Masterchef NZ is back after a seven year hiatus. Tonight 27 of the country’s top amateur cooks arrive in Queenstown to make their signature dish for the judges as they try to secure one of only 16 aprons

An Invention Test where Whittaker's Chocolate must be the Hero Ingredient in a sweet or savoury dish that will wow the judges. The cook with the best dish wins a huge advantage in the next cook

One cook has a huge advantage as the MasterChef kitchen moves to an airport hangar where contestants compete in the toughest team challenge yet, cooking a three course meal for Air New Zealand

The winning team from the last challenge is safe, while the other nine cooks face a Mystery Box Challenge set by Judge Michael P. Dearth. At the end of the cook, one contestant will be eliminated

The MasterChef invention test is to cook a Matariki inspired dish using five special ingredients. One contestant will be eliminated leaving the competition's Top 10

The Top 10 MasterChef contestants head outdoors to judge Nadia Lim's Queenstown farm for a paddock to plate Team Challenge. The winning team will win immunity from the next challenge

In the MasterChef kitchen, contestants randomly pick an attachment they must use with a stand blender to create an inventive dish to impress the judges and avoid elimination

The competition is getting tougher as the nine remaining contestants fight to keep their place in a mystery challenge. The judges and contestants are stunned by a shock announcement

The Top 8 contestants face MasterChef's most demanding team challenge to prepare a complex eight-course meal at judge Vaughn Mabee's world-renowned Queenstown restaurant

Award-winning chef Michael Meredith presents a signature dish the contestants must replicate in a Pressure Test to avoid elimination

The MasterChef contestants face an unexpected twist in tonight's Invention Test as the competition gets tougher and one contestant will end their time in the kitchen

MasterChef NZ's Top 6 cook in the kitchen of a luxury hotel where they must replicate a dish from the room service menu for some very special guests

In the MasterChef Kitchen, the contestants get inventive to avoid elimination in a challenge where they must use coffee as the hero ingredient for a sweet or savoury dish

MasterChef's Top 5 contestants compete in a Mystery Box Challenge for a place in finals week and wow the judges with some of the best dishes of the competition

Our Final two contestants battle it out over three epic courses to see who will be crowned MasterChef New Zealand Champion