Taskmaster New Zealand

Did You Know?

• Greg Davies, host of the original British Taskmaster, appeared in the prize task of the seventh episode of series 1.
• Series 5 contestant Tofiga Fepulea'i was ill during the studio record, so five different previous contestants returned to represent him across the ten episodes.
• Series 9 UK Taskmaster contestant and host of Junior Taskmaster Rose Matafeo made a cameo appearance in episode 8 of series 6.

Episodes

The first series was filmed in March 2020 before the COVID-19 lockdown, with contestants Angella Dravid, Brynley Stent, Guy Williams, Leigh Hart, and Madeleine Sami. Dravid won the series, followed by Sami, Stent, Hart, and Williams. Team tasks paired Stent, Williams, and Sami as a trio, with Dravid and Hart as a duo. Greg Davies, host of the original British version, appeared in the prize task of episode seven. Series 2 contestants, announced on 30 May 2021, were David Correos, Guy Montgomery, Laura Daniel, Matt Heath, and Urzila Carlson. Laura Daniel won, with Montgomery runner-up, Correos third, Heath fourth, and Carlson last. Team tasks grouped Correos, Montgomery, and Daniel, with Heath and Carlson as the pair. Ratings for series 2 were reported as four-week averages in consolidated figures, improving from 113,800 for the first four episodes to 165,800 for the last four; the final episode drew 187,700 viewers. Series 1 winner Angella Dravid appeared in a task during the tenth episode, and MP Chlöe Swarbrick featured in the first episode's prize tasks. A ten-episode third series was funded by NZ On Air in April 2022, with tasks written in February and studio filming in late May. Thomson won, Parker was runner-up, Forrester third, Ego fourth, and Smith last. Team tasks comprised Thomson, Smith, and Forrester as a trio, with Parker and Ego as a pair. The series launch had 145,400 consolidated viewers.

Production

NZ On Air announced funding for the first series in September 2019. Pre-recorded tasks are filmed at a mansion in North Auckland called the Taskmaster House or Taskmaster Ranch, a boutique events venue named HUs between Riverhead and Coatesville, adjacent to Riverhead Forest. The same venue is used for Taskmaster Australia. Season 6 also filmed tasks at Rainbow's End theme park. The chair used by Jeremy Wells belongs to Father Christmas. Before the first series' studio shows, a warm-up episode with no audience, internally called Episode Zero, was shot to let Wells and Williams practice, featuring tasks later cut. Studio shows were originally scheduled at South Pacific Pictures in Auckland in late August 2020 but were cancelled due to level 3 COVID-19 restrictions and delayed to September. Under relaxed measures, Wells was spaced apart from contestants, which he called a weird and unusual experience. Series 2 was confirmed in March 2021, with the lineup announced that May. Pre-production took four weeks in early 2021 between writers Sam Smith and Williams, then moved to Zoom after a February Auckland lockdown. Tasks were given nicknames on call sheets to prevent contestants from deciphering them. One task was cut after Urzila Carlson broke her collarbone attempting it.

Reception

A press release for the show's recommission 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, reaching more people than any other local comedy series on air in 2020. In consolidated viewership, series 2 was TVNZ2's tenth most popular show among adults 18-49 during the latter half of 2021. Series 3 was the channel's fifth most popular show among that audience for the year to March 2023, and series 4 was its second most popular in 2023 among 18-49s. The first episode received mixed to positive reviews. James Croot of Stuff called it a terrific start, while colleague Darren Bevan wrote that it had done enough to secure a technical win and an appointment for a second week, praising Paul Williams as one of the show's MVPs. Stewart Sowman-Lund of The Spinoff agreed Williams was well-suited to the role and said the series started high in the sky. Karl Puschmann of The New Zealand Herald gave a less favourable review, stating it was okay but not for him. For series 2's first episode, Croot noted Wells still seemed unsure of his relationship with Williams and that some tasks were less successful, concluding the show was not always succeeding at balancing its own identity with the original's joy. Sowman-Lund was more positive, calling the series truly hilarious and its cast one of the best in Taskmaster history.