Taskmaster New Zealand

In the studio, other than while attempting the live task, the contestants sit on a row of chairs in alphabetical order of forename from left to right. Key • Season champion ==Episodes==

Series 1 (2020) The filming of the tasks was completed in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a nationwide lockdown. The contestants were Angella Dravid, Brynley Stent, Guy Williams, Leigh Hart, and Madeleine Sami. Dravid was the overall winner of the series, with Sami in second, Stent in third, Hart in fourth, and Williams in last place. For team tasks, the team of three was made up of Stent, Williams and Sami, with the team of two consisting of Dravid and Hart. Greg Davies, the host of the original British version of Taskmaster, appeared as part of the prize task in the seventh episode. Series 2 (2021) On 30 May 2021, the contestants for series 2 were named as David Correos, Guy Montgomery, Laura Daniel, Matt Heath, and Urzila Carlson. Daniel was the overall winner of the series, with Montgomery as the runner-up, while Correos placed third, Heath placed fourth, and Carlson finished last. For team tasks, the team of three was made up of Correos, Montgomery and Daniel, with the team of two consisting of Heath and Carlson. Unlike the first series, ratings were reported in four-week averages rather than individually - and in consolidated ratings as opposed to overnights - but the series' audience generally improved throughout, from an average of 113,800 for the first four episodes, to an average of 165,800 for the last four episodes. The tenth and final episode, alone, received 187,700 viewers. Series 1 contestant Angella Dravid cameoed in the tenth and final episode, as part of a task. MP Chlöe Swarbrick also appears during the first episode as part of the prize tasks. Series 3 (2022) Funding from NZ On Air for a ten-episode third series was announced in April 2022, The tasks were written in February 2022. The contestants for the series were announced in June 2022 as Chris Parker, Josh Thomson, Justine Smith, Kura Forrester and Paul Ego. The series premiered on 6July 2022; Thomson was the overall winner of the series, with Parker as the runner-up, while Forrester placed third, Ego placed fourth, and Smith finished last. For team tasks, the team of three was made up of Thomson, Smith and Forrester, with the team of two consisting of Parker and Ego. The series launch recorded 145,400 viewers in consolidated viewing figures. Series2 contestant and writer for the show (from this series onwards) David Correos cameoed in the seventh episode as part of a task, as did athlete Eliza McCartney as part of the prize task. Drag queen Edward Cowley, series 4 contestant Ray O'Leary, and series 6 contestant Bree Tomasel make appearances in the eighth episode as part of a task. Series 4 (2023) Funding for a fourth series was confirmed in December 2022. The cast was revealed on 27May 2023, as Bubbah, Dai Henwood, Karen O'Leary, Melanie Bracewell and Ray O'Leary. Ray O'Leary previously appeared on the show as part of a studio task during the third series. Bracewell was the overall winner of the series, with Bubbah as the runner-up, while Ray O'Leary placed third, Henwood placed fourth, and Karen O'Leary finished last. For team tasks, the team of three was made up of Bubbah, Henwood and Karen O'Leary, with the team of two consisting of Bracewell and Ray O'Leary. Studio filming began on 31May and lasted a week. It was confirmed on 1August that the series would premiere on 14August, with two episodes broadcast weekly. Alex Horne made a cameo in the introduction to the third episode, with the voices of previous contestants Guy Williams, Guy Montgomery and Josh Thomson appearing together in one of the episode's tasks. Thomson also was the director for some location tasks. Series2 contestant Matt Heath made an indirect cameo via a task attempt in the eighth episode. Episodes aired at an earlier timeslot compared to preceding seasons to compete with Three's The Traitors NZ. The first two episodes achieved an average audience of 157,800 viewers in consolidated viewing figures, Series 5 (2024) The show's recommission for a fifth series was confirmed in November 2023. The cast was revealed on 20July 2024, as Abby Howells, Ben Hurley, Hayley Sproull, Tofiga Fepulea'i, and Tom Sainsbury. The series started airing on 6August 2024, again with two episodes broadcast weekly at the same time slot as the season prior, and ended on 4 September 2024 with the 10th episode. Sproull was the overall winner of the series, with Hurley as the runner-up, while Sainsbury placed third, Fepulea'i placed fourth, and Howells finished last. For team tasks, the team of three was made up of Howells, Fepulea'i and Sainsbury, with the team of two consisting of Hurley and Sproull. The first two episodes achieved an average audience of 163,600 viewers in consolidated viewing figures, with the second week of episodes averaging approx. 154,000 viewers. The third week of episodes averaged approx. 135,100 viewers, with the fourth week averaging approx. 154,100 viewers, and the final, fifth week averaging 145,600 viewers. Viewership for individual episodes is unavailable due to the unique way television ratings are reported. As Fepulea'i was ill during the studio record, various previous contestants returned to represent him and conduct the prize and live tasks on his behalf. For episodes 1 and 2, Season 1 contestant Madeleine Sami returned; for episodes 3 and 4, Season 2 contestant Matt Heath; for episodes 5 and 6, Season 3 winner Josh Thomson; for episodes 7 and 8, Season 4 contestant Bubbah; and for episodes 9 and 10, Season 3 contestant Chris Parker. Bubbah also made an appearance in a pre-filmed task in the tenth episode. Tasks were written by Tom Furniss, Joseph Moore, Ray O'Leary, Sam Smith, Joshua Thompson, Josh Thomson, and Paul Williams. Thomson was series director. Series 6 (2025) A sixth series was confirmed in November 2024. Studio filming took place between 22 and 26June 2025. The cast was revealed on 30July 2025, as Alice Snedden, Bree Tomasel, Jack Ansett, Jackie van Beek, and Pax Assadi. The series started airing on 18August 2025, again with two episodes broadcast weekly at the same time slot as the season prior, and ended on 16September 2025 with the 10th episode. Van Beek was the overall winner of the series, with Ansett as the runner-up, while Tomasel placed third, Snedden placed fourth, and Assadi finished last. For team tasks, the team of three was made up of Ansett, van Beek, and Assadi, with the team of two consisting of Snedden and Tomasel. Tasks for series6 were written by Abby Howells, Josh Thomson, and Paul Williams; Rhys Mathewson, Robbie Nicol, and Williams were script writers. Thomson returned as series director. Series9 UK Taskmaster contestant and host of Junior Taskmaster Rose Matafeo made a cameo appearance in episode8. Additionally, series1 contestants Brynley Stent and Madeleine Sami, series2 contestants Matt Heath and David Correos, and series3 contestant Paul Ego all had voice cameos as part of a task in episode9; Josh Thomson made a cameo appearance as part of the same task. Taskmaster Australia assistant Tom Cashman makes a cameo appearance in the intro of episode 10. This series featured on-location tasks filmed at Rainbow's End. The first two episodes achieved an average audience of 167,900 viewers in consolidated viewing figures. Viewership for individual episodes is unavailable due to the unique way television ratings are reported. ==Production==

