When The Block NZ premieres its sixth season on Sunday, builder, broadcaster and presenter Peter Wolfkamp returns as the site foreman; overseeing the teams' building sites and ensuring the contestants follow council regulations as they carry out their renovations.
This year's theme is Side by Side; so-named for the fact that the teams are working on semi-detached terraced houses that sit side by side. This year's teams - twins Julia & Ali, brothers Ling & Zing, best friends Stace & Yanita and brothers-in-law Andy & Nate - are given 12 weeks to finish their three-bedroom, three-storey home; each of which was divided from one existing property.
As each new season of The Block NZ looks at a different style of property, Wolfkamp says shifting to higher-density homes was a natural progression for the show that reflects the direction of housing in Auckland city.
"This is kind of The Block meets the Unitary Plan," Wolfkamp says.
"This is what, in many parts of Auckland, is going to be what the city is going to look like. And there's some real challenges with that, because we need to get more people living in the same space and we need to build quality houses."
