1989 in New Zealand television

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This is a list of New Zealand television-related events in 1989.

Events[]

• 12 February – British children's television series TUGS premiered on TV One before airing in its homeland which begins on 4 April of the same year. The series would air on Sunday mornings for only two weeks with only the 20 minute versions of the first two episodes being shown.
• 3 April – Network News at Six was reduced in duration from an hour to 30 minutes; Holmes premiered on TV One and screened at 6.30pm (right after Network News at Six); and the regional news programmes – Top Half (Auckland), Today Tonight (Wellington), The Mainland Touch (Christchurch) and The South Tonight (Dunedin) – were transferred to Network Two at 5.45pm.
• 3 April – New Zealand quiz show Sale of the Century premiered and screened weeknights at 7pm on Network Two (right after the Australian soap Neighbours). By the end of July, the show was transferred to TV One and Neighbours was moved to a 'double episode' format from 6.30-7.30pm.
• 14 April – British children's television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends airs on TV One one last time with only one episode, thus making it the very last time the series was ever broadcast on TVNZ since its New Zealand television premiere on 20 April 1987. The series will return to airing in New Zealand on 16 April 1990 when it goes to air on TV3.
• 15 July – A brand new children's puppet television series Space Knights begins on Network Two. The series will also air every Saturday afternoon at 5.30pm.
• August – Network Two was renamed to Channel 2. Despite the name being used as "Channel 2", it was seen on screen as just "Network Two" until October.
• 15 August – British children's animated series Postman Pat relocates to airing on TV One (which previously aired the series since it was first transmitted on New Zealand television on 15 May 1985).
• October – A new look for Channel 2 was unveiled.
• 31 October – Welsh children's animated series Fireman Sam aired on TV One for the very last time. It would continue airing on New Zealand television with Channel 2 broadcasting the series on 8 June 1990.
• 31 October – British children's animated series Postman Pat screened on TV One one last time with the episode "Letters on Ice". The series would later be shown on Channel 2 on 14 November with the final episode before finishing up for the year.
• 4 November – Popular children's programme What Now airs on TV One for the very last time before relocating to Channel 2 the next week. This also marks the very last time morning programmes for children were ever broadcast on TV One on a Saturday.
• 6 November – Breakfast television – weekdays from 6.30am and weekends from 7am – was introduced to Channel 2 with an early morning news service called Breakfast News with Tom Bradley as anchor and Penelope Barr as weather presenter. Breakfast News initially aired as a half hour bulletin on Channel 2 at 7am, with a five-minute news and weather summary at 8am, before switching to five-minute news and weather bulletins at 7am, 7.30am, 8am and 8.30am by January 1990. Cartoons, Sesame Street and British sitcom reruns were shown throughout the morning, although Sesame Street was still shown on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and Aerobics Oz Style and the US sitcoms Santa Barbara and Days of Our Lives were transferred from TV One to Channel 2.
• 11 November – Saturday morning television was introduced to Channel 2 with a brand new wrapper programme called The Breakfast Club with Jason Gunn as host.
• 11 November – Long running children's programme What Now switched over to airing on Channel 2 which now became the remaining channel to broadcast the series onwards. This was also the very first time the iconic series was ever broadcast on Channel 2.
• 11 November – Pacific news magazine programme Tagata Pasifika was transferred to TV One but moved back to Channel 2 in April 1990 as part of a new Māori and Pacific Island programming block called Marae.
• 14 November – The final episode of the British children's animated series Postman Pat transmits on Channel 2. The series was also shown on New Zealand television one last time but will return to airing on Channel 2 on 19 March 1991 with the network showing all 13 episodes.
• 18 November – After months of screening in the UK and Singapore, the short lived British children's television series TUGS returned to airing in New Zealand with the series now airing on Channel 2 on Saturday mornings as part of The Breakfast Club. It was also the only British children's series to be shown on The Breakfast Club as the programme would mostly air cartoons from the US and Canada including Popples, Groovie Goolies, Bobby's World, My Little Pony, Galtar and the Golden Lance, Denver, the Last Dinosaur, Heathcliff, The Raccoons and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo.
• 26 November – TV3 was launched in New Zealand.
• 27 November – American children's animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles based on the comic book series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird began airing on TV3.
• 2 December – American sitcom Family Matters began premiering on New Zealand television on TV3 three months after its US television debut.
• 5 December – Australian soap Home and Away made its first ever debut in New Zealand with the series transmitting on TV3 in a double episode format at 7.30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
• 8 December – The final editions of Top Half (Auckland) and Today Tonight (Wellington) were broadcast on Channel 2 at 5.45pm.
• 10 December – British children's television series Chocky began its first premiere in New Zealand on TV3. It was also the very first British children's TV series to air on TV3 as well as the very first British children's live series to do so.
• 21 December – Long running US children's educational TV series Sesame Street was shown on Channel 2 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for the very last time. The series however would continue airing on Channel 2 on weekday mornings up until 1996 where, from 1998, it would switch over to air on TV3.

