Snr Const Low (41), who is sole-charge officer at the Hampden police station, jumped at the chance to be involved with the team which will vie for the crown of New Zealand's Top Town.
"You've got to do things like this, otherwise you'll regret it later," he said.
While organisers would not divulge what activities would be involved in Christchurch next month, Snr Const Low, who is also team mascot, was looking forward to the challenge.
"I'm all into the unknown. That's what I've done all my life," he said.
He spent just over six years in the army, has been a police officer for nearly 17 years and appeared in the television series Treasure Island Extreme in 2002.
The series pitted competitors from a military or police background against each other on an uninhabited island near Fiji and it was won by John "Horse" McLeod.
They were only allowed to take five items on to the island and they were not given any food rations.
Snr Const Low, who lost 10.5kg in three weeks, said it was probably the most realistic of the various Treasure Island series.
"We got nothing. My insides were really starting to pack up. I had really bad cramps from dehydration."
In a ploy to stay on the show, he gave a "sob story" to team members, making out that he was weak and "falling to pieces", but it backfired on him and he was kicked off the island.
Snr Const Low expected Top Town would be fun and he was impressed with the calibre of the Oamaru team.
There was a good mix of strong, speedy and agile competitors and he believed they would be very competitive.
The team of 12 has been confirmed and comprises Jacque Crombie, Janelle Casey, Sullivan Martin, Grant Johnston, Mark Williams, Jan-Maree Atkinson, Rhys Martin, Sene Fanene, Anika McLennan, Fekita Teu, Sina Fanene and Snr Const Low.
