for him and looked after him
and helped him want to live his life for a while.
And so I put off my career until I was thirty,
(18:10):
if you like. And so I was in the Television
New Zealand news room and did the reality TV for
about twelve years before I sort of thought, shit, this
isn't bringing me happiness. But my point I want to
make is that that was the only thing that arguably
society might have thought I was successful at in terms
(18:33):
of work. Right, I had achieved in my work, and
saying goodbye to that and then going shit, what am I?
Who am I? If I'm not a journalist in a
reality TV host? Who the hell am I? Thirty hectaars
we have here twenty nine points something and that's not
an economic farm. You probably need seven hundred even seven
(18:53):
hundred hectare farms aren't economic at the moment in this country.
So I was essentially putting my hobby or my lifestyle
ahead of my career. And we're not supposed to do
that at the age of forty something, and so it
was really scary, and I just in the end felt
(19:14):
the fear and did it anyway, and so pleased. I haven't.
It wasn't entirely new or a big move because this
is where I'm from. I'm from a targo, I'm a
country kid. I was born in Milton South Otago population
about fifteen hundred. So it wasn't entirely new.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
This is my you know what about for Allen was
she Allan was.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Born in a mccago. She's a farm girl. Her father
was a stockagent and farmer, just like mine. And so
we had been coming down here and holidaying down here
for five or six years before we made the shift,
so it wasn't entirely new to us all that different.
We'd fallen in love with it, and every time we'd
(19:56):
get on the plane and fly out of Queenstown back
to Auckland, and it got harder and harder, and in
the end I thought, I don't want to go back,
not disrespect this is where I feel like I need
to be here in heartland central Otago.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah yeah, yeah, So how do you prepare yourself for
a change like that? I mean, you know, because it's
I mean every day I think about moving out of Auckland,
you know. You know, this morning it was the guy
you know behind me, and I obviously didn't move quite
you know, fast enough, so he didn't just give me
a little beep, he like linked on the horn for
(20:32):
you know, and I couldn't fit in the gap ahead,
and you know, I'm just like God, people are getting
stabbed for a bit of road rage at the moment,
you know, like, calm down, bro.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I don't miss that. How did I prepare for it? Well,
we bought a block of land. We bought a block
of land in twenty fifteen, about five years before we
came down here, and then about three years later we
bought the block of land beside it. I think Alan
might have She's good on the preparing. She's much better
at the preparing than I am. So she might have
(21:03):
booked the kids into daycare for a couple of days.
And you know, we think we organized a rental and
I didn't do too much around talking to people about work.
You know, there was a lot of winging it, but
we had a plan like this has always been my
dream to live on fifty acres. We've got seventy two
at the moment, will probably end up with about fifty.
(21:25):
But I know, I don't know if I did that
much preparing. I angst over the decision, but preparation.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
How's how the locals taken The Big City TV guy,
you know, wandering and you know, emotionally attached to his
animals for crying out loud.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
That's a great question. How the locals. Well, I knew
a few of them, as I said, We've been holidaying
down here, and I'd played footy with them and went
to school and university with some of them, and so
I was quite connected to them. But one of the
nicest comments I overget is, you know, and I'm a boots.
I'm a boot and boots and all sort of a guy.
I'm all in. So, you know, I go to the show,
(22:04):
and I take my sheep to the show, and I'm
on the microphone, and I coach the kids rugby, and
I coach the kids soccer, and I talk at the
fundraisers and MC though. So you know, I like to
give a lot to my community, and that's one of
the reasons why we came here is for that community
and that connection. But one of the nicest things people
say to me is actually, outside of all that t
the TV shit, yeah you're actually a good buddy, and
(22:25):
so I love that. You know. One of the things
I didn't want to do when I came down here
is overplay my hand and be that flash hairy upland
wanker from the Telly who come down here and tried
to own the show. So I picked my moments when
I talk, and you know, I've got to be careful
that I just I'm one of them and not.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Take do you take advice because you know, like it's
a lot at caring for animals.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
What I do is I just do what I want
to do anyway, and it's not normally based on economics.
It's usually based on aesthetics and what I like the
look of, you know, in terms of breeds and things
like that. But yeah, there's plenty people who want to
give me advice and I appreciate it, but and sometimes
I follow it, but most of the time I just
do it.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Hey, I worry about the rural urban divide, and I think,
you know, I've been and I've been worried about it
for decades, to be really honest with you at the
back of my mind, because you know, my family of
farmers and I just and then I moved to Auckland,
and I just think there's such a disconnect and understanding
what happens on the land and understanding that we can't
(23:27):
live our lifestyle, you know, if we do want to
have the wink of Auckland life, you know, we can't
have that without, you know, our country being productive without
you know, I sort of say it lightly, but I
don't mean it lightly met, but I just go, you know,
thank you for the milk for my last a, thank
you for the leather for my shoes, thank you for
the steak that I leat tonight. Because actually I wouldn't
(23:47):
have any of those things if it wasn't for you know,
our farmers and our farming communities.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Yeah, I'm so glad you brought this up, actually, because
there probably is a bit of a divide, and I
think a lot of people in the cities and towns
across New Zealand, I think farmers are land of elite,
you know, but they're actually not. Most of them. They're
indebted up to their eyeballs, and they could take the
money that they do have, the equity they do have
in their farms, and put that money into something entirely
(24:14):
different and make a whole lot more money with that
equity they do have in their farms, and a lot
of them might not have very much at the moment.