Debuts[]

Domestic[]

• 13 February – After 2 (Network Two) (1989-1991)
• 13 February – (Network Two) (1989-1990)
• 2 April – CV (Network Two) (1989)
• 3 April – Holmes (TV One) (1989-2004)
• 3 April – Sale of the Century (Network Two) (1989-1993)
• 5 April – Shark in the Park (TV One) (1989-1991)
• 13 April – Missing (TV One) (1989)
• 7 May – LIFE (Life in the Fridge Exists) (Network Two) (1989-1991)
• 12 June – The Mostly Useful Job Guide (Network Two) (1989)
• 18 June – Don't Tell Me (Network Two) (1989)
• 18 June – Strangers (Network Two) (1989)
• 9 July – The Shadow Trader (Network Two) (1989)
• 15 July – Space Knights (Network Two) (1989)
• 30 July – Hotshotz (Network Two) (1989)
• 10 September – Night of the Red Hunter (Network Two) (1989)
• 14 September – Ten Out of Ten (Network Two) (1989-1990)
• 30 September – Saturday Live (Network Two) (1989-1990)
• 8 October – The Champion (Channel 2) (1989)
• 30 October – Blind Date (Channel 2) (1989-1991)
• 11 November – The Breakfast Club (Channel 2) (1989-1991)
• 27 November – The Early Bird Show (TV3) (1989-1992)
• 27 November – LaughINZ (TV3) (1989-1990)
• 27 November – Perfect Match (TV3) (1989-1990)
• 1 December – Letter to Blanchy (TV3) (1989)
• 3 December – Country Kiwi and the Cool City Cat (Channel 2) (1989)

International[]

