Actor and producer Te Kohe Tuhaka is competing to raise money for Water Safety NZ. Photo / TVNZ
Actor and producer Te Kohe Tuhaka is competing to raise money for Water Safety NZ. Photo / TVNZ
Five more contestants for this year's season of Celebrity Treasure Island have been revealed.
These local celebs include Shortland St stars, comedians and even a cop - all set to turn castaway to compete for $100,000 for their charity of choice on a Northland beach.
Actor and producer Te Kohe Tuhaka has starred in countless Kiwi productions, from a Taika Waititi short film to Shorty St to The Dead Lands. He's competing to raise money for Water Safety NZ. No stranger to roughing it, Tuhaka grew up learning to forage for food - and he's confident those skills will serve him well in the competition and may just land him the role of head chef.
Creamerie star Perlina Lau is set to follow in her colleage JJ Fong's footsteps. Photo / TVNZ
But actor Perlina Lau may just challenge him for that title - though she's "a bit worried" about burning the rice. Lau starred alongside Celebrity Treasure Island alum JJ Fong in TVNZ's Creamerie, which was later picked up by Hulu.
Lau says she's got the ability to stay calm under pressure when it comes to the challenges. Passionate about inspiring kids to read, her chosen charity is Duffy Books in Homes, which gives books to kids at low-decile schools to take home.
Comedy legend Shimpal Lelisi says his biggest competition is himself. Photo / TVNZ
One of the original Naked Samoans comedy group, Shimpal Lelisi starred in Shortland St, the Sione's Wedding films and helped create the award-winning comedy Bro'town. Admitting he was "scared" to go on the show at first, Lelisi says his biggest competition on the show will be himself - but he's confident he can go the distance and raise money for his chosen charity Women's Refuge.
Karen O'Leary is ditching the police uniform for Celebrity Treasure Island. Photo / TVNZ
Officer Karen O'Leary is taking a break from her beat to compete on this season of the show, with no cop uniform to be seen. She's in it to raise money for Wellington's Mary Potter Hospice - and with her dad living with cancer, it's a charity that hits close to home for O'Leary.
And she's relying on her chops as a comedian to get her through the challenges.
Shortland Street star Courtenay Louise is raising money for mental health charity Voices of Hope. Photo / TVNZ
The final celeb to be announced today is Shortland Street star Courtenay Louise, whose strategy is staying under the radar. The 28-year-old actor's motto is "underestimate - then annihilate" - but admits if rats or possums enter the picture, it's out of the question.
Louise is raising money for Voices of Hope, which campaigns to break the stigma surrounding mental health - something she says is hugely important for the younger generation of Kiwis.
The final round of contestants will be revealed later this week.
• Celebrity Treasure Island is coming soon to TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+
