Content & Catalog
What to watch on TVNZ+?
Content TypesMovies · Series · Live TV · Live Sport · Documentaries · Kids · News · Originals
SubtitlesEnglish
Public BroadcasterWorks with VPNUpdated June 15, 2026
Reviewed by Anna Venclikova · Affiliate DisclosureOur website contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
How to Watch TVNZ+ from Anywhere: VPN Guide 2026
Shortland Street has run since 1992, and New Zealanders abroad still want their nightly fix of Ferndale drama, the latest 1News bulletin, and a fresh round of the comedy panel show Taskmaster NZ. All of it lives on TVNZ+, the public catalogue TVNZ launched as TVNZ OnDemand in 2007 and renamed to TVNZ+ in 2022. Streaming TVNZ+ from outside New Zealand, though, is where expats hit a wall, because TVNZ+ is locked to Kiwi IP addresses only and actively detects and blocks VPN traffic.
Rights to ITV Studios shows such as Coronation Street and The Chase only clear inside New Zealand, so the player throws a VID-GEO error the moment you press play overseas. The fix is simple: ExpressVPN hands you a New Zealand address so TVNZ+ loads. Watching TVNZ+ itself stays free with a no-cost sign-up, and picture quality runs up to 1080p. The only paid extra is an optional FIFA World Cup Event Pass.
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Quick answer
Can I watch TVNZ+ abroad?
Not on a foreign connection, because TVNZ+ reads your overseas IP and serves a VID-GEO error. Licensing clears only inside New Zealand. The answer is ExpressVPN: pick a New Zealand server, get a local address, and TVNZ+ unlocks just as it would back home. Registration and streaming are free, and the FIFA World Cup Event Pass is an optional one-off. Maximum picture quality stays at 1080p throughout.
VPN Compatibility
Best VPN for TVNZ+
TVNZ+ actively blocks VPNs. Only certain providers reliably bypass the detection.
| VPN Service | Price | TVNZ+ | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 ExpressVPNBEST | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | July 5 | Try it |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | July 5 | Open |
 Surfshark | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | July 5 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ~ Partial | July 3 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ~ Partial | July 4 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ~ Partial | July 6 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ~ Partial | July 2 | Open |
✓ WorksTested July 5
✓ WorksTested July 5
✓ WorksTested July 5
~ PartialTested July 3
~ PartialTested July 4
~ PartialTested July 6
~ PartialTested July 2
Tested on July 6, 2026 · 7 VPNs, 3 working · residential IP from New Zealand · TVNZ+ updates detection continuously, results may change.
Streaming service blocking your VPN? Just disconnect and hop onto a different server in the same country. Stick to the ones labeled “streaming” or “optimized” because they’re literally built for this.
How-to
How to Unblock TVNZ+ with a VPN
Takes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
- Pick a reliable VPNGo with ExpressVPN, which keeps New Zealand servers and handles streaming traffic without stutter. Pricing starts at $2.79 on the annual plan.The yearly term works out cheaper per month than paying month to month.
- Connect to a New Zealand serverChoose a New Zealand location, ideally Auckland, from the server list. That gives you a local IP TVNZ+ accepts as a home connection.
- Open the service and sign inLaunch the TVNZ+ web player or app, create a free account, and start TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2 or DUKE live, plus the full on-demand archive.
- Dial in the picture qualityOn a steady connection, playback runs smoothly up to 1080p. If video stalls, switch TVNZ+ to a different New Zealand server.
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Availability
Which countries is TVNZ+ available in?
TVNZ+ is only available in New Zealand. To access it from anywhere else, use a premium VPN.
Available in 1 country No VPN needed
Blocked in 193 countries VPN required
United StatesUnited KingdomAustraliaCanadaIrelandGermanyFranceJapanIndiaNetherlandsSouth AfricaBrazil
Show all 181 more countries
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British Virgin Islands
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Available
Blocked / unavailable
Last tested: June 18, 2026
Steer clear of free VPNs. Most of them actually collect and sell your data, lack proper security audits, and can even expose you to malware. They’re also useless for streaming. Platforms block them instantly, leaving you with more headaches than solutions. Stick to paid VPNs with verified audits, like ExpressVPN, if you want something that actually works.
About the platform
Who’s behind the service?
What is TVNZ+
TVNZ+ is the free, ad-supported streaming home of Television New Zealand, the country’s state-owned public broadcaster. It took over from the old TVNZ OnDemand in June 2022. You get the live channels TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2 and DUKE alongside a deep on-demand library: homegrown New Zealand shows such as the long-running soap Shortland Street, Country Calendar and Taskmaster NZ, 1News bulletins, and international titles licensed through an ITV Studios deal, including Coronation Street, The Chase and Love Island. Everything is paid for by advertising. The service is free once you set up a registered account, with no subscription and no ad-free tier. The only paid add-on is an optional one-off Event Pass, for example the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It works in New Zealand only, stays geo-blocked abroad and actively shuts out VPNs and proxies. Video tops out at 1080p, with no 4K or HDR.
