When she was told restructuring at TVNZ meant her role as weather presenter would involve a lot more weekend work, Karen knew that wouldn’t be good for her family.
So she decided to leave the job she’d done – and loved – for 21 years.
“I didn’t want to sacrifice time with my children,” says Karen, who is mum to Amelia (16) and Campbell (14).
Now that they’re teenagers, she knows they are not going to be at home for much longer, so she wants to make the most of the time she has with them before they head off to university.
“Our weekends are precious,” she says.
Karen (49), who presented her last weather bulletin on November 16, says it was very difficult to decide to leave.
“It came out of the blue and it wasn’t a decision I wanted to make – I love my job. I’m such a weather nerd it was perfect for me. So it was quite sad.
“Plus I love the people I work with. We are all parents and our families have grown up together. We get on really well and I will miss them very much.”
But Karen, who is a naturally optimistic person, doesn’t want to dwell on the negatives. She says she’s looking forward to having so much more time to spend with her children, including going camping over the summer holidays and attending all their sports games.
She will look for new work opportunities next year, and is excited to see what is out there.
Read the full story in New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, cover date December 7, on sale now.
