Māori TV presenter reveals breast cancer battle and her journey to recovery

Peata Melbourne has been the face of legacy Māori broadcasting for just under two decades and now she’s opening up about a diagnosis of stage 3 breast cancer - one she describes as “life-changing”.

“It was a shock because I had been for my mammogram earlier and nothing showed up. It was clear. So, when I found a lump in my breast, I went in to get it checked. I thought it could be a benign lump or something. Three weeks later I found out it was cancerous,” she said.

Her initial treatment included six rounds of chemotherapy and, with that, came its share of challenges: the pain, being lethargic, the changes to her body. In a job that relies heavily on her presentation, the changes were a lot for her to take in.

“I thought that losing my hair would be the worst thing. But actually, when it happened, it was because I’m all about presentation. But it was how my illness impacted the people around me, my whānau.”

She opted for alternative methods of healing, drawing on mātauranga Māori and CBD-based products.

“I was open to all of it, including medicinal cannabis, which is available to some cancer patients. I found that super-helpful.”

In May she underwent a full single mastectomy. The surgery went well but her healing journey continues, with more radiation scheduled for the coming weeks.

“It’s all preventative treatment from now on but, from all accounts on the scans and everything, the cancer has gone.”

Green Party co-leader, Marama Davidson, announces cancer diagnoses to media. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Last month, Greens co-leader Marama Davidson announced her own breast cancer diagnosis. The Government also made a u-turn announcement that it will now fund 13 cancer drugs.

In the meantime, Melbourne is standing tall and strong, turning up every day for shifts in the studio. Her hopes are high, the prognosis so far looks good, and she is taking it every day at a time.