Photos: Three / Design: Tina Tiller

Pop CultureAugust 6, 2023

Meet the cast of House Rules NZ

Staff writer

Photos: Three / Design: Tina Tiller

Three’s new reality renovation show is coming soon, bringing a new team of experts to the TV renovation game. Who are they and what are their DIY credentials?

If there’s been a Block NZ shaped hole in your heart since last year’s auction shitshow, some good news: House Rules NZ starts next month. House Rules NZ is the home renovation reality competition that sees people hand over their house keys to a bunch of strangers, leaving them instructions like “create a mid-century Hamptons industrial chic vibe” or “keep my collection of exotic spider plants”. What could go wrong?

Well, almost everything – but if the Australian version of House Rules is anything to go by, this might be the most heartwarming reality competition of the year. Unlike profit-driven reno shows like The Block, House Rules is much fairer. All five teams get their houses transformed, even if they don’t win the grand prize, and their homes are usually in desperate need of a makeover. Everyone on House Rules works together to improve each other’s lives, so the feel-good factor is massive.

So how does the show work? Every week, one couple entrusts their home to their competition, who renovate it according to a set of rules chosen by the homeowners. The teams (who all live in Auckland) have five and a half days to transform each house, with the results judged by two design experts and the homeowners themselves. After all the houses have been renovated, the two lowest-scoring teams will be eliminated. The remaining teams will transform house exteriors and gardens, and the highest scoring pair in the final week wins $100,000 towards their home loan.

But who are these intrepid renovators, and who will judge their efforts? Let’s meet the stars of House Rules NZ.

Host: Duncan Heyde

You might recognise Duncan Heyde’s voice from The Rock FM drive show, but now Heyde is venturing into the technicolour world of television presenting. Heyde says he’s “pumped” for New Zealanders to see the first season of House Rules NZ, and just look at how pumped he is in this official photo! Absolutely loving it.

Designer: Jade Hurst

Jade Hurst is the founder of Good Space, a “wellness interiors studio” focusing on human and environmental health in design. Hurst’s role on this show is to make sure the teams understand the house rules and to steer them away from decorating disasters. Let’s hope she can make Hurst-ory by making good spaces great again.

Judge: Katrina Hobbs

These days Katrina Hobbs is an interior designer (silk velvet cushion, anyone?) and magazine editor, but viewers may also remember her from her time on Shortland Street and Home and Away over 20 years ago. Hobbs also featured in an early season of Celebrity Treasure Island, a show that sadly featured zero silk velvet cushions.

Judge: Michael Murray

This Auckland interior designer won many awards for his impressive kitchen designs, but we must clarify that he is not acclaimed American actor Chad Michael Murray nor NZ Idol runner-up Michael Murphy, despite what my Google search wants me to think. Will he be the next Jason Bonham, though? Only the feature walls know the truth.

And now, the teams:

Jemma and Alvaro

The House Rules NZ press kit describes this Glen Eden couple as “newlyweds with big dreams”. Do those dreams include a “Live Laugh Love” sign on the wall of their newly renovated toilet? Based on those huge grins, we really hope so.

Martinique and Andre

Hailing from Ōtātahu, Martinique works as a high school teacher and her husband Andre is a builder. As a tradie, Andre should know his hammer from his hardwood, and can probably pull down a non-loadbearing wall in no time. Could Andre be the new Handy Andy of New Zealand’s home renovation scene – Handre Andre, if you will?

Theresa and Jarrad

Cousins, best friends, soon to be reality TV stars. Theresa and Jarrad will renovate Jarrad’s house in New Lynn, and if it all goes wrong, they can look forward to some really awkward family get-togethers in the future. Still, when has renovating five homes in five weeks caused any stress? Seems fine.

Nikita and Sherwen

The press kit describes this lovely couple as “fun and feisty”, which means we’re in for a treat. Howick pair Nikita and Sherwen have been married for 10 years, which is the same amount of time that House Rules has been on television. Is this a sign? Is this fate? Is fate fun and feisty too? The judges say: yes.

Char and Violet

This mother and daughter team hail from Murray’s Bay, a North Shore suburb presumably named after both the new judge of House Rules NZ and acclaimed American actor Chad Michael Murray. Char and Violet look thrilled to be here and obviously have a tight bond, but will they char-grill the competition or (vio)let the stress get the better of them?

