Country Calendar: What Time It's On TVNZ 1 and Where to Stream Its 60th Year
Updated 5 November: Freeview’s guide now runs to Thursday 12 November; Sunday 8 November’s 7pm episode on TVNZ 1 is titled “Heart of the Herd”, and no end date for the season is listed yet.
Updated 4 November: the Freeview guide now runs to Wednesday 11 November, with Country Calendar back on TVNZ 1 at 7pm on Sunday 8 November.
Country Calendar screens on TVNZ 1 on Sundays at 7pm and streams free on TVNZ+, where five seasons are listed, and the Freeview guide we read on Wednesday 28 October lists it on TVNZ 1 at 7pm on Sunday 1 November, after a Sunday 25 October without it. It is New Zealand's longest-running television series, and 2026 is its 60th year on air: the first episode went out in March 1966, and the current season returned on Sunday 8 February.
The programme also fills a weekday hour on Duke and a Saturday morning half-hour on TVNZ 1, which is where the "is it on tonight" confusion comes from. This page keeps the Sunday slot, the other listings and the streaming options in one place, with the Freeview guide read fresh each time we update it.
What time is Country Calendar on TVNZ 1?
7pm to 7.30pm on Sundays. TVNZ's own page for the show carries the line "New episodes Sundays at 7pm", and the Freeview guide we read on Monday 12 October has Hyundai Country Calendar on TVNZ 1 from 7.00pm to 7.30pm on Sunday 18 October. Sunday 11 October had the same half-hour, which is why our Seven Sharp page notes Country Calendar in TVNZ 1's 7pm slot on Sundays while the weeknight show takes it Monday to Friday. The guide we read on Tuesday 20 October, open to Tuesday 27 October, has no Country Calendar on TVNZ 1 on Sunday 25 October. The guide we read on Wednesday 28 October, open to Wednesday 4 November, has Hyundai Country Calendar back on TVNZ 1 from 7.00pm to 7.30pm on Sunday 1 November.
Here is every Country Calendar listing in the guide for the eight days from Monday 12 October, all under the sponsor title Hyundai Country Calendar.
| Date (NZ) | Channel | Time | How the guide lists it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 12 October | Duke | 3.40pm to 4.40pm | One hour, no episode number |
| Tuesday 13 October | Duke | 3.35pm to 4.35pm | One hour, no episode number |
| Wednesday 14 October | Duke | 3.40pm to 4.35pm | 55 minutes, no episode number |
| Thursday 15 October | Duke | 3.35pm to 4.35pm | One hour, no episode number |
| Friday 16 October | Duke | 3.35pm to 4.35pm | One hour, no episode number |
| Saturday 17 October | TVNZ 1 | 8.30am to 9.00am | Half-hour, no episode number |
| Sunday 18 October | TVNZ 1 | 7.00pm to 7.30pm | Half-hour, the slot TVNZ calls the new-episode slot |
| Monday 19 October | Duke | 3.35pm to 4.35pm | One hour, no episode number |
The guide we read on Tuesday 20 October has these listings, again all under the sponsor title Hyundai Country Calendar and with no episode numbers: Duke at 3.35pm to 4.35pm on Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21, Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October and on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October; TVNZ 1 at 8.25am to 8.55am on Saturday 24 October. It has nothing on Sunday 25 October.
The guide we read on Wednesday 28 October, around 9.15pm, carries on the same way: Duke at 3.35pm to 4.35pm on Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October, TVNZ 1 at 8.25am to 8.55am on Saturday 31 October, TVNZ 1 at 7.00pm to 7.30pm on Sunday 1 November, Duke at 2.40pm to 3.40pm on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 November, and two Duke half-hours on Wednesday 4 November, at 2.40pm and 3.10pm. Still no episode numbers.
The guide we read on Wednesday 4 November, around 7.55am, is open to Wednesday 11 November. It has Duke at 2.40pm to 3.40pm on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November and on Monday 9, Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November, plus the two Duke half-hours on Wednesday 4 November. On TVNZ 1 it lists Saturday 7 November at 12.55am to 1.20am, 5.30am to 6.00am and 8.30am to 9.00am, and Sunday 8 November at 7.00pm to 7.30pm. There are no episode numbers.
Read on Thursday 5 November, around 10.30am, the guide is open to Thursday 12 November. Duke has the hour at 2.40pm to 3.40pm on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November and on Monday 9, Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November, then at 2.35pm to 3.35pm on Thursday 12 November; TVNZ 1 shows it on Saturday 7 November at 12.55am, 5.30am and 8.30am, and on Sunday 8 November at 7.00pm to 7.30pm. That Sunday listing carries the title “Heart of the Herd”, about a family running an Angus cattle stud near Rotorua. Titles appear on every showing, but episode numbers still don’t.
The guide doesn't mark any of these as new or as repeats, and it doesn't print episode numbers for the show. The only slot TVNZ describes as carrying new episodes is the Sunday 7pm one, so we treat the Duke afternoons and the Saturday morning as library showings without saying which episodes they are.
Is Country Calendar on tonight?
