Reality show builds hope for family

The Pearce Whanau from Papamoa will compete on TV series Our First Home.

Papamoa family Janette Hamilton-Pearce, Grant Pearce and their daughter Atareta Wirihana and her partner Tawera Sydney, will star in the second season of Our First Home.

Mrs Hamilton-Pearce, 46, said it was Atareta's idea to be part of the show and she and her self-employed builder husband thought it was a fantastic chance to help their daughter and her partner fulfil their dream of getting into their first home.

"It's not something that comes along very often so you have to take these opportunities. Doing the show with Atareta, Tawera and Grant is an awesome opportunity. I will do anything for our whanau. We're all really excited and definitely up for the challenge," she said.

I will do anything for our whanau. We're all really excited and definitely up for the challenge.

Janette Hamilton-Pearce

Our First Home which airs on TV One and starts from 7.30pm on Sunday, February 14, helps three families get on to the property ladder.

The families have eight weeks to complete renovations of their chosen property before all three are auctioned.

Each family gets to keep whatever money they make over the reserve price.

Whichever family makes the highest percentage profit gain on the original purchase price wins an extra $100,000 for their kids' first house deposit.

Mrs Hamilton-Pearce said she and her office manager daughter recently established an internet marketing business called Digital Whanau, both working from home.

Mr Sydney works as a machine operator at Firth in Mount Maunganui.

Mrs Hamilton-Pearce said she and her husband had quite a bit of experience.

"We have been involved in properties since Atareta was a baby and Grant built our homes in Auckland and Tauranga, and we have also renovated six other properties together, including some rental do-ups in Gisborne."

Aterata, 26, said she and her partner also had DIY skills. "I freaked out when we heard we were chosen as one of three families. It all feels a bit surreal being given the chance to actually get into our first home ... We are all very competitive, and if we do win it will be like a dream come true," she said.

This year the Pearce whanau will compete against two other families - the Roughans from Gore/Wellington, and the Wotton family from Tauranga/Hamilton/Auckland.

The Tauranga member of the Wotton team is Theresa Tingey, a registered nurse, and co-owner of Girven Rd Medical Centre with her husband Dr Graeme Tingey. They live in Judea.

The Wotton Family.

The other members are her 26-year-old surveyor son Josh, his primary school teacher girlfriend Bex, 26, and Bex's father Henry Wootton who owns his own tiling business.

Mrs Tingey said she had lots of painting and wallpapering experience from doing home renovations and had managed several additions to their medical clinic over the years.

Not one to seek the limelight Mrs Tingey stepped into the fold after Bex's mother was unavailable due to work and personal commitments, she said. "I didn't fancy being on TV but it's a challenge and opportunity which was too good to turn down. The chance to help my son and Bex's win $100,000 to get into their first home is not something that comes along every day,"she said.

Our First Home:

* It is a television series involving three families

* The competitors purchase and move into a potentially profitable do-up, then for 8 weeks renovate it in a bid to add the most value

* They then auction it off.

* The programme airs on TV One on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.

* The first show airs on February 14.