‘I wish I’d prepared to be a dad’
Having already won Celebrity Treasure Island twice, it’s probably no surprise Josh Kronfeld managed to navigate the voting shenanigans during the first week of TVNZ’s latest Fans v Faves outing.
But the All Black legend’s reappearance on our small screens as ‘‘camp Dad’’ has inevitably led to a rush of interviews in Kiwi media as he harnesses the limelight once more for causes close to his heart.
Remember, this was the fella who pre-empted an All Blacks tour to France in 1995 by trying to paint anti-nuclear slogans on his headgear while playing for Otago – he’s certainly savvy when it comes to playing his profile for maximum effect.
This time around the 54-test AB is playing the celeb game in aid of the Race4Life charity – a kind of make-a-wish organisation that
‘‘enables palliative care patients to realise dreams that they, and their families can cherish’’ – which he’s worked alongside since his playing days in Otago.
When it comes to his own wishes, though, the 51-year-old, who lives in Auckland with his wife, Bronwyn, and two sons, Cassius, 13, and Arlo, 10, today opens up to Sarah Catherall on Stuff about everything from fatherhood and his rock-star dreams to wanting a more ‘‘flexible’’ NZ.
‘‘I wish 10 years ago I’d known what I was going to get myself into by having kids,’’ he says.
‘‘I’d have prepared myself a little bit more for fatherhood. I had just moved up to Auckland and was supporting my wife, who has a hairdressing business, Toni&Guy. Hindsight is great to have but it’s all the trials and tribulations that make you or break you. All the good and bad leads to where you are today so without them I wouldn’t be the person I am today.’’
He also admits to a touch of nostalgia when he recalls his days in a band, saying being a rock star would be ‘‘the coolest job, playing in front of massive crowds’’. ‘‘A group of girls gave me a harmonica for my 21st birthday and I taught myself to play it when we were at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It was something to do between the games. I came back and met a couple of guys and then the next thing I was in a pub band. We toured with Midge Marsden at one stage and did a couple of live festivals. I can’t remember the name of the band but I appreciated the energy of being on stage. The hype is a whole other thing compared to playing rugby in front of a crowd.’’
But when it comes to how he thinks the country is being run, he has a few misgivings about how rigid Kiwis are about problem-solving.
‘‘I wish New Zealand was more flexible in its thinking.
The last three years have shown how inflexible we have become in our thinking. We’re not good at being open to different ideas or viewing things from both sides. We’ve got people who make decisions because of something on social media, and I feel that at the top level right the way down to the bottom level.’’
You can read the full interview with Josh Kronfeld at stuff.co.nz
Treasure Island: Fans v Faves screens Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on TVNZ2 and streams on TVNZ+.