The couple are set to celebrate 10 years since the start of their incredible love story. Photo / Emily Chalk
The couple are set to celebrate 10 years since the start of their incredible love story. Photo / Emily Chalk
As they prepare to celebrate a decade since they met on The Bachelor NZ, the stars share their family’s festive plans and why 2024 has been the best year of their lives.
Amid the excitement, joy and chaos of Christmas with their three little cherubs, Art and Matilda Green will be sure to take a moment to reflect on a very special milestone.
The couple – who are parents to Milo, 5, Autumn, 3, and Penelope, 1 — are set to celebrate 10 years since the start of their incredible love story. And while they still can’t quite believe it’s almost a decade since they met on the first series of The Bachelor New Zealand in 2015, there’s no doubt taking part in the reality dating show was the best punt they ever took.
“Christmas is definitely a time when I take a moment to think about all we have and how incredibly lucky we are,” says Matilda, welcoming Woman’s Day into her and Art’s semi-rural home in Warkworth, north of Auckland.
Matilda says the past year has been the best of her life. Photo / Emily Chalk
“I never ever would have imagined I would end up with this from a TV show, but I’m so grateful I took that chance because I really am living the life I have always dreamed of.”
In fact, Matilda says the past year has been the best of her life. She gave birth to Penny in December 2023 and says being a mum to three happy, healthy children brings her more joy than she believed possible. Her lifelong dream of having a big whānau has come true.
“The introduction of Penny into our lives, and seeing how the older two love her so much and have stepped into their roles as big siblings, has been so lovely to see,” says Matilda, who co-hosts award-winning parenting podcast Untidy with her friend Hannah Davison.
“I had a moment recently when I was in the kitchen and I looked out the window to see Milo and Autie tearing around and playing. It was this moment of, ‘Oh, my God, this is what I’ve dreamed of my whole life.’ It was pretty cool.”
Matilda even credits her children for renewing her faith in the festive season. She admits that juggling multiple family commitments at this time of year had left her “a bit grouchy”, but with three kids in tow, all that has changed.
“They’ve definitely brought back the magic!” she enthuses.
“They’re so excited, it’s adorable. They’re counting down the sleeps till Santa comes.”
Art and Matilda will take their kids and dog to Rotorua’s Lake Rotoiti for Christmas. Photo / Emily Chalk
This year, Art, 36, and Matilda, 34, will take the kids and dog Buster to Rotorua’s Lake Rotoiti for Christmas with Art’s mum Cate and stepdad Dave. The home is a special spot for the young family, who love the area for its swimming, boating and forest walks.
Spending time with extended family is what this time of year is all about, says Art, who adds that he has a renewed appreciation for his own parents since becoming a father.
“Christmas to me is a time to prioritise other people,” he says with a smile. “When you’ve got a young family, sometimes you can get a little bit internal because there’s just so much going on in your own home.
“But having kids yourself, you really start to realise how much your own parents loved and still love you. It’s nice to acknowledge and be grateful for that at Christmas.”
Festive traditions will also be in full swing, with Cate taking the kids into the kitchen to make her famous “heavenly crescents” – moon-shaped almond biscuits. On Christmas Eve, they’ll be sure to whistle up the chimney to Santa, which is something Matilda did as a child, and biscuits and milk will be left out for the big man, along with carrots for his reindeer, of course!
There’s no doubt life is busy for the pair. Photo / Emily Chalk
It will be an early start on December 25, when the kids race out of bed to open their stockings, before a festive breakfast of pancakes or waffles, then perhaps a swim in the lake.
Lunch will be a team effort, with a ham, roast lamb and lots of delicious salads. “We always have garlic chilli prawns on the barbecue,” says Art.
For pudding, Matilda will make her favourite Yotam Ottolenghi cheesecake with honey and thyme, before a lazy afternoon in the sun. After Christmas, Art and Matilda are joining friends on a camping trip in Northland — something they’ve been looking forward to all year.
As parents to three kids aged 5 and under, there’s no doubt life is busy for the pair. But this is also a time for thinking of others, and so Art and Matilda have teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters, a youth mentoring organisation providing young people with positive role models, guidance and friendship. With more than 400 children on the waitlist around Aotearoa, the need for mentors has never been greater.
“The work Big Brothers Big Sisters does makes a genuine difference to kids’ lives,” says Art. While he hopes to become a mentor once his children are a little older, he and Matilda encourage others to consider “giving the gift of mentoring” this Christmas.
“Time is the best gift you can give,” says Art. “And research shows that positive role models really can ignite a young person’s potential. You can make a genuine difference in a kid’s life.”
Being present as parents is what drives Art and Matilda. Photo / Emily Chalk
Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Auckland programme manager Chelsey Harnell, who joins the star pair at our festive photoshoot, adds, “We’re incredibly grateful for the support from Art and Matilda, especially during our recent Bring Back Stubbies awareness and fundraising campaign.
“Their involvement helps us extend our reach, connecting us with more mentors for the tamariki eagerly waiting to join our programme. At Big Brothers Big Sisters, we believe all children deserve to have friends and positive role models in their lives, and that’s exactly what we strive to provide.”
When it comes to their own family, being present as parents is what drives Art and Matilda, who are grateful they both work at home and can be flexible with their hours. They love watching their children’s personalities develop.
Autumn, they say, is a real mother hen, who loves taking care of her baby sister, while Milo, who starts school in the new year, makes his sisters laugh every day.
Her third time around as a mum has been a dream for Matilda, who says she’s far more relaxed this time. Gone are the parenting books and anxiety around sleep times, in favour of a go-with-the-flow approach.
Penny is a relaxed and smiley girl, who loves nothing more than crawling around after her big brother and sister.
“There is always something going on here,” says Matilda. “Sometimes we call our house the cacophony of chaos because someone’s usually crying, running around, throwing food or whatever. But it’s the best kind of chaos.”
And as they celebrate the 10-year anniversary since they met, the couple are conscious of just how fortunate they’ve been to find each other.
Art grins, “When I went on The Bachelor, I genuinely hoped that something would come out of it, but I never could have imagined it would be this. I’m incredibly grateful to have this life with Matilda. We’re a great team and I just love being around her.”
There are many ways to support Big Brothers Big Sisters. For more info, to get involved or to donate, visit bigbrothersbigsisters.org.nz.
