The popular former All Black is charismatic, energetic and definitely “one of the boys”. He’s only half joking when he says the worst part of being presented with the iconic red This Is Your Life book for the TVNZ programme in october was that he didn’t get to finish his golf game.
But as Ali delights in having a rare 10 minutes to herself as her makeup is applied for the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly’s photoshoot, Zinzan reveals an impressive talent for domestic multitasking.
“Forget the TV programme – this, right here, is my life!” laughs Zinzan, as he fields constant demands and sidesteps regular impending wars from his six children under 10, all the while cracking jokes, gently teasing Ali and keeping an eye on his phone for meeting updates. He’s on a very tight schedule. “It’s busy. okay, it’s nuts.”
So nuts, in fact, that the family has been asked to feature in a British reality TV show. “I can’t tell you too much about it as it’s top secret – if we tell you, we would have to kill you!
But we’re excited about what’s in store for the New Year,” says Ali (43), who, along with the rest of the family – Zinzan (46), Lucas (9), Riley (8), Macy (5), Keira (3), Eden (2) and five-month-old Ruby – will film the first show in the next few weeks.
But even a reality show doesn’t faze the Brooke family, who will be back in New Zealand for Christmas. It’s just something else to fit into their furiously hectic schedule. “It’s chaos, but it’s controlled chaos. It has to be – otherwise we’d go crazy,” insists Ali, who has refurbished a bed and breakfast she now runs, in Berkshire, England.
“If I had a dollar for every time someone asks me how I run a B&B and look after six children, I’d be a millionaire. But just like someone with one child thinks it’s hard until they have two – it’s not until you have more that you realise it wasn’t that bad. Kids five and six weren’t necessarily planned, and although I love them all dearly, I’m exhausted.”
“Guillotine time!” laughs Zinzan when asked if there’s any chance of another baby. “That’s something else I haven’t found time for. There’s always a rugby game, a parent teacher day… We won a spa day in an auction 18 months ago – that hasn’t happened yet either. Seriously though, despite the fun and games, we’re not 21 anymore. There’s a sense we need to get on with life now.”
But Zinzan and Ali are the first to admit the chaos is of their own making. “The B&B was supposed to be our family home – we had planning permission to convert it, but no,” explains Ali. “Instead of making it easy, we decided to completely renovate it, and moved to rented accommodation that’s smaller than the one we left. It’s typical of us, but the idea is to take a step back in order to take a bigger one forward.”
While there are staff at the B&B, Ali is hands-on. “I’m not there all the time, but I make breakfast if I can’t get anyone else to, which can be hectic. Recently I called in a friend to help me, and I ended up sitting in the cubbyhole, breastfeeding Ruby and calling out instructions on how to make eggs.
Then the baby started screaming – there we were, with all the guests happily sitting in the dining room, completely unaware of the madness in the kitchen!”
It’s not just Ali tearing around either – Zinzan is constantly on the go. As well as running his construction recruitment company, Number Eight, he is active with several charities and is currently in negotiations to help rebuild Christchurch from the UK.
“It’s a double-edged sword – we’re trying to get people from the UK to provide the labour that’s needed, while at the same time giving the Christchurch people back their lifestyle and not take work away. At the end of the day, we’re Kiwis first, and if someone’s in need, we want to give back.”
It’s this feeling of being Kiwi that keeps the Brookes’ dream alive that one day they will come home to New Zealand for good. “We’ve been saying we’ll come back for 10 years now and it hasn’t happened yet,” Zinzan says. “Business is picking up immensely in England, and we have to be in a situation where I can put food on the table.”
But Ali’s heart is unquestionably on this side of the world. “We’ll know when the time’s right to come home – I have this deep down feeling it’s going to be worth it for us to stay a little bit longer, even though it’s tough,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I have friends in England, but they only know me as a mum, not as Ali. My support network in New Zealand can’t ever be replaced – my family and friends here will always be the ones I turn to. They accept the chaos and accept the kids in a way only people who have known you for ages can.”
Zinzan quietly admits he misses home too. “It’s important that the kids experience growing up in New Zealand,” he says. “Lucas is nine – it’s time for us to start making some decisions.”
But for now, England is home, and despite the chaos, it’s a happy one. “oacy’s taken up ballet and soccer, Eden won’t leave my side without screaming, and I do wish the baby would sleep a bit longer,” laughs Ali, as Zinzan deftly catches a flying keyboard from one of the boys, which has narrowly missed a girl’s head. “But although it’s hard work and always noisy, it’s okay.”
“There’s a lot to do, but we’re a happy family. Although I do find it hard to say no when I’m asked to do anything,” adds Zinzan. “Like golf!” laughs Ali. “You say that, but it’s part of the job. And it’s hard work,” insists her husband playfully. And as the kids clamber energetically into their van, with Ruby nodding off as Eden bursts into tears just centimetres away, Ali just smiles.
