The Block NZ announces new judges

Shelley Ferguson, the managing editor of Your Home and Garden Magazine has been selected as one of the new judges for the third season of The Block NZ

The judges for the upcoming third season of The Block NZ have been announced.

The home-makeover reality show, which begins filming soon in Point Chevalier in Auckland, has engaged the expertise of two new judges this year: Your Home and Garden Managing Editor, Shelley Ferguson, and registered architect Mark Gascoigne.

Having renovated her own home, and spent many years looking at how to best balance form and function as she worked across lifestyle magazines, Ferguson has an idea of the challenges which teams are likely to face, and is looking forward to seeing how they tackle them.

"I'm addicted to décor, design and renovating, so judging The Block NZ is an absolute privilege. It's a great showcase of creativity and Kiwi ingenuity - I can't wait to see what this season's teams have in store."

And competitors will have to work hard to impress Gascoigne, who has worked on the design of over 2000 projects both here and overseas, and expects the teams to take into account not only the possible aspirations and needs of future buyers, but also showcase some of their own design flair.

"I would like to see exceptional ideas that not only take into account the uses of each space, but also show some real personality and a distinctive style," he says.

They are the third set of new judges in as many seasons for The Block NZ (season one was judged by Victoria Bidwell and Stewart Harris, season two by Jeremy Hansen, and Janice Kumar-Ward), so competitors will have little idea of any pet loves or hates these judges will bring to the show, but hosts Mark Richardson and Shannon Ryan will be returning to help guide them through the process once again.

The new teams will be announced in coming weeks.