House Rules NZ is a New Zealand reality television series based on the Australian series which broadcast on 10 September 2023 on Three. The series follows teams of two who renovate each other's homes, with the team receiving the highest score winning $100,000 off their home loan.
The series was announced in December 2022 due the postponement of The Block NZ 2024 series after the former season homes struggled to sell in a struggling house market. On 6 August 2023, the series confirmed its host, judges and five teams and premiered on 10 September 2023 on Three.
Contestant Teams
House Rules introduced five new teams all from across New Zealand.
# Team Ages House Occupation Relationship 1 Jemma & Alvaro Pasek 32 & 34 Glen Eden Teacher & e-commerce and digital operations manager Married 2 Martinique Glass & Andre Helm 36 & 38 Ōtāhuhu Teacher & Builder Married 3 Char & Violet Oliver 53 & 73 Murrays Bay Account manager & semi-retiree Mother & Daughter 4 Sherwen & Nikita Manik 36 & 34 Howick Financial advisor & nurse Married 5 Jarrad Cullen & Theresa Cullen 50 & 52 New Lynn Change manager & canteen assistant Cousins
Elimination history + Teams' progress through the competitionPhase: Interior Renovation (Phase 1) Phase 2 Grand Finale J&A M&A J&T S&N C&V Round Total Team Scores Round Total Round Total Final Result Jemma & Alvaro 22 27 2nd(84) 1st(28) 28 Martinique & Andre 21 24 14 3rd(83) 2nd(21) 27 Char & Violet 17 1st(89) 3rd(17) colspan="6" (Episode 18) Sherwen & Nikita 23 21 13 4th(82) colspan="6" (Episode 16) Jarrad & Theresa 20 5th(68) colspan="6" (Episode 16)
Competition details
Phase 1: Interior Renovation The five teams travel to different cities in the country to completely renovate each other's home. Every week, one team hands over their house to their opponents for a complete interior transformation. The teams are given 5½ days and a set of rules from the owners known as the 'House rules' which need to be followed to gain high scores from the judges and the homeowner team.
Glen Eden: Jemma & Alvaro Episodes 1 to 3 Airdate — 10 to 12 September 2023 Description — Jemma & Alvaro from Glen Eden are the first team to hand over their keys for renovation.
+ Renovation 1 Glen Eden, Auckland House Rules Rule 1 Fuse Scandi with coastal in a modern way Rule 2 Bring in natural light and style with earthy tones Rule 3 Be clever with integrated design features Rule 4 Transform our bathroom into a relaxation retreat Rule 5 Supersize our lounge and kitchen giving us space to party Team Zone Scores Homeowner Katrina Michael 9 8 7 24 / 30 8 7 8 23 23 / 30 6 6 5 17 17 / 30 6 5 5 16 / 30 colspan="5" —
Ōtāhuhu: Martinique & Andre Episodes 4 to 6 Airdate — 17 to 19 September 2023 Description — Martinique & Andre from Ōtāhuhu are the second team to hand over their keys for renovation. One of the bedrooms belong to their toddler children.
+ Renovation 2 Ōtāhuhu, Auckland House Rules Rule 1 Rule 2 Give the boys a nature themed bedroom with rich green tones Rule 3 Include clever and generous storage everywhere! Rule 4 Give us a total WOW splash-proof bathroom Rule 5 Cool, classic and calm. Not basic Team Zone Scores Homeowner Katrina Michael 9 8 8 42 / 60 7 7 7 21 44 / 60 8 6 6 20 36 / 60 7 6 5 18 / 30 colspan="5" 24 / 30
New Lynn: Jarrad & Theresa Episodes 7 to 9 Airdate — 24 to 26 September 2023 Description — Ja & Theresa are the third team to hand over their keys for Jarrad's house renovation in New Lynn. Two of the bedrooms belong to Jarrad's teenage sons. House 1 winner's advantage: Martinique & Andre — Both can leave site separately Previous winner's advantage: Char & Violet — 5 minute call with the homeowners
+ Renovation 3 New Lynn, Auckland House Rules Rule 1 Rule 2 Rule 3 Rule 4 Rule 5 Team Zone Scores Homeowner Katrina Michael 7 9 8 69 / 90 6 8 8 22 40 / 60 7 7 7 21 45 / 60 6 7 6 61 / 90 colspan="5" 36 / 60 Notes * Sherwen & Nikita received a bonus point for having the best statement piece of the week, which was added to their weekly score.
Howick: Sherwen & Nikita Episodes 10 to 12 Airdate — 1 to 3 October 2023 Description — Sherwen & Nikita are the fourth team to hand over their keys for their house renovation in Howick. Two of the bedrooms belong to their children. This renovation introduced the bonus room, where in if the homeowners like it and pass it the team who has it receives 3 points, however if it's a fail they lose 3 points.