Farming is a particularly tough gig. It is heartbreaking, you know,
and these guys they don't have to do it. They
don't have to do it at all. If they were smart,
a lot of them would get out of it and
(24:34):
go and do something else. But they do it because
they love it. They genuinely care. And actually Kiwi farmers
are bloody good at it. And this is why this
no disrespect. They don't want to get political. But the
last government sort of annoyed me a little bit because
they wanted to have fewer Kiwi farmers. And what that
would happen is that slack, that lack of production, that
(24:55):
the food that we wouldn't produce because there were fewer
of us would be going to another part of the
world which would produce that food even more inefficiently, and
the world would be a worse place for it. Just
didn't make sense. And maybe it was good that, you know,
they felt better about themselves when they went to sleep
at night. But actually, if anything, New Zealand should be
(25:18):
doing more farming as opposed to less in my eyes,
because we do it really efficiently. We're very very good
at it. We have this temperate climate and rainfall. Yeah,
and you did right. Often say I can't. I think
I genuinely believe that I can do pretty much whatever
I want to do with my life outside of being
(25:39):
a surgeon and a lawyer and all those things. We
needed a real few particular skills because other people produce
food for us, and what a noble thing to do.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
And we're just so creative our farmers now as well.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
And there's as you say, there's the efficiencies, but there's
equally the sustainability. And what people do don't get is
that we literally produce lamb in a more sustainable way
than pretty much anywhere else in the world, you know,
because of how our farming practices, because we're in a
continuous improvement which our farmers are absolutely passionate about. But
instead we get caught in this ideology that you know,
(26:18):
it's just absolutely out of sync with what the real
world is. And no, I once open field days and
as I said to them, as they said to me,
actually the best advocate we can have is an Auckland
city chick, and I went, you can you know what
I mean, like, actually we're standing up for you, you know,
(26:39):
absolutely quite genuinely.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Thanks for doing that. And it's quite nice, you know,
sometimes say with Nadia's farm or writing this book or whatever,
you know, being a bit of an eggcate, and I
think farmers appreciate that that, you know, I've got a
bit of skin in the game. And even though it's
a really small place, but you still get the insights.
(27:02):
You still know how hard it is if you can't
feed your stock in a week's time because the rain
hasn't come, you know. But it can be so bloody
rewarding as well. Like I'm about to pop out some
little short horned calves. I've got out of bed this morning.
I went and looked to see if there are any
new calves, and it's such, you know, starting to get warmer,
sprang a sprung, new babies, new life on the ground
(27:25):
shortly after a dormant winter id.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Touched on it before. But you do get emotionally attached,
don't you. Like your lambs were little jackets, and you
know you're going to go out there and talk to
these little calves of there there aren't you.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Yeah, yeah, Look, it is the best medicine in the
world for me. It's some real and I do want
to save every last one. And I've spent forty odd
years of my life concealing the fact that I'm a
real sensitive bugger because you're not allowed to be as
sensitive bugger when you come from the Deep South and
you play foot in your drink past. But I don't care.
(27:59):
I'm my actual self here on this but of dirt
because I'm away from people. And yeah, I am terribly
attached to these little creatures. And but they're so heartwarming.
And you know people think the smartphone that's just sitting
there is amazing. Well, I think it's amazing that you
put a ram with a you and five months later
they create these little, beautiful little lambs pop out and
(28:22):
they're so delightful.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
Yeah, then skip around this, skip around the paduct.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Okay, it has all been playing in Sailing, and I've
read it, and you just have some hilarious stories in
the book. But I suppose you better. You better tell
the people that are listening in the story about breeze
second birthday, because you know that wasn't quite the lambs
bouncing me on the paddock, was it.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
No, that's right. So I've been trying to get a
cattle bee's killed here for about three months. I wanted
to get a kettle bee's killed at the start of winter,
but it didn't happen until the start of October, which
is of course spray. But the butcher, Tony, the Clyde butcher,
who does a magnificent sausage, actually rang me and said, mate,
(29:07):
I can come and kill that beat. Stop that beast
over on the second of October. Ten am perfect, Tony.
We'll see you then. And I didn't register at the
time that that was my beautiful little daughter's Breeze two
year old birthday and she was having about two year
olds here, so they were all looking out the window
(29:28):
and they watched this cattle beast get knocked over by Tony,
shot in the head, and then they watched, you know,
Tony pick it up with a tractor and whipped the
skin off it. And we came here for it. And
I wanted our children to know where our food comes from.
But they got a really good education that day. We
didn't expect them to get it so early at the
age of two.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Perhaps they wouldn't have been traumatized, so would they they?
Speaker 1 (29:50):
No, I think you're better off learning at two than
twenty two about some of this lofe deak stuff.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Yeah, yeah, you know, And it just sort of becomes
a bit of a part of life, doesn't it.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
And you know, so would you.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Encourage people to go up the city life and go
and find something new.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Well, not necessarily. I'd encourage people to follow their dreams
and do what they want to do, not think about
what they should do, but just do what they want
to do. And you've got to make sure it's legal.
Like you know, you don't want to end up in
the big house because you've done what you want to do.
But because this isn't for everyone. As I said, it's
(30:32):
tough going and you throw a lot of money at
it and you probably don't get it back all the time.
For me, it's amazingly rewarding because this is what I've
always wanted to do. But so you know, if you've
got an inkling like you of getting out of Auckland,
go for it. You only live once, and but you
know you can. You can do things like walk around
(30:54):
and here's my wife's come out of the bedroom. She's
working from home. She's still got a pajamas on at
ten thirty five in the morning. So that's you know,
there's a lot, there's a lot to like about it.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Yeah, that does, isn't There Just something that's just sort
of resets and you know, really gets in a different place.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Okay, I've got clothes on at the moment, but sometimes
I'll be nude here because we don't have neighbors.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Yeah, we'll try try and cut that out.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Yeah, cut that out. I'll cut that out. I won't
do anymore.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
We probably will used to cut it out. We probably
won't cut it.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Out of the podcast, to be fair, because there is
reasonably entertaining.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
Does she give you a lock?
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Then he just she gave you a wave.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
That's all right. Yeah, Alan just walked past you again,
So that's good.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Do you see yourselves taking on more farming, more land.