Not on TVNZ 1 on Thursday 5 November: the guide's only Country Calendar that day is the Duke hour at 2.40pm. The next TVNZ 1 evening listing in the guide we read on Thursday 5 November is Sunday 8 November at 7pm, “Heart of the Herd”; before that, TVNZ 1 has only the three Saturday 7 November screenings, the last of them at 8.30am. If you're reading this later, check the tables above and the guide itself.
Where can I stream Country Calendar in New Zealand?
TVNZ+, which is free with a TVNZ account. The show's TVNZ+ page listed five seasons when we read it on Monday 12 October, and TVNZ's 2026 line-up announcement in January promised "a special collection of classic episodes on TVNZ+" for the 60th year alongside "new episodes every Sunday evening". TVNZ+ is the only streaming home we found. Our streaming prices page has what TVNZ+ and the paid services cost, and the Freeview versus Sky guide explains why TVNZ 1 itself needs no subscription.
Why is 2026 a big year for Country Calendar?
It's the 60th year. NZ On Air's history of the show gives the first broadcast as 6 March 1966, and TVNZ's page describes it as "New Zealand's longest running television series, marking 60 years in 2026". The 2026 season began on Sunday 8 February at 7pm on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+, according to Hyundai New Zealand, which has been the naming sponsor since 2011 and renewed for 2026, its 16th year on the title.
In that announcement TVNZ's head of agency, Karl Laurence-Anderson, called the programme "a cornerstone of TVNZ's local content", and producer Dan Henry said "long-term programme partnerships like this are incredibly rare". Back in 2016, for the 50th year, NZ On Air put the weekly audience at more than half a million viewers and named the show its highest-rating funded programme; we haven't seen a 2026 audience figure published.
Are the weekday Duke showings new episodes?
The guide doesn't say, and we won't guess. TVNZ's page names Sunday at 7pm as the new-episode slot and nothing else. The Duke hour sits at 3.35pm or 3.40pm from Monday to Friday in the guides we read, and TVNZ 1 adds a half-hour on Saturday morning: 8.30am on Saturday 17 October and 8.25am on Saturday 24 October. If you want a specific farm or family, the TVNZ+ episode list is the place to find it rather than the afternoon slots.
When does the 2026 season end?
Not yet confirmed. TVNZ hasn't published a final-episode date that we could find, and its show page, read on Wednesday 28 October, still says “New episodes Sundays at 7pm”. The Freeview guide we read on Tuesday 20 October had no Country Calendar on TVNZ 1 on Sunday 25 October, with Moving Houses at 7pm that night instead, and the guide we read on Wednesday 28 October lists Country Calendar at 7pm again on Sunday 1 November, so the Sunday slot was paused for a week rather than over. Neither source gives an end date, and the guide we read on Thursday 5 November, which reaches Thursday 12 November, still has the Sunday 7pm slot in use on Sunday 8 November, so we're not putting one on it. The end date goes into this answer once TVNZ lists it or the guide shows the slot stop. Our other season guides, including Shortland Street's 2027 return, work the same way: what the broadcaster has said, and what it hasn't.
What else is on TVNZ 1 on a Sunday?
The Chase UK holds 5pm on TVNZ 1 most days, Sunday included, which our Chase page tracks, and Country Calendar followed at 7pm on Sunday 18 October; the guide has Moving Houses at 7pm on Sunday 25 October and Country Calendar back at 7pm on Sunday 1 November. For families, Bluey's TVNZ 2 slots are on a separate page, and for the other long-running TVNZ names, Celebrity Treasure Island's winners are listed season by season.
FAQ
Is Country Calendar free to stream?
Yes, on TVNZ+ with a free account. Five seasons were listed on Monday 12 October.
Is the Saturday 8.30am showing a repeat?
The Freeview guide doesn't say. TVNZ only describes the Sunday 7pm slot as new episodes.
Do I need Sky to watch Country Calendar?
No. TVNZ 1 is free-to-air, and the show also streams on TVNZ+.
Sources
- TVNZ — Hyundai Country Calendar, show page ("New episodes Sundays at 7pm", "5 Seasons", "marking 60 years in 2026"), read Monday 12 October 2026, Tuesday 20 October 2026 and Wednesday 28 October 2026.
- Freeview NZ guide, TVNZ 1 and Duke listings for Monday 12 to Monday 19 October 2026, read Monday 12 October at 10am, for Tuesday 20 to Tuesday 27 October 2026, read Tuesday 20 October at around 6pm, and for Wednesday 28 October to Wednesday 4 November 2026, read Wednesday 28 October at around 9.15pm; listings for Wednesday 4 to Wednesday 11 November 2026, read Wednesday 4 November at around 7.55am; listings for Thursday 5 to Thursday 12 November 2026, read Thursday 5 November at around 10.30am.
- Hyundai New Zealand, 5 February 2026 — 2026 return on Sunday 8 February at 7pm, sponsorship since 2011, quotes.
- 1News, 14 January 2026 — TVNZ's 2026 line-up: 60th-year classic episodes on TVNZ+, new episodes every Sunday, season launch 8 February.
- NZ On Air, 4 March 2016 — first episode 6 March 1966, 2016 audience figure.