+ Renovation 4 Howick, Auckland House Rules Rule 1 Rule 2 Rule 3 Rule 4 Rule 5 Team Zone Scores Homeowner Katrina Michael 9 8 8 89 / 120 9 9 9 27 67 / 90 8 8 8 24 69 / 90 8 7 7 58 / 90 colspan="5" 69 / 90
Notes * Due to draw of a hat, Char & Violet had the power of the bonus room to keep it or give it to another team, they decided to keep it. The bonus room was the Dining Room. Nikita & Sherwen judged it as a pass and the team gained 3 points, which is added to their final score.
Murrays Bay: Char & Violet Episodes 13 to 16 Airdate — 8 to 15 October 2023 Description — Char & Violet are the fifth and final team to hand over their keys for their interior house renovation in Murrays Bay. Three of the bedrooms belong to Char's children. The two teams with the lowest overall score of all renovations will be eliminated. House 3 winner's advantage: Sherwen & Nikita — received a bonus house rule which they can keep for themselves or share with the other teams Previous winner's advantage: Char & Violet — As the winners of the previous renovation, they were given the power to allocated zones, however, due to overspending the budget on the last renovation, they lost this advantage.
+ Renovation 5 Murrays Bay, Auckland House Rules Rule 1 Rule 2 Rule 3 Rule 4 Rule 5 Bonus Rule Team Zone Scores Homeowner Katrina Michael colspan="5" 1st (89) 1 8 8 2nd (84) 1 9 9 3rd (83) 1 6 6 13 4th (82) 1 5 4 10 5th (68)
Notes * Due to draw of a hat, Martinique & Andre had the power of the bonus room to keep it or give it to another team, they decided to keep it. The bonus room was the Rumpus Room. Unlike the previous bonus room, this one is worth 5 points instead of 3. Char & Violet judged it as a fail and the team lost 5 points, which is taken from their final score.
Phase 2
Re-do Room
Episode 16 to 18 Airdate — 15 to 17 October 2023 Description — The remaining three teams head back to their own homes and must fix and redo one of the rooms in 3 days. All teams received the same set of five rules for the challenge. The lowest scoring team will be eliminated. This phase included guest judge, winner of The Block NZ 2014, Alex Walls. Semi-finalist advantages: Each team received bonus money on top of their budget in order of how the resulted in Phase 1: Char & Violet: $1,300 Jemma & Alvaro: $700 Martinique & Andre: $500
+ Renovation summary Re-do Room House Rules Rule 1 Rule 2 Rule 3 Rule 4 Rule 5 Team Zone Scores Katrina Michael Alex 9 10 9 7 7 7 21 6 6 5
Grand Finale
Episode 19 to 21 Airdate — 22 to 24 October Description — The final 2 teams have to renovate their opponent's front yard exterior and gardens. The team that received the highest score wins the season (thus becoming first House Rules NZ champions) and received $100,000 off their mortgage. Along with their budget, both teams received $20,000 to spend at Palmers. Halfway through renovation, both teams received an extra $5,000 toward their renovation.
+ Renovation summary Grand Final House Rules Jemma & Alvaro's Martinique & Andre's Rule 1 Give us a contemporary Kiwi garden with a coastal spin Think English cottage garden meets Mediterranean alfresco living Rule 2 Extend our lounge room vibes outside giving us seamless indoor-outdoor flow Use warm whites and charcoals with terracotta, brick and stone Rule 3 Raise the roof on our deck Give the boys an outdoor play space & mum and dad somewhere to soak under the stars Rule 4 You have a budget of $15,000 to transform the front yard Rule 5 You have five days
Team Scores Katrina Michael Homeowners 9 9 10 28 Winners 9 8 10 27
Notes * As winners of the series, Jemma & Alvaro received $100,000 off their mortgage, however, they decided to give $20,000 to Martinique & Andre.
Episodes Wk. Ep no. Episode titles by stage of season Air date 1 1 Phase 1:Interior Renovation Glen Eden Renovation(Jemma & Alvaro) Introduction 2 Renovation Continues 3 House Reveal & Scores 2 4 Ōtāhuhu Renovation(Martinique & Andre) Introduction 5 Renovation Continues 6 House Reveal & Scores 3 7 New Lynn Renovation(Jarrad & Theresa) Introduction 8 Renovation Continues 9 House Reveal & Scores 4 10 Howick Renovation(Sherwen & Nikita) Introduction 11 Renovation Continues 12 House Reveal & Scores 5 13 Murrays Bay Renovation(Char & Violet) Introduction 14 Renovation Continues 15 House Reveal & Homeowners Scores 16 Judges’ Scores & Double Elimination Phase 2:Re-do Rooms Introduction 6 17 Renovation continues 18 Reveal & Elimination Tuesday, 17 October 7 19 Grand Finale Renovation(Front Exterior & Garden) Introduction 20 Renovation Continues 21 Reveal, Scores & Winner Announced
References