I mean you mentioned that you might look at more
land more animals.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
As this place becomes a little bit more productive, as
we regrass and do those sorts of things and I
get better at it, maybe I have more time. We
might take on more animals, or we take on more land.
I don't know. I've got to make the decision. I
don't think I am a far my first and foremost,
it's not how I'm going to make my money, probably,
(32:03):
But so I don't know. Yeah, I've got to reinvent myself.
I've got to figure out what I want to do when.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
I grow up, and plenty of time that'll come. Yeah,
don't rush it. Fifty five. I'm still working it out
and it's absolutely fine. What do you think those living
in the city and the rat race could learn from
those that are living more rurally, you know, learn from
what you've been through.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Oh jeepus, Just maybe just a little reminder around how
good it is to connect with nature, like you know,
I feel so much more alive here on the spit
of land because the weather is so much more important
to me than it ever was living in the city.
(32:49):
And just just reminding ourselves that we're part of this
ecosystem and it's a beautiful it's beautiful to be a
part of it. And I'm standing of it cheesy there,
but it's just good to get out of the rat
race and just take a bit of time and slow
down and appreciate what we have.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
And you are in probably the most beautiful place in
the country, to be fair.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Yeah, look, we are pretty lucky. But I was just thinking,
you know, we're an hour away from Queenstown, but this
place was probably worth you know, five hundred percent more
if it was there. But you don't have to you know,
it's beautiful, but it's still kind of cheap. If that
makes it you can do it. You can, you can
(33:38):
afford it, probably, you really can. We've got seventy two
acres and it cost us three hundred and fifty thousand
dollars for seventy two acres.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Yeah, okay, I hear you, I hear you. Okay.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
To end this advice segment, I would like to know
what was the best advice that you've ever been given.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Okay, it is, go confident in the direction of your
dreams and live the life you always imagine.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
Wow, live confident, confident, go confident.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
In the direction of your dreams. Then live the life
you always imagined.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Okay, I'm just going to let that set because that's
bloody good advice.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
But I need to I need to percolate on that.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Hey, it's not something it's yeah, I'm just going to
have a good think about that one.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Because I really like it. I really like it.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Okay, you get it?
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Yeah totally, yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Good, good, good. Yeah. You would have done that. You
would have had to have oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Numerous times. Know what I want? Have lots of self doubts.
Put the big girl nickers on. Anyway, and just go
for it.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Yeah, fantastic. Okay.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Podcast is called ask me thing, and so far I've
done all the askings. So this is an opportunity if
you want to take it to ask me something.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Oh shit, I haven't thought about this. Oh God, but
but I wonder have you ever been with a woman?
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Oh that's a big question, isn't it? One fifty five?
Speaker 2 (35:24):
There's not many things I haven't done in life, to
be honest, And I was single for a very long time,
a very long time, so one would probably say that
I've had quite a lot of fun in life, shall
we put it that way?
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Outstanding?
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Just legal, that's all, or as you say, just make
sure it's legal, that's right, and not going to hurt
anyone else.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
That's right. That's right.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
And it's a bit like a mental health thing. Now
it's kind of boring, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Sleeping with a woman?
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Well, yeah, sleeping with anyone these days. I mean it's
like twenty years ago it would have been a scandal. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Yeah, we're all too tired to sleep with anyone now. Yeah,
there's so that we're all working so hard to bloody
survive in this cost of living crisis. No, one's got
the time to sleep with someone.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Well, there you go.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Okay, I'm going to close this out because who knows
where it's.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
Going met Thanks so much returning today.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
I wish you all the best for farming life with
your family with everything. Maxism's book, The Road Shadow Creek is.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
In stores now. I highly recommend it.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
I loved it.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
And that's it for another episode of Ask Me Anything.
If you have enjoyed this episode, please follow Ask Me
Anything on iHeartRadio or you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
Make sure you check out some of.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Our past fabulous guests while.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
You are there.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
I'll be back next Sunday. Win another guest. I'm Paula
Bena Ask Me Anything.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Goodbye,
Hello.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I am Paula Bennett and welcome to my new Zealand
Herald podcast Ask Me Anything.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
One thing I've learnt in life is it's never too
late to learn something new. So on this podcast, I
talk to people from all walks of life to hear
how they got to where they are and get some
advice and guidance on some of life's biggest questions. Today,
on the podcast, we are going Rural Rural. I like
to say my guest is former current affairs reporter and
(00:37):
TV host turned farmer Matt Chisholm and man as he
can have some advice and guidance on some of life's
biggest questions. Matt has left Auckland behind and now breeds
sheep and cattle on twenty nine hectares just outside of
Alexandra Beautiful. Matt has sheared his story in his new book,
The Road to Chatto Creek, leaving the rat race for
(00:58):
life in the country.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
He joins me now from the.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Farm, I'm Matt, how are you bloody marvelous?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
How are you doing well?
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Should? I think I might be bloody marvelous as well? Actually,
and I don't often answer that question that way all
the better for speaking to you today.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
My mother would have bet it in some really nice
sarcasm to me, saying that, oh, yes, you're marvelous, aren't
you marvelous?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
That's right?
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
To are sam quick fire questions? If you could go
out for dinner or drink with any celebrity, who would
it be?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Will Ferrel?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Although, do you worry about comedians that they're so funny
on screen that then they just kind of aren't as
funny if you meet them in real life?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Because yeah, but I've met Will interview him once and
he is really funny, and I don't think we can
have enough laughter. It's really good medicine.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, that's true, that's very good. So what about the
drink of choice? Because you've been sober how many years now?
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Thirteen years, thirtey and a half years, So what would.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
So what would you drink a choice be?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Then, well, it'd be kids drink of some description? Do
you just black coke?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Do you do the Zero Bears?
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Oh? I do do the Zero Bears, And I used
to always drink the same one, and I've recently discovered
it's ratchet. So there's a few crafty ones out nowadays.
