March’s must-see TV: What’s coming to TVNZ

The programmes to watch this month across TVNZ channels and TVNZ+.

Kiwi shotput legend Dame Valarie Adams is among the hosts for the upcoming Track Stars event – a fun night of high-energy sports competition.

Also arriving in March, TVNZ has full coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, the return of a foul-mouthed teddy bear in Ted and Robyn Malcolm stars in Run – the gripping true story of Australia’s most successful bank robber.

March 7 (TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+)

The hosting team and celebrity competitors have been revealed for TVNZ’s Track Stars – an electric evening of track and field action airing live. Audiences will watch the country’s top athletes as they vie for national titles, while well-known Kiwi personalities take on a raft of track and field events in a format that blends world‑class sport with high‑impact entertainment.

Presenters Dame Valerie Adams, Scotty Stevenson, Sarah Cowley Ross and Matt Gibb bring their expertise and Kiwi flair to a fun evening of high-energy sports competition.

Also confirmed to appear is rugby legend Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, hot off the heels of her announcement that she’s retiring from international rugby - again.

March 1(TVNZ+)

From his first daring robbery in suburban Perth to his dramatic arrest five years later in Queensland, this gripping new series traces the extraordinary true story of Brenden Abbott – the most successful bank robber in Australian history.

Starring George Mason (Sunny Nights), Robyn Malcolm (After the Party), and Oscar Redding (The Twelve), this new limited series arrives on TVNZ+.

March 9 (TVNZ+)

A stag do in South America goes horribly wrong for a gang of Brits, after a Customs bust lands them in an island prison run by drug-smuggling siblings. Thrilling, funny and gleefully gory.

March 8 (TVNZ+)

Sullivan's Crossing returns for its third season, following neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan as she continues to adjust to her new life in her hometown in rural Nova Scotia.

March 10 (TVNZ+)

48 teams. Three host nations. One trophy. Capturing all the build-up, hope, and expectation, The Contenders 2026 is an essential companion to the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Across 40 episodes, enjoy in-depth profiles on all 48 competing nations and hear from the best footballers.

(TVNZ has exclusive rights to all 104 World Cup matches and all All Whites games will screen live and free on TVNZ+ and TVNZ1.)

March 7-16 (Duke channel and TVNZ+)

Jenny-May Clarkson hosts a live one-hour studio show to open each of the nine days of competition, after which viewers can stay with Duke and TVNZ+ through the evening for uninterrupted sport.

From March 6 (TVNZ+ and TVNZ 2 8.35pm)

Boston teenager John Bennett and his best friend, a foul-mouthed stuffed teddy bear, are back for a second season, once again navigating high school and the highs and lows of adolescence in the 1990s – one bong hit at a time.

Double episodes of Ted Season 2 will arrive weekly on TVNZ+ and TVNZ 2.