University Challenge (New Zealand game show)

University Challenge
Based on	College Bowl University Challenge
Presented by	Peter Sinclair (series 1–2, 5–14) Richard Higham (series 3–4) Tom Conroy (series 15–17)
Country of origin	New Zealand
Original language	English
No. of series	17
No. of episodes	204 in total Series 1: 9 Series 2–14: 10 Series 15: 31 Series 16: 19 Series 17: 15
Production
Producers	Wayne Cameron (series 1–5) Max Cryer (series 6–8) Derek Wooster (series 9–11) Brian Stewart (series 12–14) Sheree Carey (series 15–17)
Production locations	Union Hall, University of Otago Student Union building (series 1) TVNZ Dunedin (series 2–14) SIT Centre Stage Theatre, Invercargill (series 15) Avalon Studios, Wellington (series 16–17)
Camera setup	Split screen
Production companies	TVNZ (series 1–14) Cue TV (series 15–17)
Original release
Network	TV One (series 1–5, 8–14) TV2 (series 6–7) Prime (series 15–17)
Release	26 August 1976 (1976-08-26) – 21 January 2017 (2017-01-21)

University Challenge is a long-running New Zealand television quiz show, running originally from 1976 to 1989 before its revival in 2014 after a 25-year hiatus. The format was based on the British show of the same name, which was itself based on the American College Bowl. The 2014–2017 series were produced by Cue TV in Invercargill. The title holders are the University of Canterbury, who won the final series on 21 January 2017.

At its inception in 1976, University Challenge was hosted by Peter Sinclair, though he was briefly dropped in the late 1970s and replaced by University of Otago lecturer Charles Higham.^[1] Sinclair returned after just two seasons, and continued in this capacity until the show went into hiatus in 1989. The first series was filmed in the Union Hall, in Otago University's student union building. Later series were filmed in TVNZ's Dunedin studio. It was sponsored by the BNZ, who provided prizes for some of the series. For example, one year, they gave each member of the winning team "an Apple Macintosh computer system, plus a BNZ campus pack account with a $500 credit balance".^[2] Ten episodes were aired each year, with the exception of the first season, when there were nine. Most seasons were broadcast on TVNZ channel TV One; those that were not screened on its partner channel TV2. When TVNZ's Dunedin studio was closed and TVNZ moved premises to Auckland, they decided to drop the show.^[2]

In July 2014, 25 years after TVNZ stopped producing University Challenge, Cue TV revived the show with station owner Tom Conroy as host.^[3] Some of the science questions were replaced with more populist material to enable greater involvement from the audience at home.^[2][4] It began airing on Prime in November 2014.

Series	Year	Channel	Host	Winning team
				University	Team members
1	1976	TV One	Peter Sinclair	University of Otago	Grant Liddell, Mark Allan, Dennis King, Bruce MacKay
2	1977				Graham Pendreigh, Nicholas Dodd, Stephen Kennedy, Wayne McLachlan
3	1978		Richard Higham		Graeme Smaill, Robin St. Clair, Paul Corwin, Michael Jackson
4	1979			University of Canterbury	Richard Surridge, Graham Buckley, Brian Wilson, Martin Browne
5	1980		Peter Sinclair	University of Otago	Jocelyn Brown (now Jaquiery), James McPetrie, Bruce Russell, Grant Holloway
6	1981	TV2		University of Canterbury	Liz Wilson, Jill Scott, Alistair Fletcher, Peter Clayworth
7	1982			Massey University	Bryan Kirk, Judith Bowen, Richard Major, Richard Rumball
8	1983	TV One		Victoria University of Wellington	Daniel Morgan, Stewart Bartlett, Dean Sole, Jeremy Millar
9	1984			University of Otago	James Dignan, Geoff Boon, Richard Soper, Nick Thompson
10	1985			University of Auckland	Adam Lowe, Lindsay Diggelmann, Scott Mataga, Grant Shirreffs
11	1986			University of Otago	Prudence Scott, Richard Nyhof, Camilla Owen, Clive Copeman
12	1987			University of Auckland	Graham Coop, Sue Jensen, Charles Chauvel, Bruce Williams
13	1988			University of Canterbury	Mark Wilson, Alex Lojkine, Jolisa Wood (now Gracewood), Tony Smith
14	1989			University of Waikato	Keith Sircombe, Wendy Moffitt, Duncan Stewart, Stephen Brown
15	2014	Prime	Tom Conroy	University of Canterbury	Gerald Pfeifer (c), Rachael Harris, Daniel Redmond, Stewart Alexander, Liam Boardman
16	2015			University of Auckland	Alistair Kendrick (c), Hemanth Nair, Sana Oshika, David Parfitt, Lucy Harrison
17	2016			University of Canterbury	Stewart Alexander (c), Jack Hayes, Catherine O'Donnell-Jackways, Liam Boardman, Alexander Amies

As with the British show, "starter" questions are answered individually "on the buzzer", and are worth 10 points. The team answering a starter correctly gets a set of "bonus" questions worth a potential fifteen points, over which they can confer. In the last few series before the show's hiatus, a "jackpot bonus" was also available once per game, signalled by a bell. In that, each part of the bonus was worth five points, but getting all three parts right doubled the value of the question to 30 points.