Which are quite nice. Yeah, it's good.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Ah, it's really good.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Real good, real good. You know, times have changed them,
they have.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
You got a favorite bar or parble restaurant anywhere in the.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
World, Well, just two k away from me, I can
almost see it is the Chadow Creek Hotel. It's historic,
it's one hundred and something years old, it's got the
old schist walls, and it's just a really cool little
community hubs. About thirty five people live where we are
Chadow Creek and would be lost without that pub, even
(02:51):
though I'm a teetotler.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah no, but it's a good place to meet and
greet and talk and catch up, right, and get a feed.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
That's right, I get a feed. We have the soccer
breakup and the rugby breakups there and we meet people
there all the time. Yeah. No, it's cool.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Yeah, I like that.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Okay, we're going to chat about your big move in
the second segment of the podcast, but first out, I
want to focus on you really and talk a bit
more about you. It's fascinating how open you've been about
some of the mental health battles, and I just really
admire you for it.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
And so you know, you talk about it quite a bit.
I mean, how are you now? How are you? How
are you today?
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Well, bloody, marvelous, just the same as you today. But
you know, I've had gone for a really good patch,
probably got a good bit of balance. But maybe ten
months ago I was sort of under the pump again,
and there was the lamming and putting in the new
lawn and talks all around New Zealand, and I was
producing directing a TV show, Nadia's Farm and Now with
(03:50):
Nadia Leam and Carlos Beagriy over in Arrowtown, and I
was doing the sports coaching, and I had to finish
this bloody book and the first book I write I
was during the pandemic and the lockdown. They had heaps
of time, and this year, last year, rather I didn't
have any time at all. And when I needed to
take a break, I actually had to punch out another
(04:10):
two thousand words for the day and just sort of
got a little bit relentless and I got a little
bit over it, and so I wasn't that good all
over again, which just kind of ironic for a mental
health advocate. But I used to make a living and
partly I still do out of being a journalist and
asking people to be honest about their story. And I
sort of thought, for a long time, I'm not really
(04:32):
that honest with people about what I've been up to
and where I'm at. So I just sort of thought,
you know, if I have some kind of a platform,
not as big as platform as you might have, Paula,
I should probably use it for good as opposed to
sell Louis Vaton handbags or some shit like that.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Can you see the signs of when you know that
you need to take time out or look after yourself differently?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Can you identify that earlier rather YEA, yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Absolutely, hundred percent. Like I think life is easier the
older you get funny enough, and my awitness around the
stuff is a whole lot better now, which is good.
And I I was at my memory a Field days
at the start of this year and I saw Mark
Allison come out of a tent and heed been enjoying
(05:22):
the hospitality, and he was three quarters person and we
caught up and he go get a Mark good a
Matt and I started doing fist pumps on the inside
because Mark Elis was a hero of mine growing up
in rural Otago. Is a great footy player. You know,
he goes, how are you mate? I said, mate, I've
actually slipped back into a bit of depression. You know,
I'm not that good. And he goes, wow, what an
amazing opportunity. And I was like, one hundred percent. I'm
(05:45):
fully that's how I'm seeing it now, because I've slipped
in and out of this stuff so often that I
do see it as an opportunity. Now. It's just an
opportunity to get better and I know what I need
to do, and I just needed to say no a
few more times and think about me and get a
bit of time back. So yeah, it's amazing. You know,
thirty years ago, I would never have believed Mark Ellison
I would have been having that conversation.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
But what a cool reaction from him. Because we often
don't know how to react right when someone says, actually,
I'm not doing so good at the moment and I'm
really down and I feel depressed.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
We go, oh, my goodness, here for you.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
And like that. I probably would have set it and
up beat way because even with him, I still want
to be upbeaten. Yeah, but you know, one hundred got it,
and I just thought it was a cool little moment.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
And they're looking after yourself.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
But you know, because I think, you know, I know,
for me, when I was in the height of the
political career, so much pressure, so little sleep, everything going on,
everything going wrong, you know, not enough time with family,
all of that sort of stuff, I would get to
a stage where I would get so sick.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
I'd generally be hospitalized every couple of years.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
I'm really sorry to hear that.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
And then I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
I just sort of thought, well, I'm just so run down,
and that's how I you know what I mean. And
then I realized, actually, most of this is almost in
mental health, and I'm just not taking the time out
when I need it to actually keep myself well. And
of course, as you say, we get older, we get wiser.
I learned to block things out in my diary of
you know, two or three days, you know, once you
really sort of five weeks.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
So I just knew that, I you know, you just got.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Me, that's right. How did you conceal that from the vultures? Well,
from journos and people who would.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Have like loved it, because I'd get pneumonia, I get,
you know, and so in that respect they'd probably know
I was in hospital. But I was in hospital with pneumonia,
which is true, I was, But how did I let
myself get to a point of that level of illness?
And it was because I wasn't looking after myself well enough.
But I suppose the message out there is is that
(07:49):
you can. And that's I haven't had that for seven years,
I want to say eight years, well probably longer, you
know what I mean, I've learned, you know.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Even ys tod I was I call it full up.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I was full up.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
You know, I'm full up, but I'm at the top
of I'm at the top of the here.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
I've got a.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah, that's great, and I could see that.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Sign and I knew that it wasn't going to get
you better in the next couple of weeks. So what
I've done is, you know, blocked three days out. I
know I can look forward to them. I'm already thinking
about the books I'll read, you know, like, I'm just yeah,
you've got to do that, right.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
And good on you for sharing that. That's that's really
powerful for a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
So you sharing, what's the reaction been like, you know,
like and particularly from you, because our rural farmers are
good stoic. You know people, aren't they?
Speaker 1 (08:37):
And absolutely, well you touched on you know, some people
are a little bit awkward if you said to them,
you know, I've slipped into a bit of depressions. Some
people might be a little bit awkward around that. But
some people are just a little bit awkward. We're not
all good communicators, right, We're all different, whatever strengths and weaknesses.