Funding from NZ On Air for the first series was announced in September 2019. Pre-recorded tasks are filmed at a mansion in North Auckland referred to as the "Taskmaster House" or "Taskmaster Ranch", which is actually a boutique events venue marketed under the name "HUs", situated between the communities of Riverhead and Coatesville to the north-west of Auckland, adjacent to Riverhead Forest. The same venue is used for tasks in Taskmaster Australia. Pre-recorded tasks during season 6 are also filmed at ''Rainbow's End'' theme park. Prior to the filming of the studio shows for the first series, a "warm-up episode" was shot with no studio audience – internally called "Episode Zero" – that allowed Wells and Williams to practice their roles, featuring some tasks that were going to be cut from the series proper. with the lineup confirmed that May. One task during the series was cut after Carlson broke her collarbone in an attempt to complete it. Justine Smith, speaking of her experience filming the third series, noted that the entire process is very different to that of her other usual television appearances, and that "taking part in Taskmaster requires a different skill set"; she commented that it was "very secretive", with contestants not privy to witnessing tasks being set up and are unaware of "what's happening in advance". Smith recalled that she was "taken in – literally almost with a hood over [her] head – to a room [you're] not allowed to leave" before "[you] come out[,] do the task and go straight back into [your] room"; the lack of a reaction to the performance in a task troubled Smith, who commented "[y]ou turn around and walk away, [it being] a comedian's worst nightmare to not have someone tell you it was OK or laugh." Coming up with tasks, writers Smith and Williams "abide by strict rules". Tasks have to be submitted to and approved by producers before being presented to contestants. One task from the first series ("Make the best desert") was almost cut from broadcast because all of the contestants misread it (as "Make the best dessert"), but Stent's reaction when she re-read the task and understood it properly – which Williams called one of "the season's best moments" – convinced the producers to retain it. Funding Taskmaster New Zealand receives funding from NZ On Air for one season a year. ==Reception==

Viewership In a press release announcing the show's recommission, it was reported that the first series increased TVNZ 2's audience by 19% among 25-54s and more than doubled the channel's audience aged 15–34, "reach[ing] more people than any other local comedy series on air in 2020". The fourth series was TVNZ2's second most popular show in 2023 among 18-49s. Critical response The first episode received mixed to positive reviews from critics. James Croot of Stuff claimed the series was "off to a terrific start" and "you might just need to put an hour aside for the next few weeks", in contrast to comments of colleague Darren Bevan, who wrote that "while Taskmaster NZ hasn't romped away with a decisive victory, it has done enough to secure a technical win and an appointment for a second week's viewing". Bevan did offer praise, towards Paul Williams' role as the assistant, calling him "one of the show's MVPs before even 30 minutes of the first episode have passed". Stewart Sowman-Lund of The Spinoff agreed that Williams "is well-suited to the role" of the assistant. Sowman-Lund praised the first episode stating that "Taskmaster NZ starts high in the sky – and long may it continue." Karl Puschmann, writing for The New Zealand Herald did not give the show as favourable a review, stating that "it's okay. There's some good gags and it's great to see our comedians on screen. But still, it's not for me." For the first episode of the second series, James Croot of Stuff – in contrast to his more positive comments regarding the first series – noted that, regarding the dynamic between Wells and Williams, "[t]he former still seems unsure of their relationship, the power dynamic less clear-cut than between the original's Greg Davies and Alex Horne", and that while some of the tasks "offer[ed] plenty of entertaining laughs", others were not "quite as successful". He concluded by admitting that "while Taskmaster NZ is trying to balance creating its own identity with maintaining the joy of the original, it's not always succeeding". The Spinoffs Stewart Sowman-Lund was more positive, praising the entire series as "truly hilarious", and that its contestants "will surely go down in the annals of Taskmaster history as one of the best casts the show has ever seen". == Distribution ==

Taskmaster New Zealand was made available to stream in Sweden through SVT Play in December 2022 under the local name , is able to be viewed in Norway through Discovery+ (where it is called ), and aired in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 starting 28August 2023 with episodes subsequently made available on Channel 4's streaming service by the same name. The first six seasons are also available on the Taskmaster YouTube channel. It is available for streaming on Taskmaster SuperMax+, a subscription streaming platform dedicated to hosting Taskmaster content able to be accessed internationally. == References ==