Two super competitive Papamoa mums will be competing on the ninth season of The Block NZ.

Team Purple is made up of 'domestic engineer” Janah Kingi, 39, and real estate agent Rachel Martin, 42 – two 'fun mums” from Papamoa who mean business.

No strangers to building sites, they've been renovating their own homes, and have some inside knowledge, as both their husbands are builders.

'Janah and Rach are doing a great job, because it's tricky – all those tools, getting on the skill saw and nail gun, and climbing up ladders – so they're just having a hilarious time trying to master all of that,” says ‘The Block NZ' host Mark Ferguson.

After a year interrupted by Covid, New Zealand's favourite DIY show is finally set to hit our screens again and this year it's heading back to the aspirational Auckland city fringe suburb of Point Chevalier.

Four teams are set to duke it out on season nine of ‘The Block NZ', and one pairing already seems to have an edge.

Team Blue's Tim Cotton and Arthur Gillies have the least renovation experience of all the teams, but challenge host Shelley Ferguson has her eye on other attributes.

'They've just got beautiful souls, they are such cool boys – surfers, super chill, but absolute eye candy. I can tell they are going to be favourites with New Zealand,” raves Shelley, who returns to the show for her sixth year.

'I walked into their house the other day and Arty was there with his big green eyes and long hair, and his jawline and smile, and he was strumming away on a guitar, and I thought ‘here we go New Zealand'.”

The early praise may work against the best mates, both 26, giving the other teams plenty of motivation to beat them where it counts – in the building and design stakes, and the fight to earn the highest profit and walk away with the $100,000 grand prize.

Filming on season nine got off to a false start last year, when Covid-19 forced a shutdown on-site in Auckland's inner-west suburb of Point Chevalier.

Also returning is site foreman and nine-time Block NZ veteran, Pete ‘The Wolf' Wolfkamp, and co-host Mark Richardson, to keep the teams on their toes.

The teams will have plenty of space to work with, as the show returns to large houses that span 230 square metres and boast 'incredible floor plans”, with atrium entrances, double-level lounge studs, second-storey balconies with cityscape views, and outdoor spaces.

'We have these big beautiful homes in Point Chev,” says Shelley. 'They've got beautiful vaulted ceilings which I'm really excited about because they already look more premium. And no matter what the team's look is, the bones and the structure of those houses are already stunning.”

It was also in Point Chevalier six years ago that husband and wife Alex and Corban Walls claimed the win with a whopping $307,000 profit, and with local knowledge on Team Blue's side, Cotton and Gillies reckon they can emulate that feat.

'We understand the local market and what they are after. Being from the area we feel as though our design ethos and style will appeal to the Point Chev buyer,” said Cotton.

They won't have it all their own way though, with three other teams from around New Zealand sure to make formidable opponents.

Team Yellow will bring some southern grit to the table with brothers Dylan Crawford, 30, and Keegan Crawford, 25, hailing from Greymouth. Dylan studied architecture before becoming a 'styley” banker in Auckland (you read that right), while Keegan is billed as a 'mellow builder who has never left the West Coast”.

'The two brothers are complete opposites,” Ferguson explains. 'Dylan is quite creative, loves colour, is always on time, and then Keegan just wants to live in a shed in the bush, so their dynamic is quite fun.”

Rounding out the competition is Team Orange, made up of Meg Lean, 38, and husband and builder Dan Lean, 46, who together own and operate a construction company.

This supposedly 'friendly couple” are confident they have the skills to come out on top, but warn their rivals that if someone stabs them in the back 'they won't get a chance to do it twice”.

Being located at Point Chev offers the best of both worlds, says Mark, with the houses just ten minutes' drive to the city and walking distance to the beach, trendy cafes and Auckland zoo. The homes, which are on separate titles, span around 230 square metres and boast incredible floor plans, with atrium entrances, double level lounge studs, second storey balconies with cityscape views, and superb outdoor spaces.

"With a year off our screens and the housing market continually rising, it's clear that New Zealanders can't wait for The Block NZ to kick off,” says Mark.

'The location is obviously fantastic but this season we also have some of the most experienced and design savvy teams that I have ever seen.”

At the end of the 12 weeks the teams houses will be put up for auction where they will take home any profit made over the reserve. The team that earns the highest profit above reserve will also take home the $100,000 grand prize.

Three is proud to confirm broadcast sponsor, Flooring Xtra. Programme partners include Briscoes, Città, COLORSTEEL®, Lighting Direct, Noel Leeming, realestate.co.nz, Resene, RYOBI, Storage King, Subway®, Suzuki, Tile Space, TSB.

The Block NZ is coming soon to Three and ThreeNow.