During her appearance on Three’s second series of The Traitors NZ, former UK police officer Jane Massey, 53, proved herself a force to be reckoned with.
Over the course of her impressive 25-year career in law enforcement, Jane worked her way up the ranks, including five years at the helm of the Hampshire drug squad.
“I joined the police when I was 20 and a bit lost. It was the making of me,” she says. “I loved the camaraderie and made many lifelong friends.”
Jane also enjoyed the buzz.
“Targeting drug dealers, then seeing those cases go to court and the dealers given big sentences, that was very satisfying.”
But all good things must come to an end. Last year Jane moved to New Zealand with her wife Treena, 52.
A change of scenery
“Treena is English but her family emigrated to New Zealand when she was 11,” explains Jane. “When she was in her twenties, she decided to live in the UK for a while. We met 10 years ago through Facebook via a mutual friend.”
But after many happy years in the UK, Treena was ready to return to Aotearoa to be closer to family. Jane gladly applied for permanent residency.
“I feel so fortunate with the way my life has turned out,” she tells. “Police was my first dream job and I was heavily involved with the Gay Police Association in England. Now I work for Tauranga Council as their Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Advisor. It’s my second dream job, working closely with the Rainbow community.”
Jane says she’d always hankered for a more pastoral life, and is thrilled to be mother hen to a small flock of chooks, which she and Treena keep on their property in Ōmokoroa.
“Our girls are called Millicent, Maude, Mavis and Mildred, and we spoil them rotten. We also have a rescue cat called Mishka, who we found in Greece, and we’re all so happy.”
In spite of the joy she derives from her Bay of Plenty life, Jane still craves the occasional adventure, so when she saw an ad for The Traitors, she thought she’d give it a whirl.
Reflecting on The Traitors NZ
“I’d never applied for anything like that before – I definitely wasn’t looking for fame – but I love the premise and was super-excited when I got the call to say I was in!”
Having seen the show in the UK, Jane had some ideas as to how she might play.
“I knew I wanted to be a Traitor because my career has been built on honesty and trust, both as a police officer and with my work for Council. I wanted to have a taste of being deceitful,” she admits with a grin.
But Jane quickly learned being a Traitor was not easy and it was difficult having to lie all the time.
“The days were much longer for Traitors, too, because we had to film the conclave scenes at night, which made for 16-hour days,” she shares. “I managed to keep my emotions under wrap most of the time, but I’m still human and I struggled at times and I had a couple of cries.”
Jane was also surprised to discover she wasn’t as ruthless as she thought she might be. “Twenty years ago, I might have played differently, but because I’m so content these days, and because I’m in the business of compassion and empathy, I can’t stand to hurt people or see anyone upset.
“I also really liked everybody, especially Cat [Hooker] and Ben [Porter], so there was no way I could have murdered them,” admits Jane.
Key lessons to take away
Despite being banished at the end of episode eight, Jane reckons being on The Traitors was an incredible experience.
“I’ll be friends with some of the others for life,” she enthuses. “Even when there were spats, nobody was malicious because everybody understood it was a game.
“I’m glad I was myself all the way through, as I didn’t want to be unkind or mean. Honesty and integrity mean a lot to me, and I don’t think you need to be nasty to win or do well.”
And Jane has no regrets about being banished.
“I was happy to be sent home because I missed Treena so much. We’re hardly ever apart and not being able to speak to her every day was really weird.”
Which means, even though Jane didn’t win the big cash prize, she couldn’t be happier.
“I love my job and my life. I love New Zealand, our house and our lovely garden. Coming home was really grounding and such a relief not to have to lie any more!”
The Traitors NZ streams on ThreeNow.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
