The broadcaster is dabbling in travel writing, training for her first ocean swim in May and relishing child-free dates with husband Ross Peebles. Photo / Emily Chalk
Not one to shy away from a challenge, the broadcaster’s taking the plunge.
In the middle of her almost-empty nest, Wendy Petrie has found her empty “next”. With her two daughters, Addison and Liv, studying overseas on sporting scholarships, the popular broadcaster still has teenage son Zach at home, but life lately has suddenly offered up a lot more freedom.
She’s trying her hand at travel writing, signed up for her first ocean swim in May, and is realising there’s time for her and husband Ross Peebles to enjoy some sweet, child-free dates again.
“When you have three kids and busy jobs, it’s easy to get caught up in the details of everyday life,” says Wendy, 53. “Until one day, you and hubby are looking at each other, going, ‘Wow, the kids don’t need us as much.’
“A lot of our friends are in the same situation as us and we talk about how you really do have to put in the time to invest in your relationship again, and remember what you both liked doing before you had children.
“Ross and I went out for a bike ride together the other day,” she smiles. “We sent Addie a selfie and she replied, ‘Aww, couples goals!’ It’s corny, but it’s true.
“We’ve just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and have suddenly got more time for that walk or dinner out that we never had time for before because we were too busy running three children to different activities.
“So it’s exciting to not have to plan our lives around sports events and school holidays, and make the most of our relationship again.”
That’s not to say the devoted mum doesn’t miss her talented daughters like crazy, though.
It’s been three years since the family farewelled Addison, 21, to the University of San Diego on a rowing scholarship. And last August, the tissues were never far away when Liv, 19, left for San Diego State University on a swimming scholarship.
“When your first child leaves, it’s a real moment,” reflects Wendy. “I remember going to Addie’s empty bedroom and I’d lie on her bed crying. It felt weird, like she’d left forever. And I guess, in a way, it’s like she had left forever because a different version of her will come back if she ever does live at home again.
“When Liv left, it was really hard again and we miss her so much because she’s a real presence in the house. It’s tough as a parent to not have them here because they’re so much fun.
“I never thought I’d say it, but I even miss their sweaty, disgusting clothes on the floor or the fact they both ate so much as athletes – the protein and yoghurt was just flying out the door!
“But I think every parent struggles with that. And it also changes the family dynamic going from a family of five to four and then three. It’s a different unit and poor Zach is left with just us.”
Wendy copes with their absence by reminding herself she can’t be sad when they’re so happy.
“They’re thriving and enjoying life, and making the most of the opportunity, so what else would I ever want?” she muses.
Thankfully, there has also been no major homesickness or tearful calls to Mum and Dad – just mostly excitement about their college adventures.
She says both daughters have kept their Kiwi accents and are also studying pure economics because in the US, that allows them a three-year work visa.
Addie’s living with her rowing roommates in an apartment right on Mission Beach and is in her last year of studying for her degree. “All the seniors try and get an internship over summer, which might then lead to a job,” explains Wendy.
“She’s been through lots and lots of interviews but has just landed an eight-week internship at a big global insurance brokerage firm. With any luck, they might offer her a job after her last semester.
“I just told her to make the most of it and come back to New Zealand after having some overseas work experience, especially when the US dollar is pretty good and jobs are so tough to get right now.”
Wendy is also grateful that her girls are in the same city if they need each other. Addison can drive out to see Liv at her dorm so they can catch up over lunch.
“When Liv was looking at university scholarships all over the US, I felt I couldn’t be going to both the east and west coasts for visits – it’d be way too hard,” she recalls. “So I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a couple in San Diego’ trying to plant the seed. I’m now patting myself on the back for that because it’s worked out really well for when we go and see them.”
Ross, 52, and Wendy visited Addison last October and saw her row at the Head of the Charles – the world’s largest rowing regatta, held in Boston, with more than 11,000 athletes competing.
Then in February, Wendy landed in Texas to catch Liv’s first Conference swim meet, held at the University of Houston.
“Being able to watch them in action, and seeing them and their friends living their dream makes me so happy,” she enthuses. “Of course, I proudly wear all the college merchandise and Grandma Carole has a supporters cap, too!”
Watching so much swimming has rubbed off on Wendy. Not a natural in the water, the TV newsreader is taking the plunge and training with a friend for Ocean Swim Fiji next month, where she will swim 1km for three consecutive days.
“I didn’t realise how hard it was,” admits Wendy, a marathon runner. “Growing up, I was a little skinny thing, so when I hopped in the freezing cold school pool, I just about got hypothermia every time we had to swim in the 1970s.
“Swimming isn’t a comfortable feeling for me and I don’t really like putting my head underwater. On my first day at training, I was kind of gasping for breath after one lap.
“I thought, ‘How am I going to do a kilometre in the sea, especially without a push-off at every end?’ But my kids were helpful – they said, ‘Just go slower.’ I didn’t think I could go much slower. But I can. And I do feel great when I finish.”
Wendy will be writing about her Ocean Swim Fiji experience for the NZ Herald, along with a travel story about her time in Houston.
This year, her mantra is “diversify”, a word she’s come to embrace after she very publicly lost her role as an anchor for 1News At Six due to job cuts, and worried she wouldn’t find other work.
She’s still a regular face at TVNZ, but being free from the fulltime grind has meant she can say yes to exciting new projects.
“I found being made redundant in 2020 hard,” she admits. “You can’t help but take it personally. I did struggle with that for a few years. But it was good for me because it forced me to redefine myself and try different things.
“Saying yes to everything offered and putting myself out there has paid off. I’m still working for TVNZ as a contractor when they need me.
“And that’s great because I’m actually relishing other things I’m doing now – media training, school communications, emcee work and content creation,” says Wendy, who headed off to Blenheim after our interview to talk to Selaks winemakers and film their harvest.
She firmly believes that one gift of getting older is worrying less about what people think and being less afraid to fail.
“In your 50s, I’ve found you have a self-confidence that you didn’t have when you were younger,” she says. “And you’ve got nothing to prove any more. If you try something new and it doesn’t work out, try something else.
“I maybe would have been too embarrassed to try swimming before because I’m a complete novice,” she shares. “But now I feel like, ‘Who cares?’ I’ve got nothing to lose and it’s a really powerful feeling.
“And there’s no reason why women my age can’t continue to be fit and stronger than ever. I’m eating more protein, doing more weights-related exercises and taking the HRT [hormone replacement therapy]. I feel great.
“It’s really important to keep doing things outside of our comfort zone. It’s easy to have a narrow focus and a narrower group of friends as we age. But there’s a lot of talk about creating new neural pathways when we try something new and how it keeps the brain healthy.”
Right now, swimming 1km is taking her out of her comfort zone. It’s as much as an endurance sport as parenting teenagers. But she’s pushing any thoughts of her last chick flying the nest firmly to the back of her mind.
Zach, 15, is following in big sister Addison’s footsteps and is also a talented rower.
“Zach was more creative and hadn’t shown a big interest in sport until he was 13 and asked, ‘Mum, what sport will I do?’” recalls Wendy. “Because there aren’t many sports you can start when you’re that age. Except rowing! He’s now 6ft 1in and has taken to it like a duck to water. It’s been so great.”
So does this mean he might complete the trifecta of her children getting scholarships in America?
“Well, it might be like that if he wants to,” she says. “But I think it’s harder for boys to get rowing scholarships because American universities give a lot of money to NFL and basketball.
“And a law came in stating universities had to give the same amount of money to the female athletes. But in saying that, American universities love our New Zealand rowers and think we have brilliant technique, so watch this space!”
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