Company and history
Previously known as
TVNZ OnDemand
Major changes
- Television New Zealand launched its online catalogue as TVNZ OnDemand, letting viewers catch up on shows from the TVNZ 1 and TVNZ 2 channels over the internet for the first time.
- After fifteen years the service rebranded: TVNZ OnDemand became TVNZ+. A new name and logo arrived alongside the move that united the live channels and the on-demand archive in one place.
- The broadcaster secured free-to-air rights to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and became the official New Zealand rights holder for the tournament. Key matches will run free on TVNZ 1 and in the stream.
- The broadcaster renewed its exclusive ITV Studios partnership for several more years. The deal keeps Coronation Street and Emmerdale, the quiz The Chase, and the full Love Island franchise on New Zealand screens.
- Flagship soap Shortland Street kicked off its 2026 season on TVNZ 2 with simultaneous streaming. Homegrown drama remains the single biggest draw across the whole catalogue this year.
- The launch of a completely rebuilt platform with personalisation hit bugs. Support ended for 2015 and 2016 Samsung televisions, leaving thousands of viewers temporarily locked out of the live channels.
Trust signals
Still can’t open TVNZ+ where you are?
Connect ExpressVPN, pick a supported country, and you’re streaming TVNZ+ in minutes, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Devices & Quality
Watch on all your devices
Supported devices
Video quality
1080pHDRDolby VisionDolby Atmos
UX features
Continue watching
Accessibility
Closed captions
Insider Tips
Tips & tricks you should know
5 tips from our TVNZ+ testing team · Updated June 18, 2026
- TVNZ+ is genuinely free: just register with an email, no credit card or subscription required to stream everything.
- Beyond the live TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2 and DUKE channels, the library pairs local hits like Shortland Street and Country Calendar with ITV Studios imports such as Coronation Street and The Chase, so build your watchlist before you travel.
- Travelling abroad, TVNZ+ actively blocks VPNs and overseas IPs, so a reliable ExpressVPN on a New Zealand server is the only way to keep watching 1News and live TVNZ 1.
- For the 2026 World Cup, grab the one-off Event Pass at NZ$44.95, which unlocks all 104 matches live on top of the games shown free on TVNZ 1.
- TVNZ+ has no offline downloads and caps streams at 1080p, so plan to watch online and skip any expectation of 4K.
Alternatives
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before subscribing to TVNZ+.
Yes. The entire TVNZ+ archive and the live channels are advertising-funded, so there is no subscription, just a free account to register. The one paid item is the optional FIFA World Cup Event Pass. From overseas you will hit the geo-block, so run ExpressVPN and connect to a New Zealand server. The content then plays at no cost, exactly as it does back home.
The VID-GEO message means the player detected a foreign IP address and blocked playback, because the rights clear only inside New Zealand. Launch ExpressVPN, choose a New Zealand server, and refresh the page. The player reads a local address and the video loads. If the error sticks, clear your cookies or switch to another server near Auckland.
Yes, TVNZ+ actively detects and blocks many VPN and proxy servers to honour its licensing terms. That is why ExpressVPN matters: it rotates IP addresses regularly and keeps working New Zealand servers. If one server stops loading, just reconnect to another. Rival broadcaster ThreeNow enforces the same restriction, so the identical approach applies there too.
Playback runs up to 1080p Full HD; there is no 4K or HDR on the service. For smooth streaming you want a stable connection of roughly 5 Mbps or more. When you stream through ExpressVPN, pick a server as close to Auckland as possible to keep latency low. High latency, not the VPN itself, is the usual cause of buffering.
The core is New Zealand content: long-running soap Shortland Street, the comedy panel show Taskmaster NZ, the rural staple Country Calendar, and 1News bulletins. On top sit British titles from ITV Studios such as Coronation Street and The Chase. TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2 and DUKE stream live. You unlock all of it with ExpressVPN on a New Zealand address; otherwise the archive stays locked.
Yes. The broadcaster is the official New Zealand rights holder for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and sells a paid one-off Event Pass covering every match. New Zealand group-stage games are free on top. From abroad you reach the coverage only through ExpressVPN on a New Zealand server, since the paid pass is tied to a local account and IP.
The app runs on web, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, most smart TVs and via Chromecast. After the April platform rebuild, support dropped for 2015 and 2016 Samsung televisions, though. On a TV the easiest way to add ExpressVPN is on your router, since the sets rarely run a VPN client themselves. You then sign in just as you would at home.
No, they are two separate services. TVNZ+ is the public broadcaster with an ad-funded archive, while Sky NZ is a paid satellite and streaming platform. Do not confuse it with rival ThreeNow either. All three are locked to New Zealand, so from abroad you need ExpressVPN and a local server to open any of them.
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