University Challenge (New Zealand game show)

Did You Know?

• Two international series were held in 1986 and 1987 between the British and New Zealand champions, both won by the British team.
• A one-off match between the Australian and New Zealand champions in 1989 resulted in an Australian win.
• The 1986 international series was held in Dunedin, New Zealand, and the 1987 series in Manchester, England.

History

The programme began in 1976 with Peter Sinclair as host, though he was briefly replaced by University of Otago lecturer Charles Higham in the late 1970s before returning after two seasons. The first series was filmed in the Union Hall at Otago University, with later series moving to TVNZ's Dunedin studio. BNZ sponsored the show, providing prizes such as Apple Macintosh computers and bank accounts. Ten episodes aired each year except the first, which had nine. Most seasons were broadcast on TV One, with some on TV2. TVNZ dropped the show after closing its Dunedin studio and moving to Auckland. In July 2014, Cue TV revived the series with owner Tom Conroy as host, replacing some science questions with more populist material. It began airing on Prime in November 2014.

Format

Starter questions are answered individually on the buzzer for 10 points, and a correct answer earns the team a set of bonus questions worth up to 15 points, over which they can confer. In the last few series before the hiatus, a jackpot bonus was available once per game, signalled by a bell, where each part was worth five points but getting all three parts correct doubled the value to 30 points. An incorrect interruption of a starter results in a five-point penalty. The pace of questioning increases through the show, becoming frantic in the last minute before the gong ends the game. In case of a tied score, a sudden death question is asked, though this has never occurred in practice. The original run's format, except the debut season, had seven first-round matches with each team competing twice, followed by two semi-finals and a single final. The first season had three knockout heats and a play-in match. Series 15 used a round-robin format, and from series 16 teams were divided into two pools. Teams consist of four members representing a New Zealand university, with a reserve member in the revived series. All six universities at the time competed, plus Lincoln College, and from series 15 Auckland University of Technology also participated.

Original run, 1976–1989

The first series in 1976 was filmed in Dunedin and screened on TV One, with four knockout heats and a three-leg final. Hosted by Peter Sinclair and produced by Wayne Cameron, the University of Otago defeated the University of Canterbury. The second series, filmed in August 1977 and screened later that year on TV One, saw Otago beat Massey University. The third series, filmed in August 1978 and screened on TV One, was the first presented by Richard Higham, with Otago defeating Victoria University of Wellington. The fourth series, filmed in August 1979 and screened on TV One, had the University of Canterbury beating the University of Auckland. The fifth series, filmed in August 1980 and screened on TV One, saw Peter Sinclair return as host, with Otago defeating Victoria. The sixth series, filmed in August 1981 and screened on TV2, was produced by Max Cryer, with Canterbury defeating Otago. The seventh series, filmed in August 1982 and screened on TV2, had Massey University beating Canterbury. The eighth series, filmed in August 1983 and returning to TV One, was the closest of the original run, with three games decided by five points and a Christmas-themed final that teams were unaware of; Victoria University of Wellington defeated the University of Auckland.

Revived series, 2014–2017

The fifteenth series was filmed in July 2014 and premiered on Prime in November 2014, using a round-robin format hosted by Tom Conroy and produced by Sheree Carey. Auckland University of Technology, new to the show, lost all seven round-robin games. The final aired in April 2015, with the University of Canterbury defeating the University of Auckland. The sixteenth series was filmed in late August 2015 and premiered in October 2015 on Prime, again hosted by Tom Conroy, with all eight universities split into two pools: Pool A (Waikato, Canterbury, Lincoln, Otago) and Pool B (Auckland, AUT, Massey, Victoria). The University of Auckland won the series, defeating Canterbury in the final. The competition involved a round-robin within each pool, then cross-over games between pools, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals based on points and points differential as a secondary criterion.