House Rules NZ streams on Three Now and screens Sundays to Tuesdays from Sunday 10 September.

Keep going!

Kristina Eddy (Design: Archi Banal)

Pop CultureAugust 5, 2023

The most exciting moment of Kristina Eddy’s Sky Sport career

My Life in TV

Guest writer

Kristina Eddy (Design: Archi Banal)

The Sky Sport presenter shares her day one love of watching sport on TV and reveals why she’ll never get hooked on Shortland Street.

Nobody else in New Zealand has a better spot to watch the Fifa Women’s World Cup than Kristina Eddy. As part of the Sky Sport team covering the tournament in Aotearoa, Kristina has been on the sidelines for all the action so far, from the Football Ferns’ dramatic win against Norway to their tense, heartbreaking draw against Switzerland last weekend.

But this World Cup is just latest in a long list of international sporting events Kristina has been lucky enough to cover. She also followed the action at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, capturing all the sporting highs and heartbreaks for viewers back in New Zealand.

More recently, she’s produced The Women’s Game, a Sky Sports talk show that celebrates the brilliance of women’s sport. As the World Cup heads into the knockout stages, Kristina reflects on some of her most memorable television moments.

My earliest TV memory is… Live sport from day one! I have fond memories of sitting on the couch next to dad with snacks, watching Formula 1 or weekend All Black test matches with the fam.

The TV show I used to rush home from school to watch was… Rocket Power on Nickelodeon. Of all of the shows around during my childhood, my brother and I loved that show with a passion.

My earliest TV crush was… It’s not strictly a TV show, but the day Zac Efron graced our screens on High School Musical was a pretty good day to be a young teenager.

The most exciting live sport moment I’ve ever been present for is… The golden 52 minutes at the rowing at the Tokyo Olympics a couple of years ago. I just remember standing there on the sidelines for Sky Sport in disbelief as Emma Twigg claimed that incredible redemption gold, then our women’s eight claimed silver, just minutes before the men’s eight capped their unprecedented campaign with a historic gold.

The TV ad I can’t stop thinking about is… I actually brought up the old school Mitre 10 ad with the Aussie and Kiwi kids on my phone the other day – it’s such a classic.

My TV guilty pleasure is… Australian reality television… I’m not even ashamed of it anymore. From one to the next you get The Block Australia, Survivor, Masterchef, Married at First Sight… the list goes on.

My favourite TV character of all time is… Bridget Jones. While not a TV character as such, she’s just so relatable in every beautiful way possible. Usually, the third movie in a trilogy doesn’t live up to the hype, but I enjoyed every moment of Bridget Jones’ Baby just as much as the last.

The live TV moment I’ll never forget is… Probably when the 2011 tsunami hit the shores of Japan. I remember it cutting into live programming with the helicopter shot over the water as it happened.

My most used streaming platform is… Sky Sport Now! It’s perfect for watching my late night NRL or early morning F1 in bed.

My favourite TV project I’ve ever been involved in is… Any major sporting event. You just can’t beat the high energy and passion that comes with live sport and witnessing sporting history at the winter and summer Olympics has to take the cake. Being at the heart of incredible performance and raw emotion is such a privilege.

The TV show that defined my lockdown was… Ozark or the Tiger King – what a time and thank goodness for the streaming boom during that time.

The TV sporting moment I wish I’d seen in person is… Imagine being in the crowd at the Tour Championship in 2018 when Tiger Woods won on the PGA Tour for the first time in five years. Love him or hate him (I know, most hate him), that was one of those sporting moments in history I feel like you just had to be there for.

My most-watched TV show of all time is… I think it would have to be Masterchef Australia. Only because there’s at least 55 episodes per season. It is worth every moment, though.

What I wish people knew about making sport TV is… It’s intense at times, unpredictable, and often it never goes perfectly to plan but it’s such a dream and also one of the greatest privileges I’ve had in my lifetime.

My controversial TV take is… Friends is great and impressive for its time, but it’s not the best.

A show I will probably never watch, no matter how many people say I should is… Shortland Street – I appreciate it’s been fantastic for New Zealand, but I just can’t seem to get around to it.

The last thing I watched on TV was… Australian Survivor – it’s getting really good.

Kristina is co-hosting New Zealand coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, which is available on Sky Sport and Sky Sport Now, with select matches on Prime. Read the previous My Life in TVs here.