Celebrity Treasure Island came to a dramatic head on Tuesday night with major twists and turns. Te Ao Māori Digital Producer, and Celebrity Treasure Island fan, Mariana Whareaitu spoke with Tāme Iti on his shock decision made during the eventful episode.
Tāme Iti on Celebrity Treasure Island makes for some great TV watching.
It comes as no surprise really because it’s something he’s always been able to do over the years: capture the nation's attention.
The longtime activist has shouldered many labels – award-winning artist, actor, te reo champion, one-time suspected terrorist, cyclist, national treasure – and during his time on the show he embraced a new one: treasure hunter.
He has since created some iconic Celebrity Treasure Island moments; instructing a guileless Laura Daniel on where to set a fishing net only to admit his lack of experience on the matter after she waded out to the middle of the lake, calling opposing Kārearea captain Jordan Vandermade a “dumba***” in confessional after Vandermade targeted Tāme with buckets of water on a challenge, and then later getting his own back by performing a haka to psyche his opponents out. And you could hear a nation bust out in a collective cheer when he came through to clinch a win in a team challenge that humbled most of the contestants and their catapulting skills.
Which is why his exit will come as a huge disappointment for fans.
“There were some moments, I think on the third or fourth day, and I think 'what the hell am I doing here?' You know, you kind of go through that,” said Tāme when I asked what was behind his decision to leave.
“I have this anxiety because I’m feeling…I’m conscious about my diabetes, making sure I’m going to eat.”
The decision to leave
At 5ft 4in tall, Tāme cuts a diminutive figure, albeit a fashionable one.
For the event we’re both at – him attending, me gatecrashing – he's wearing a simple black t-shirt with "I will speak Māori" repeated in white lines, thick black-rimmed glasses, and his signature midnight black bowler hat. He's exuding a trendy, artsy vibe, one that, at first glance, hides the fact that he's 71.
But then you notice the white hair peeking out from under the rim of his hat, the hearing aid snuggled in his right ear, the lines etched by time that run parallel to the ones inked on his face.
He's well and truly inhabiting his kaumātua status, and this, along with his medical history, meant he was under strict instructions from his two sons to pull out of the show if he had any doubts. So he did.
“There was a moment where I had to because I didn't realise – you forget that you're 70-something!”
Calling his Tohorā teammates for a hui around the camp firepit, he broke the news to them in an emotional round table poroporoaki. “Yeah, they weren't too happy about it. There was a bit of a tangitangi.”
But he was over it. “Not a good space in your head when you keep conscious about [your health] and I didn’t really want to hold our team [back]. So the best thing for me to do was [make the] cut!”
Whānau support
Tāme’s health is a whānau affair, as was the decision to participate in Celebrity Treasure Island. He consulted his sons, Toi and Wairere, before going on the show and the strategies he’d take to keep fit. They also agreed on an exit strategy.
“We wanted to support [his] reason for doing the show,” said son, Wairere, “but we gave him specific instructions that if at any time he felt that health was at risk then he was to pull the plug.”
While his dad regularly exercises and adopts a vegan lifestyle to help manage his diabetes, they remain vigilant when it comes to his wellbeing, Wairere said. But it was still “quite cool seeing the side of the old man that we see every day, on the TV”.
“The public response has been cool to watch. Dad has always had a very mixed relationship with the media – a lot of it has been subject to a negative projection based on fear more than understanding.
“We love seeing him on the show being himself and the person that we have always known him to be.”
The opportunity to raise funds for his good mate Mike King’s charity, I Am Hope, resonated with Tāme and his sons, too, having seen the impact of mental health issues on a small community such as Ruatoki.
Beside that, Wairere admits, he and his brother enjoyed the “awesome shock factor” of having their dad announced as a contestant, and that “if there is one thing that dad likes is a good shock tactic”.
Normalising te reo and tikanga
Despite being one of two Māori speakers on Team Tohorā, Tāme continued to use te reo Māori in everyday interactions and challenges.
As a reo speaker myself, it was both entertaining and hilarious to watch his teammates and opponents’ reactions. But more than that, it was extremely heartening to see their respect and genuine attempts at giving te reo Māori a go – a new experience for many of them.
For Tāme, it was normal.
“The name of the game is to tautoko your team and challenge and provoke the other [team] – te whakatumatuma,” he explained.
“For me, the most natural way to do these things has always been with te reo. I was really impressed with the respect and effort that everyone in the show had towards te ao Māori.
“I wanted them to see the practical reasons for doing these things like mihimihi to honour and respect, karakia to bond and focus us, haka to psyche the other team out – things we do every day.”
And it worked, playing a big part in drawing their team closer and galvanising their efforts in challenges.
“It was awesome,” Tāme said of their team dynamics. “We quickly became a whānau and leaned into supporting each other. Every person bought their own thing to the group. Different strands to the harakeke.
“I knew with my age that I may not be the strongest or the fastest, but I was able to offer what I could: age, experience, [and] a mean as pūkana.”
Now, he’s already working on his next project, a collaboration with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Te Mira Collective set for December.
Glossary
kaumātua – elderly
poroporoaki – farewell speech
tangitangi – to cry, crying
tautoko – support
whakatumatuma – provoke, incite, defy
mihimihi – greetings, speeches
harakeke – flax
pūkana – facial expression often made during kapa haka performances
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