But so I was probably pretty honest about four and
a half years ago, and and I people when I
(09:00):
talk around New Zealand that I've not had one piece
of negativity around it, whether it's online or to my face.
And that's the way it should be. And I said
that once and a guy in a meeting a talk
that I gave said, well, you haven't had that because
people probably think you're a bit of a legend. And
I was like, I don't see myself as that, mate.
(09:21):
He goes, you know what I do? And he said,
because my dad killed himself, and so you're stopping helping
helping that is not stopping, but helping stop people from
doing that. So you know, like there's been a bit
of a shift, hasn't there around And I think people
are a lot more mature around this stuff were built
(09:42):
on pioneers and the farming folk. The rural folks are
the last of those pioneers who are hanging on. They're
still working the land and they are tough and gruff.
But people like John Kerwin, you know, one of the
best rugby players on this planet, have paved the way
and helping people go. You can play great foot, you
can create a build a fence, you can do all
(10:04):
those things, but you can still be you know, under
the pump and struggling a bit mentally, and that's so refreshing.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
You're right.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
I mean, we've just moved so far and in a
relatively short period of time. Don't you also now think
though it's a bit like your bloke that you're talking to,
and that we actually all know someone that's struggling, you know,
if it's not us at times, we've all you know,
Bill English always used to say to me, anything that's
happening to a New Zealand they're out there at any
particular time, it's happening to someone in my family or
(10:34):
wider family, because he's got such a big family, you know, oh.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
And I kind of liked that because it's just like, yeah,
well that's kind of real. And that's I think why
we're a little less judgmental as well, because we talk
more openly about it.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Yeah, that's right. And this is one of one of
the things that blew me away, one of the reasons
why I talk about this stuff so often now. One
is people that you asked me. But the other is
that when I said, you know, I'm not laughing much,
I'm not smiling much. You know, I'm struggling a bit.
I don't really know if I want to do this
stuff anymore, this life stuff. Hundreds and hundreds of people
(11:11):
got in touch with me, and it was random people.
It was about a third of the TVNS newsroom, and
it was about a quarter of the TV three news room,
And there were old mates from university in high school,
and people have traveled the world with and current all
blacks at the time, and there might have been a
couple of politicians. And they all told me that they
were struggling and depressed or suicidal and still were and
(11:31):
they'd been on the pills for fifteen years. And that's
when I was like, holy shit, I thought I was
the only person that was a bit mad. But actually
most of us go through something in our lifetimes that
affects our a bleat of function, and we have to
get people to understand that normal is that stuff, because
we all live on social media, and we all live
in highlights packages, and we're not very honest and open
(11:51):
and real about this stuff. So I was blown bay
and now off the back of this pandemic, you know,
I've become a bit of a magnet for people who
are doing it, which is both good and bad. But
you know, so many people sometimes say when I was
on the Telly, I used to get sent pics of
scantily cleared women from time to time. Now it's of
(12:13):
men struggling with their mental health. And I don't know
what's better to be honest.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
In their gun boots and their overalls.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah yeah, I do know, holding a lamb and under
the arm and yeah, yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
How Alan and the kids all good.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
They're amazing, Yeah, they're amazing. On my way about I
don't know a third of the time from this little
farm here ye out over at the moment, and the
kids a phenomenal. They've had another season of rugby and
the football or soccer Saturday and Sunday. They play the
sport going well at school and Alan's she actually she
does her she does the running for her for her
(12:50):
mental fitness. And he's also just joined the local Operatic Society.
She's got a few different roles in the Hunchback for
Notre Dame. From about the eight o'clock through to about
ten thirty at night, all I can hear from my
bedroom is, you know, this sort of fantastic singing and stuff.
So I've got to just go out in the dark
on a farm and find my happiness. Well, because I
(13:12):
can't go to bed and listen to that stuff.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
No, that's probably a bit too much a young family.
How's Nack your brother?
Speaker 1 (13:18):
My brother?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
I am just I just I just want to call
a rabbit hole. But I just started reading that Nick
and then I went lot and you know, I just
I just became obsessed with him and the kids at him.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Yeah. Yeah, Well he's amazing for a guy that can't
walk and talk, so update people. He had a massive
brainstem stroke. And the year two thousand, I think so
twenty four years ago. Good look in twenty seven year
old fella and life got tipped upside down by the
good news is he still can't walk and talk. By
(13:50):
the good news is he married a woman, an English woman,
and they've got the four and a half year old triplets.
Nowadays often tell people that they can't be his because
they quite smart. But what a blessing for him. And
he's a very very happy dude. He's probably had a
happier twenty four years than I've had, considering he can't
walk and talk. And how amazing is that. Often say
(14:11):
to people, get your thinking right and the rest will follow.
And he got us thinking right as a matter of
having to you know.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
And are they close to you now?
Speaker 1 (14:20):
They live and they lived to Eden, so they're about
two hours away and we probably don't see enough of
them as we should actually, but because you know, we're
all in the trenches with kids.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Yes, and as Alan got family close as well.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Yes, Alan's parents live over that fence you know there.
We could almost walk to their house from here. And
they're great grandparents and they baby said, if that's the
right term, a lot and we catch up for coffees
and all the time, and you know, they're they're great
people and we're very lucky to have them close.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
You mentioned producing Nadia's farm. Do you miss the TV
work yourself? Do you miss being in front of the
I don't.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Miss being in front of a camera because I never
ever really thought it was there unless I was doing
live stuff. But I really missed the interviewing actually, because
you know, I don't think I'm a great writer or
anything like that. I never really read much, but I
could communicate well, and I really missed the interviewing. Last
week in a dinky, little hall and white hoook a our,
(15:20):
I hope I pronounced that correctly, Central Hawk's Bay, I
interviewed Brody Retallick, who played one hundred and nine tests
for the All Blacks, and he was glad. It was
similar sort of upbringing to me, but he was really
good at footy and I was just okay. And we
just had this rural audience of about two hundred just
laughing from start to finish, and I thought, you know,
(15:44):
I come off the stage and I thought, I need
to be doing more of this because actually it's hard
for me to say, and it's hard for me to
tell you because you'll be recording this conversation. Something I
said the other day. I'm actually quite good at it,
like you're very good at it. And I'm quite good
at it too, and it's a shame that I don't
do as much of that as I used to do.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
And it's a buzz right knowing that people have enjoyed
it and that you've got to know someone and you
know you've actually entertained if you like people for a
period of time. Absolute you get your little adrenaline buzz
and it's you know, you.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Come away thinking, should I did a good job of that?
