Whanganui's Jess Tyson revealed as Celebrity Treasure Island contestant

Whanganui export Jess Tyson is a contestant on Celebrity Treasure Island this year. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui-born journalist Jess Tyson has been named as a cast member on the newest season of Celebrity Treasure Island.

Tyson will be competing for her own charity, Brave.

"That gave me the extra drive to push through the challenges," she said.

"I think it will be so good to have some support from everyone back home."

Tyson was Miss New Zealand in 2018 and returned from the international contest with the Miss World Oceania title.

In the same year, she spoke out about allegedly being sexually abused as a young girl and founded Brave, which works to raise awareness about sexual violence affecting young people.

Tyson is one of 21 contestants competing on Celebrity Treasure Island which screens in September and she is one of the first six names to be released by TVNZ.

She was named along with radio host Lana Searle, Shortland Street actor Angela Bloomfield, rugby legend Sir Wayne "Buck" Shelford, and comedians Chris Parker and Joe Daymond.

"They were funny and we all had a lot of laughs," Tyson said.

"But really everyone wanted to do their best for their charities so we all took the challenges seriously.

"I don't see myself as a celebrity and I don't think any of the other contestants do either."

Tyson said the experience of competing in the Miss World contest had been good preparation for living in close proximity with people you didn't know before and forming great friendships with competitors.

"I found it quite challenging when it came to forming alliances and getting seriously competitive because I'm not like that," she said.

"I did a lot of competitive swimming when I was growing up so I was able to call on that experience."

Born in Whanganui, Tyson is of Te Ātihaunui-a-Papārangi descent and grew up in Whanganui East.

Tyson, now 28, attended Whanganui East School, Whanganui Intermediate, and Whanganui High School before completing a bachelor of communications at Auckland University of Technology.

Celebrity Treasure Island returns to TVNZ 2 in September.