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TVNZ has today announced the host for their highly anticipated New Zealand version of The Chase. 

Broadcaster Paul Henry is set to take on the role for a four-episode special of the hugely popular British quiz show. 

The New Zealand iteration of the show is set to follow the same format as the original, with contestants facing off against the Chaser. 

Filming is set to start shortly, shooting from the ITV Studios in Sydney, where The Chase Australia is filmed. 

“I had absolutely no hesitation in saying yes to hosting The Chase New Zealand. What kind of crazy fool would turn down an opportunity to host the most popular game show in the world?” Henry said in a statement released by TVNZ. 

“People might see a slightly different side to me in The Chase, I will really be wanting my teams to win, and I can be enormously charming when I put my mind to it”, he added. 

Paul Henry was previously the host of The Traitors. Image / Three 

Henry, 64, was previously the host of The Traitors NZ, The Paul Henry Show, and TVNZ’s Breakfast, which he hosted from 2004 before leaving in late 2010. 

During his time on Breakfast, there was a significant increase in ratings, jumping from a base of around 100,000 viewers in 2007 and 2008, to 150,000 in 2009. 

He was also awarded the People’s Choice Award for best presenter in 2010 at the Qantas Film and TV Awards, and in 2024, won bronze at the New York Festivals TV and Film Awards for best host for his work on The Traitors NZ. 

Henry resigned from the network following several controversies surrounding him, including the mocking of an Indian official’s name, comments around a guest’s facial hair and questions around the Governor-General’s nationality. 

Broadcaster Paul Henry is set to take on the role for a four-episode special. Photo / Supplied/Rob Trathern 

The Herald’s Mitch Hageman first teased that Henry might make an appearance on a Kiwi version of the show back in March. 

“Other people who could craft their own Chase persona are Real star and Link presenter and ex-journo Louise Wallace (“The ��һ�ǿ�����hound”), whip-smart, straight-talking Kiwi broadcaster Paul Henry(“The Negotiator”) and chemist and now comedian Dr Joel Rindelaub," shared Hageman at the time. 

The Chase is one of the most successful and longest-running game shows on UK television and has become a successful international franchise. 

The Chasers, from left: Shaun Wallace, Darragh Ennis, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan, and Mark Labbett 

Regional versions of the show have been made in Australia, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, The Netherlands, Turkey and the United States. 

Nielsen figures collected in 2024 report that two out of three Kiwis watched The Chase last year. 

Jenni Mortimer is the New Zealand Herald‘s chief lifestyle and entertainment reporter. Jenni started at the Herald in 2017 and has previously worked as lifestyle, entertainment and travel editor.