Dave finds his treasure 'I HAVE MY LIFE BACK'

Saying he wasn't okay led to a breakthrough for the Kiwi battler

-  Rebekah Hebenton

Surviving the elements - and his competitors- to take out the Treasure Island: Fans & Faves crown will be hard work for former radio producer Dave Ward. But as he looks back on his life, tackling mind games pales in comparison to his brutal battle with depression.

"The toughest challenge I've faced is the pressure I put on myself and the depression that came with it," tells the 45-year-old. "I got bitten by the black dog really bad."

A few years ago, Dave, who works as a terminal supervisor at Port Nelson, was living on Auckland's North Shore and working on the opposite side of the city. His commute could sometimes take two hours each way and his days became consumed by work.

"I'd wake up, kiss my boys on the head to say goodbye and go to work," he recalls. "When I got home at night, the boys were already back in bed. 

"Work just took all the time that I had to give. I missed a lot of my sons' growing up and it put a lot of pressure on my relationship."

Dave reached breaking point when he ended up in hospital twice with chest pains he later learned were caused by stress. He decided then and there that he wasn't going to let his job or his depression steal any more time from him or his sons Murphy, 12, and Mack, 10.