And you know, like I was never the smartest guy
in the newsroom. I was never the most well read
or the most the most beautiful writer, but shit, I
could get good content from people and I can still
do that, and it's a shame I don't do more
of it, as I said, But I came to think
(16:38):
far out you know, I'm good at that side of
it well, and that's I really enjoyed.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Life's not over yet. You just never know what. You
never know what door all open next week?
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Do you might have I might have burned it because
written these books, and I was probably pretty honest about
what went down in the newsroom, So I might have
burnt all my bridges and probably not a great time
to get into television, Pauler.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
It doesn't have to be television. That's point.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Oh, very good point.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah, Okay, we've already.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Done some because I couldn't help getting some advice from
you and the mental health stuff in there anyway. But
we're going to take away break, then we're gonna get
some advice and we're going to chat about moving from
the Big Smoke to Chadow Creek.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Back with you shortly.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
We are back with match as a Matt, you have
made a huge life change, leaving life as a TV
host and journalist and in Auckland and to become a
farmer now in central Otago.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Was it a scary.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Decision to make because it fuils it?
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Was? It was a really scary decision to make, because
you know, I was a real jack the lad bozer
in my younger days, and I didn't get into television
until I was thirty, right, and i'd mucked about. My
older brother had this accident on the footy field, and
I went and cared for him and looked after him
and helped him want to live his life for a while.
And so I put off my career until I was thirty,
(18:10):
if you like. And so I was in the Television
New Zealand news room and did the reality TV for
about twelve years before I sort of thought, shit, this
isn't bringing me happiness. But my point I want to
make is that that was the only thing that arguably
society might have thought I was successful at in terms
(18:33):
of work. Right, I had achieved in my work, and
saying goodbye to that and then going shit, what am I?
Who am I? If I'm not a journalist in a
reality TV host? Who the hell am I? Thirty hectaars
we have here twenty nine points something and that's not
an economic farm. You probably need seven hundred even seven
(18:53):
hundred hectare farms aren't economic at the moment in this country.
So I was essentially putting my hobby or my lifestyle
ahead of my career. And we're not supposed to do
that at the age of forty something, and so it
was really scary, and I just in the end felt
(19:14):
the fear and did it anyway, and so pleased. I haven't.
It wasn't entirely new or a big move because this
is where I'm from. I'm from a targo, I'm a
country kid. I was born in Milton South Otago population
about fifteen hundred. So it wasn't entirely new.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
This is my you know what about for Allen was
she Allan was.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Born in a mccago. She's a farm girl. Her father
was a stockagent and farmer, just like mine. And so
we had been coming down here and holidaying down here
for five or six years before we made the shift,
so it wasn't entirely new to us all that different.
We'd fallen in love with it, and every time we'd
(19:56):
get on the plane and fly out of Queenstown back
to Auckland, and it got harder and harder, and in
the end I thought, I don't want to go back,
not disrespect this is where I feel like I need
to be here in heartland central Otago.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah yeah, yeah, So how do you prepare yourself for
a change like that? I mean, you know, because it's
I mean every day I think about moving out of Auckland,
you know. You know, this morning it was the guy
you know behind me, and I obviously didn't move quite
you know, fast enough, so he didn't just give me
a little beep, he like linked on the horn for
(20:32):
you know, and I couldn't fit in the gap ahead,
and you know, I'm just like God, people are getting
stabbed for a bit of road rage at the moment,
you know, like, calm down, bro.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I don't miss that. How did I prepare for it? Well,
we bought a block of land. We bought a block
of land in twenty fifteen, about five years before we
came down here, and then about three years later we
bought the block of land beside it. I think Alan
might have She's good on the preparing. She's much better
at the preparing than I am. So she might have
(21:03):
booked the kids into daycare for a couple of days.
And you know, we think we organized a rental and
I didn't do too much around talking to people about work.
You know, there was a lot of winging it, but
we had a plan like this has always been my
dream to live on fifty acres. We've got seventy two
at the moment, will probably end up with about fifty.
(21:25):
But I know, I don't know if I did that
much preparing. I angst over the decision, but preparation.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
How's how the locals taken The Big City TV guy,
you know, wandering and you know, emotionally attached to his
animals for crying out loud.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
That's a great question. How the locals. Well, I knew
a few of them, as I said, We've been holidaying
down here, and I'd played footy with them and went
to school and university with some of them, and so
I was quite connected to them. But one of the
nicest comments I overget is, you know, and I'm a boots.
I'm a boot and boots and all sort of a guy.
I'm all in. So, you know, I go to the show,
(22:04):
and I take my sheep to the show, and I'm
on the microphone, and I coach the kids rugby, and
I coach the kids soccer, and I talk at the
fundraisers and MC though. So you know, I like to
give a lot to my community, and that's one of
the reasons why we came here is for that community
and that connection. But one of the nicest things people
say to me is actually, outside of all that t
the TV shit, yeah you're actually a good buddy, and
(22:25):
so I love that. You know. One of the things
I didn't want to do when I came down here
is overplay my hand and be that flash hairy upland
wanker from the Telly who come down here and tried
to own the show. So I picked my moments when
I talk, and you know, I've got to be careful
that I just I'm one of them and not.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Take do you take advice because you know, like it's
a lot at caring for animals.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
What I do is I just do what I want
to do anyway, and it's not normally based on economics.
