The Chase New Zealand kicks off tomorrow, featuring two of the show's biggest international stars, Anne Hegerty (aka The Governess) of the UK and Issa Schultz (aka The Supernerd) of Australia. But how much do the pair know about Aotearoa? Emily Simpson asked each of them the same five questions to find out who knew more.
What do you give the person who knows everything? A question about New Zealand of course. Despite our nation’s ongoing claims that a pop star or sports team has really "put us on the map”, we remain largely off the map, or at least off most people’s minds.
The Governess's royal connection: Watch this story on TVNZ+
But what if that person’s mind is jam-packed with facts and they’re about to appear on the The Chase New Zealand? That is the case with both Issa Schultz (aka The Supernerd) and Anne Hegerty (The Governess) and so we decided to pitch these two seasoned Chasers against each other, asking them five questions that any self-respecting Kiwi could answer in a flash.
At this point, only the UK-based Hegerty had ever been (briefly) to Aotearoa, although Schultz had the slight advantage of being based in Australia where, of course, they are obsessed with us.
Okay, enough preamble. Question number one:
1. The 1950s Christchurch school girls Pauline Parker and Juliet Hume were portrayed in which 1994 movie?
Schultz looks pained. “Did Anne get this?"
She did.
“Oh, she did? All pressure’s on, '94... Let's go, The Piano.”
Sorry Schultz, it was Heavenly Creatures, directed by Peter Jackson, an answer Hegerty did indeed provide. But The Piano came out in 1993, so that was an excellent guess. Especially when you consider that Heavenly Creatures depicts a disturbing murder, and Schultz explains he’s squeamish and has never even seen The Godfather.
Next question!
2. Which dessert do both Australians and New Zealanders claim as their own?
Schultz and Hegerty both provided the correct answer here: Pavlova.
However, Hegerty lost brownie points, if not real points, by preceding her answer with: “Hmmm, what’s a distinctively Australian dessert?”
Ouch! That actually made us wince and Hegerty didn’t look remotely sorry.
Next question. Number three is a no-brainer for any cognitive Kiwi, but does anyone beyond the Chatham's give a toss?
3. Who is the leader of the NZ First Party?
“Oh, I don't know,” says Hegerty. “Your Prime Minister is Christopher Luxon, is that right? I have no idea what party he leads, and I don't know any other parties.”
Schultz, too, offered the name of Luxon, but then he delved deep into the bowels of his Antipodean awareness and retrieved a calcified fossil.
“Was there a guy around called Winston Peters or something?”
There was! Or should we say, is! Schultz pulls up beside Hegerty. Two all. Next question:
4. What name is Ella Yelich-O’Connor better known by?
Schultz: “Lorde”
Hegerty: “Lorde”
Three all. Now for the final, deciding round...
5. What does the Māori word aroha mean?
Hegerty didn’t know, although she did say she knew “one hour” meant family or people.
One hour? Oh, whānau! Yes, that means family or people. Excellent, but zero points in this instance.
Schultz didn’t know the meaning of aroha either, but because he’d been so generously open with 1News in a separate interview, we decided to slip him a clue: Aroha is something he told us he’s still looking for in his personal life.
“Love!”
Yes! Congratulations Supernerd, you beat The Governess four points to three.
“Well yes,” he says, clearly delighted. “But with a clue.”
True, but 1News makes the rules. And, on closer listening to the recording of this quiz, Hegerty actually pronounced Pavlova “Palova” – a common childhood mistake among the most Kiwi of us, but a mistake, nonetheless.
Four, three to Schultz. The results are watertight. But the real quizzing starts next week.
The Chase New Zealand premieres tomorrow, November 3, 7.30pm on TVNZ 1, and streaming on TVNZ+.
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