Photography: Emily Chalk
With only her youngest still living at home, mum of three Wendy Petrie had grown used to a quieter house. But now her daughters Addie and Liv are back from university in the United States, the grocery bill has soared, the washing basket’s overflowing and it’s noisier than ever – and Wendy wouldn’t have it any other way!
Even the sound of the girls bickering with their brother Zach, 16, makes her smile.
The broadcaster grins, “It absolutely is my happy place having them all here. The house is lively and there’s lots of banter going on. It feels right.”
A full nest once again
As the former TVNZ newsreader, 54, joins her daughters for a special Woman’s Day photoshoot, it’s obvious how proud she is of the young women they’ve become.
Addie, 22, has just graduated with an economics degree from the University of San Diego and is home to renew her visa before returning to California for a graduate role with an insurance firm.
Meanwhile, Liv, 20, is enjoying a midyear break from San Diego State University, where she’s studying on a swimming scholarship.
Both girls are delighted to be back, albeit briefly.
“Home will always be home,” says Addie. “It’s so nice being back, waking up in the morning and all of us having breakfast together or going off for a walk. It always feels like we haven’t been away at all. We’re as close as ever.”
Wendy says she still can’t believe how fast the years have gone. She remembers the nerves when she farewelled a then-18-year-old Addie to San Diego on a rowing scholarship. It was 2021 and New Zealand was operating under strict COVID protocols.
Managed isolation facility spots were hard to come by and the family knew that it would be very hard for Addie to get home if there was an emergency. When Addie contracted COVID almost as soon as she arrived, Wendy had many sleepless nights.
“It was a pretty horrible time, but Addie was fine. As an oldest child, she’s always been quietly confident and takes everything in her stride.”
Watching them soar
Watching Addie graduate proved to be far more emotional than Wendy had expected. Travelling to the US with husband Ross and her mum Carole to celebrate the milestone, the TV star fought back tears as she watched her eldest daughter stride across the stage to collect her degree.
“It goes so fast,” she reflects. “I was hit by how life changes and how we move through all these different chapters.
I underestimated how emotional I would be.
“You can’t help but think about all the hard work, the determination and the effort she’s put in over those four years. It was such a proud moment.”
The years abroad have been transformative for her daughter. Alongside studying, Addie trained around 20 hours a week with the university rowing squad, travelled across the US competing and built lifelong friendships.
Now Liv is doing the same, thriving as part of her uni swim team. She says any homesickness has been helped with her sister being in the same city and their ever-supportive mum always available on the end of the phone.
“Mum is pretty much the best person ever,” says Liv. “If I’m ever down or homesick, she would stay up on the phone with me and she’s so good at helping me keep things in perspective. Just hearing her voice is special when you’re far away.”
Both girls say Wendy is different to the serious broadcaster people see on the TV or hear on radio – they share endless giggles.
“Nothing is ever too serious with Mum,” shares Liv. “She’s never afraid of being silly with us or having a laugh.”
A big life beyond the nest
Having two daughters living on the other side of the world hasn’t always been easy, but Wendy is grateful they have each other. She’s also happily downloaded the Snapchat app to ensure she’s never out of the loop.
“With Snapchat, it feels like I’m part of their lives over there,” the star laughs. “I chat to their friends and I can see what they’re up to or where they’re off to.
But it’s amazing watching them grow. You send them away as teenagers and they come back as young adults.
“Living overseas teaches them independence so quickly. They have to sort everything out for themselves and that’s made them both incredibly capable.”
Life after the newsdesk
The past few years have brought enormous change for Wendy too. Losing her role at TVNZ after 14 years reading the news on the flagship 6pm bulletin was a huge shock. While it was painful at the time, she now believes it forced her into a new chapter she may never have chosen herself.
Now she’s built a varied freelance career, juggling TV and radio gigs, alongside MC and hosting roles. Last year, she and Ross – a former TV producer and director – took on another unexpected challenge when they bought a Speedy Signs signage franchise on Auckland’s North Shore. Becoming business owners has been an enormous learning curve and when we speak, Wendy is battling with the week’s invoices and quotes.
“They’re definitely skills I never thought I’d need!” she laughs. “We’ve stepped into a completely different industry, so it’s challenging, but we’re really enjoying it. It’s quite exciting to try something completely new and the thing with signs is that it feels like storytelling in a way, so it’s not totally unfamiliar.”
Bittersweet goodbyes
Wendy knows another major life change is fast approaching. With her son Zach in his second-to-last year of school, it won’t be long before he’s packing his bags too. Whether he follows his sisters overseas or heads south to Otago, another goodbye is on the horizon.
“That will be really hard,” she admits. “I’ve always thought, ‘At least I’ve still got my baby at home,’ even if that baby is now six-foot-two [1.88m] and doesn’t really want much to do with his parents!
“But this is what we want. We want them to leave home. We want them to chase opportunities and build their own lives. It means we’ve done our job.”
For now, though, Wendy is soaking up every precious day with all three kids under one roof.
She enthuses, “I must be driving my friends mad because I keep turning down invitations.
I say, ‘I can’t see you for the next month because all my children are home!’ I just don’t want to miss anything.”
