MasterChef New Zealand

*MasterChef New Zealand*
MasterChef New Zealand
	The MasterChef New Zealand Logo for the first six series
Also known as	Masterchef NZ
Genre	Reality television; Cooking show;
Created by	Franc Roddam
Judges	Ross Burden (series 1); Ray McVinnie (series 1–5); Simon Gault (series 1–5); Josh Emett (series 2–6); Al Brown (series 6); Mark Wallbank (series 6); Nadia Lim (series 7); Vaughan Mabee (series 7); Michael P Dearth (series 7);
Opening theme	"Here I Come" by Cindy Ruakere (series 1-5); "Kings & Queens" by Brooke Fraser (series 6);
Country of origin	New Zealand
Original language	English
No. of series	7
No. of episodes	97
Production
Production location	Auckland
Running time	60–90 minutes
Production companies	Imagination Television (2010-2015); Screentime NZ and Discovery NZ (2022-present)
Original release
Network	TV One (series 1–5); TV3 (series 6-present);
Release	3 February 2010 –; present

MasterChef New Zealand is a New Zealand competitive reality television cooking show based on the original British version of MasterChef.

The first episode aired on 3 February 2010 at 7:30pm on TV One. Throughout its history, the show has featured judges Ross Burden, Ray McVinnie, Simon Gault, Josh Emett, Al Brown and Mark Wallbank.

The series is similar to the format of MasterChef Australia, whereby contestants compete in weekly elimination challenges, both individually and in teams. The major difference is the number of episodes per week: the New Zealand series only had two episodes, in contrast to Australia's six.

The first series was won by Brett McGregor, over runner-up Kelly Young, in the grand finale which was screened on 28 April 2010. Nadia Lim won the second series, beating runner-up Jax Hamilton in the finale. The third series was won by Chelsea Winter, who beat runner-up Ana Schwarz in the finale. Series four was won by Aaron Brunet, and series five by sister duo Karena and Kasey Bird.

In October 2014, TVNZ announced it had axed the show, after 5 seasons. Later that month, TV3 announced that it would take up the format in 2015. In October 2015, TV3 announced that MasterChef New Zealand would not be returning in 2016.

In November 2021, TV3 announced Masterchef NZ would return after a six-year hiatus.