• 8 January – Probe (Network Two)
• 13 January – (Network Two)
• 12 February – (TV One)
• 12 February – TUGS (TV One)
• 1 April – TV 101 (Network Two)
• 1 April – AlfTales (TV One)
• 3 April – A Little Princess (1986) (Network Two)
• 3 April – The Duck Factory (Network Two)
• 5 April – Dear John (USA) (Network Two)
• 5 April – No Frills (TV One)
• 6 April – Stoppit and Tidyup (TV One)
• 7 April – Mission: Impossible (1988) (Network Two)
• 25 April – Jem (Network Two)
• 27 April – Count Duckula (Network Two)
• 29 April – Saturday Night Clive (TV One)
• 7 May – Tube Mice (TV One)
• 7 May – (TV One)
• 16 May – Charlie Chalk (TV One)
• 5 June – // The Blood of Others (Network Two)
• 30 June – (Network Two)
• 2 July – Gran (TV One)
• 4 July – Surgical Spirit (TV One)
• 19 July – Joint Account (TV One)
• 5 August – The Prodigious Hickey (Network Two)
• 10 August – Hothouse (Network Two)
• 1 September – / Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater (TV One)
• 2 September – Aaron's Way (Network Two)
• 3 September – A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (TV One)
• 7 September – The Comedy Company (Network Two)
• 7 September – / Denver, the Last Dinosaur (Network Two)
• 13 September – Round the Bend (Network Two)
• 25 September – Piece of Cake (TV One)
• 9 October – Nightingales (Network Two)
• 6 November – / Babar (Channel 2)
• 9 November – // Fantastic Max (Channel 2)
• 21 November – (Channel 2)
• 21 November – / My Pet Monster (Channel 2)
• 27 November – The Real Ghostbusters (TV3)
• 27 November – / Dinosaucers (TV3)
• 27 November – Garfield and Friends (TV3)
• 27 November – The Mickey Mouse Club (1989) (TV3)
• 27 November – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) (TV3)
• 27 November – The Shiralee (TV3)
• 27 November – / Dennis the Menace (1986) (TV3)
• 28 November – The Nutt House (TV3)
• 1 December – In the Heat of the Night (TV3)
• 2 December – (TV3)
• 2 December – Family Matters (TV3)
• 2 December – Midnight Caller (TV3)
• 2 December – High Mountain Rangers (TV3)
• 3 December – Murphy Brown (TV3)
• 4 December – The Shoe People (TV One)
• 5 December – Home and Away (TV3)
• 7 December – Houston Knights (TV3)
• 8 December – Empty Nest (TV3)
• 8 December – Hey Dad..! (TV3)
• 8 December – Rafferty's Rules (TV3)
• 10 December – Chocky (TV3)
• 10 December – Barney (Channel 2)
• 10 December – Voltron (TV3)
• 20 December – Have Faith (TV One)
• 30 December – / (Channel 2)
• 30 December – Morris Goes to School (Channel 2)
• A Bit of a Do (TV One)
• Colin's Sandwich (TV One)
• China Beach (Channel 2)
• (TV One)
• Gruey (Channel 2)
• Day by Day (Channel 2)
• Annie McGuire (Channel 2)
• Rockliffe's Folly (TV One)
• Paradise (Channel 2)
• Hannay (TV One)
• Dadah is Death (Channel 2)
• Baby Boom (Channel 2)
• / Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories (Channel 2)

New channels[]

• 26 November – TV3

Changes to network affiliation[]

This is a list of programs which made their premiere on a New Zealand television network that had previously premiered on another New Zealand television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or both subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform (free-to air to subscription/subscription to free-to air) are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.

Domestic[]

International[]

Program	New network(s)	Previous network(s)	Date
Tales of the Wizard of Oz	TV One	Network Two	17 March
The Adventures of Spot	TV One	Network Two	16 May
Rainbow Brite	TV One	Network Two	5 June
Postman Pat	TV One	Network Two	15 August
Gumby	TV One	NZBC	20 August
Frank's Place	Channel 2	TV One	22 October
The Sooty Show	Channel 2	TV One	8 November
Chigley	Channel 2	TV One	9 November
/ Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater	Channel 2	TV One	10 November
The New Adventures of Flash Gordon	Channel 2	TV One	11 November
Doctor Snuggles	Channel 2	TV One	12 November
	Channel 2	TV One	12 November
Gumby	Channel 2	TV One	12 November
Postman Pat	Channel 2	TV One	14 November
TUGS	Channel 2	TV One	18 November
DuckTales	TV3	Channel 2	27 November
The Wuzzles	TV3	TV One	27 November
	TV3	TV One	2 December
Adventures of the Gummi Bears	TV3	Channel 2	2 December
/ The Smurfs	Channel 2	TV One	1989
The Adventures of Parsley	TV One	Channel 2	1989
Rainbow	Channel 2	TV One	1989
Mother and Son	Channel 2	TV One	1989

Television shows[]

• Play School (1972–1990)
• University Challenge (1976–1989, 2014–present)
• What Now (1981–present)
• Gloss (1987–1990)
• Betty's Bunch (1989)
• (1989–1991)
• The Early Bird Show (1989–1992)
• Shark in the Park (1989–1992)
• After 2 (1989–1991)
• (1989–1990)

Ending this year[]

• 16 April – Worzel Gummidge Down Under (also United Kingdom) (1987–1989)
• 5 November – University Challenge (1976–1989, 2014–present)