It's usually based on aesthetics and what I like the
look of, you know, in terms of breeds and things
like that. But yeah, there's plenty people who want to
give me advice and I appreciate it, but and sometimes
I follow it, but most of the time I just
do it.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Hey, I worry about the rural urban divide, and I think,
you know, I've been and I've been worried about it
for decades, to be really honest with you at the
back of my mind, because you know, my family of
farmers and I just and then I moved to Auckland,
and I just think there's such a disconnect and understanding
what happens on the land and understanding that we can't
(23:27):
live our lifestyle, you know, if we do want to
have the wink of Auckland life, you know, we can't
have that without, you know, our country being productive without
you know, I sort of say it lightly, but I
don't mean it lightly met, but I just go, you know,
thank you for the milk for my last a, thank
you for the leather for my shoes, thank you for
the steak that I leat tonight. Because actually I wouldn't
(23:47):
have any of those things if it wasn't for you know,
our farmers and our farming communities.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Yeah, I'm so glad you brought this up, actually, because
there probably is a bit of a divide, and I
think a lot of people in the cities and towns
across New Zealand, I think farmers are land of elite,
you know, but they're actually not. Most of them. They're
indebted up to their eyeballs, and they could take the
money that they do have, the equity they do have
in their farms, and put that money into something entirely
(24:14):
different and make a whole lot more money with that
equity they do have in their farms, and a lot
of them might not have very much at the moment.
Farming is a particularly tough gig. It is heartbreaking, you know,
and these guys they don't have to do it. They
don't have to do it at all. If they were smart,
a lot of them would get out of it and
(24:34):
go and do something else. But they do it because
they love it. They genuinely care. And actually Kiwi farmers
are bloody good at it. And this is why this
no disrespect. They don't want to get political. But the
last government sort of annoyed me a little bit because
they wanted to have fewer Kiwi farmers. And what that
would happen is that slack, that lack of production, that
(24:55):
the food that we wouldn't produce because there were fewer
of us would be going to another part of the
world which would produce that food even more inefficiently, and
the world would be a worse place for it. Just
didn't make sense. And maybe it was good that, you know,
they felt better about themselves when they went to sleep
at night. But actually, if anything, New Zealand should be
(25:18):
doing more farming as opposed to less in my eyes,
because we do it really efficiently. We're very very good
at it. We have this temperate climate and rainfall. Yeah,
and you did right. Often say I can't. I think
I genuinely believe that I can do pretty much whatever
I want to do with my life outside of being
(25:39):
a surgeon and a lawyer and all those things. We
needed a real few particular skills because other people produce
food for us, and what a noble thing to do.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
And we're just so creative our farmers now as well.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
And there's as you say, there's the efficiencies, but there's
equally the sustainability. And what people do don't get is
that we literally produce lamb in a more sustainable way
than pretty much anywhere else in the world, you know,
because of how our farming practices, because we're in a
continuous improvement which our farmers are absolutely passionate about. But
instead we get caught in this ideology that you know,
(26:18):
it's just absolutely out of sync with what the real
world is. And no, I once open field days and
as I said to them, as they said to me,
actually the best advocate we can have is an Auckland
city chick, and I went, you can you know what
I mean, like, actually we're standing up for you, you know,
(26:39):
absolutely quite genuinely.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Thanks for doing that. And it's quite nice, you know,
sometimes say with Nadia's farm or writing this book or whatever,
you know, being a bit of an eggcate, and I
think farmers appreciate that that, you know, I've got a
bit of skin in the game. And even though it's
a really small place, but you still get the insights.
(27:02):
You still know how hard it is if you can't
feed your stock in a week's time because the rain
hasn't come, you know. But it can be so bloody
rewarding as well. Like I'm about to pop out some
little short horned calves. I've got out of bed this morning.
I went and looked to see if there are any
new calves, and it's such, you know, starting to get warmer,
sprang a sprung, new babies, new life on the ground
(27:25):
shortly after a dormant winter id.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Touched on it before. But you do get emotionally attached,
don't you. Like your lambs were little jackets, and you
know you're going to go out there and talk to
these little calves of there there aren't you.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Yeah, yeah, Look, it is the best medicine in the
world for me. It's some real and I do want
to save every last one. And I've spent forty odd
years of my life concealing the fact that I'm a
real sensitive bugger because you're not allowed to be as
sensitive bugger when you come from the Deep South and
you play foot in your drink past. But I don't care.
(27:59):
I'm my actual self here on this but of dirt
because I'm away from people. And yeah, I am terribly
attached to these little creatures. And but they're so heartwarming.
And you know people think the smartphone that's just sitting
there is amazing. Well, I think it's amazing that you
put a ram with a you and five months later
they create these little, beautiful little lambs pop out and
(28:22):
they're so delightful.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
Yeah, then skip around this, skip around the paduct.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Okay, it has all been playing in Sailing, and I've
read it, and you just have some hilarious stories in
the book. But I suppose you better. You better tell
the people that are listening in the story about breeze
second birthday, because you know that wasn't quite the lambs
bouncing me on the paddock, was it.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
No, that's right. So I've been trying to get a
cattle bee's killed here for about three months. I wanted
to get a kettle bee's killed at the start of winter,
but it didn't happen until the start of October, which
is of course spray. But the butcher, Tony, the Clyde butcher,
who does a magnificent sausage, actually rang me and said, mate,
(29:07):
I can come and kill that beat. Stop that beast
over on the second of October. Ten am perfect, Tony.
We'll see you then. And I didn't register at the
time that that was my beautiful little daughter's Breeze two
year old birthday and she was having about two year
olds here, so they were all looking out the window
(29:28):
and they watched this cattle beast get knocked over by Tony,
shot in the head, and then they watched, you know,
Tony pick it up with a tractor and whipped the
skin off it. And we came here for it. And
I wanted our children to know where our food comes from.
