Why Survivor NZ host Matt Chisholm missed his son's birth

TVNZ reporter Matt Chisholm had to miss his son's birth due to the intense filming schedule for Survivor. Photo/Rebecca Ryan.

Getting to host Survivor New Zealand was a dream come true for TVNZ reporter Matt Chisholm, but he made a huge sacrifice for the job.

Speaking to Woman's Day, the former Seven Sharp reporter reveals that filming the upcoming reality show meant he had to miss the birth of his first son, Bede, back in September.

"When they first started talking to me about the job, the dates looked fine with Bede's arrival, but as we went down the track, we discovered I was probably going to be out of the country," he tells the mag.

Chisholm filmed in Nicaragua for 47 days to make Survivor NZ, and had to make do with texts and phone calls during his wife Ellen's 27 hour labour.

"I just wanted to leap into my phone," he explained. 'But Ellen's mum is a nurse, so I almost feel like she was in better hands. All I would've done was offer comic relief and probably piss her off."

Thankfully, Chisholm had nothing but support from his loving wife. Ellen says there was no way Matt could not take on the hosting role as he was "born to do it".

However, after experiencing some symptoms of post-natal depression she was pleased when her husband finally made it home.

"Even though I was OK when he was gone, there was nothing like the relief that washed over me as soon as Matt walked through the door. I felt instantly more relaxed. I knew I had my teammate back and we'd get through it."

Chisholm has stepped down from his reporter role on Seven Sharp since returning, and now works more family friendly hours as part of the Fair Go team.

Survivor New Zealand is expected to air next year on TVNZ 2.