Sunny Outlook

She’s the epitome of polished style but, for Renee Wright, life away from the TV screen is much like the weather she presents: occasionally stormy, never dull. The mum-of-three talks finding balance, a fail-safe calming tactic and what motherhood has taught her

Exuding the calm confidence of someone who enjoys success both professionally and personally, weather presenter Renee Wright appears the incarnation of the modern woman who has it all.

Rarely seen with a hair out of place, the mum-of-three seems to effortlessly juggle raising a family with being one of the nation’s favourite television stars, delivering news of impending storm fronts with poise, beauty and engaging warmth.

So it comes as something of a surprise when she sits down with NEXT and candidly launches into a story about a miniature cyclone that recently raged in her own home.

“It was the morning hustle and it all just exploded,” says the 37-year-old. “I had the flu, the kids had vomiting bugs, there was diarrhoea up the wazoo, dirty nappies – and we were babysitting a dachshund that pooed at the front door. I went to clean up the poo and Leo smelled it and vomited everywhere.” Renee laughs at the memory: “I just had to take it one step at a time.”

Chaotic mornings are just part and parcel of motherhood; a role that Renee freely admits is “the hardest job”. And although she adores Leo, six; Giselle, four; and 18-month old Arabella (who she affectionately calls ‘Bells’), she concedes her kids “test me in ways I’ve never been tested”.

“I love being their mum but it’s so, so full on,” she says. “I think I’m at my limit emotionally and physically.”

Not that you’d know it when you see her on television. Renee has been a presenter at TVNZ for 12 years, starting on entertainment show Headliners in 2004 before taking on the weather role in 2006. These days working the weekend shift is her escape, her oasis of calm amid her otherwise hectic life.