But they got a really good education that day. We
didn't expect them to get it so early at the
age of two.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Perhaps they wouldn't have been traumatized, so would they they?
Speaker 1 (29:50):
No, I think you're better off learning at two than
twenty two about some of this lofe deak stuff.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Yeah, yeah, you know, And it just sort of becomes
a bit of a part of life, doesn't it.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
And you know, so would you.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Encourage people to go up the city life and go
and find something new.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Well, not necessarily. I'd encourage people to follow their dreams
and do what they want to do, not think about
what they should do, but just do what they want
to do. And you've got to make sure it's legal.
Like you know, you don't want to end up in
the big house because you've done what you want to do.
But because this isn't for everyone. As I said, it's
(30:32):
tough going and you throw a lot of money at
it and you probably don't get it back all the time.
For me, it's amazingly rewarding because this is what I've
always wanted to do. But so you know, if you've
got an inkling like you of getting out of Auckland,
go for it. You only live once, and but you
know you can. You can do things like walk around
(30:54):
and here's my wife's come out of the bedroom. She's
working from home. She's still got a pajamas on at
ten thirty five in the morning. So that's you know,
there's a lot, there's a lot to like about it.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Yeah, that does, isn't There Just something that's just sort
of resets and you know, really gets in a different place.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Okay, I've got clothes on at the moment, but sometimes
I'll be nude here because we don't have neighbors.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Yeah, we'll try try and cut that out.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Yeah, cut that out. I'll cut that out. I won't
do anymore.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
We probably will used to cut it out. We probably
won't cut it.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Out of the podcast, to be fair, because there is
reasonably entertaining.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
Does she give you a lock?
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Then he just she gave you a wave.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
That's all right. Yeah, Alan just walked past you again,
So that's good.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Do you see yourselves taking on more farming, more land.
I mean you mentioned that you might look at more
land more animals.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
As this place becomes a little bit more productive, as
we regrass and do those sorts of things and I
get better at it, maybe I have more time. We
might take on more animals, or we take on more land.
I don't know. I've got to make the decision. I
don't think I am a far my first and foremost,
it's not how I'm going to make my money, probably,
(32:03):
But so I don't know. Yeah, I've got to reinvent myself.
I've got to figure out what I want to do when.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
I grow up, and plenty of time that'll come. Yeah,
don't rush it. Fifty five. I'm still working it out
and it's absolutely fine. What do you think those living
in the city and the rat race could learn from
those that are living more rurally, you know, learn from
what you've been through.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Oh jeepus, Just maybe just a little reminder around how
good it is to connect with nature, like you know,
I feel so much more alive here on the spit
of land because the weather is so much more important
to me than it ever was living in the city.
(32:49):
And just just reminding ourselves that we're part of this
ecosystem and it's a beautiful it's beautiful to be a
part of it. And I'm standing of it cheesy there,
but it's just good to get out of the rat
race and just take a bit of time and slow
down and appreciate what we have.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
And you are in probably the most beautiful place in
the country, to be fair.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Yeah, look, we are pretty lucky. But I was just thinking,
you know, we're an hour away from Queenstown, but this
place was probably worth you know, five hundred percent more
if it was there. But you don't have to you know,
it's beautiful, but it's still kind of cheap. If that
makes it you can do it. You can, you can
(33:38):
afford it, probably, you really can. We've got seventy two
acres and it cost us three hundred and fifty thousand
dollars for seventy two acres.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Yeah, okay, I hear you, I hear you. Okay.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
To end this advice segment, I would like to know
what was the best advice that you've ever been given.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Okay, it is, go confident in the direction of your
dreams and live the life you always imagine.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
Wow, live confident, confident, go confident.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
In the direction of your dreams. Then live the life
you always imagined.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Okay, I'm just going to let that set because that's
bloody good advice.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
But I need to I need to percolate on that.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Hey, it's not something it's yeah, I'm just going to
have a good think about that one.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Because I really like it. I really like it.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Okay, you get it?
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Yeah totally, yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Good, good, good. Yeah. You would have done that. You
would have had to have oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Numerous times. Know what I want? Have lots of self doubts.
Put the big girl nickers on. Anyway, and just go
for it.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Yeah, fantastic. Okay.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Podcast is called ask me thing, and so far I've
done all the askings. So this is an opportunity if
you want to take it to ask me something.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Oh shit, I haven't thought about this. Oh God, but
but I wonder have you ever been with a woman?
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Oh that's a big question, isn't it? One fifty five?
Speaker 2 (35:24):
There's not many things I haven't done in life, to
be honest, And I was single for a very long time,
a very long time, so one would probably say that
I've had quite a lot of fun in life, shall
we put it that way?
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Outstanding?
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Just legal, that's all, or as you say, just make
sure it's legal, that's right, and not going to hurt
anyone else.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
That's right. That's right.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
And it's a bit like a mental health thing. Now
it's kind of boring, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Sleeping with a woman?
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Well, yeah, sleeping with anyone these days. I mean it's
like twenty years ago it would have been a scandal. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Yeah, we're all too tired to sleep with anyone now. Yeah,
there's so that we're all working so hard to bloody
survive in this cost of living crisis. No, one's got
the time to sleep with someone.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Well, there you go.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Okay, I'm going to close this out because who knows
where it's.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
Going met Thanks so much returning today.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
I wish you all the best for farming life with
your family with everything. Maxism's book, The Road Shadow Creek is.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
In stores now. I highly recommend it.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
I loved it.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
And that's it for another episode of Ask Me Anything.
If you have enjoyed this episode, please follow Ask Me
Anything on iHeartRadio or you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
Make sure you check out some of.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Our past fabulous guests while.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
You are there.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
I'll be back next Sunday. Win another guest. I'm Paula
Bena Ask Me Anything.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Goodbye,
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