An incorrect interruption of a starter results in a five-point penalty. The pace of questioning gradually increases through the show, becoming almost frantic in the last minute or so before the "gong" which signals the end of the game. In the event of a tied score at the sound of the gong, a "sudden death" question is to be asked (although in practice this has never occurred). In this circumstance the first team to answer correctly would be deemed the winner, with the process repeated until one of the teams answers correctly.

The format of the competition for its original run – with the exception of the debut season – was seven first-round matches, with each of the teams competing twice (having been randomly drawn against their opponents). Two semi-finals between the highest points-scorers followed, after which there was a single final match. In the first season, the first round consisted of three knockout heats, the seventh team then competing with the highest-scoring losing side for the last semi-final position. Unlike later series, the final in this series was staged over three legs.

For series 15, the competition was in a round-robin format.^[2] From series 16, the teams were divided into two pools.

Teams consist of four members, each team representing a New Zealand university. In the revived series, each team also has a reserve member. All six of the universities in New Zealand at the time competed (Auckland, Canterbury, Massey, Otago, Victoria and Waikato), along with a seventh team, representing Lincoln College (now Lincoln University). From series 15, the Auckland University of Technology also competes.

During the original run of 14 series, shows were half an hour in length, with question time being approximately 27 minutes during the first 13 seasons, and 21 minutes during the last season (the show was reduced to 25 minutes in length for this season). The show would occupy a mid-evening spot, generally around 8pm. This same spot was also occupied by the annual quiz series Mastermind, also hosted by Peter Sinclair, with University Challenge commencing one week after the Mastermind final.

The show is broadcast in a split screen format, which led to a widespread rumour in the 1980s that the set was constructed so that one team was seated immediately above the other.^[2]

Several team members from University Challenge have gone on to make a name for themselves in other fields, among them:

from the University of Auckland

• Charles Chauvel, MP
• Annette Morgan, winner of the New Zealand version of Mastermind in 1991

from the University of Canterbury

• Vicki Hyde (née Spong), science writer
• Jolisa Gracewood (née Wood), journalist

from the University of Otago

• Hamish McDouall, winner of the New Zealand version of Mastermind, political candidate
• Bruce Russell, musician
• Prudence Scott, Rhodes scholar
• Kathryn Tyrie, musician
• Mark Allan, winner of the New Zealand version of Mastermind

The first series was filmed in Dunedin and screened on TV One in 1976. Unlike other series, it consisted of four knockout heats (the highest-scoring loser of the first three heats competed again, against the seventh university), and the final was held over three legs. The series was hosted by Peter Sinclair and produced by Wayne Cameron.^[5] The University of Otago won the series, defeating the University of Canterbury in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	26 August 1976	Otago	?	?	Un­known
2	2 September 1976	Auckland	?	?	Un­known
3	9 September 1976	Un­known
4	16 September 1976	Canterbury	?	?	Massey
Semi-finals
5	23 September 1976	Otago	?	?	Un­known
6	30 September 1976	Canterbury	?	?	Auckland
Final (three legs)
7–9	7, 14, 21 October 1976	Otago	2	1	Canterbury

The second series was filmed in Dunedin in August 1977 and screened later in the same year on TV One. The University of Otago won the series, defeating Massey University in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	6 September 1977	Un­known
2	13 September 1977	Un­known
3	20 September 1977	Un­known
4	27 September 1977	Un­known
5	4 October 1977	Un­known
6	11 October 1977	Otago			Victoria
7	18 October 1977	Un­known
Semi-finals
8	25 October 1977	Massey	?	?	Un­known
9	1 November 1977	Otago	?	?	Canterbury
Final
10	8 November 1977	Otago	?	?	Massey

The third series was filmed in Dunedin on 18–21 August 1978 and screened later in the same year on TV One. The series was the first one to be presented by Richard Higham. The University of Otago won the series, defeating Victoria University of Wellington in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	5 September 1978	Massey	40	290	Victoria
2	12 September 1978	Otago	225	185	Canterbury
3	19 September 1978	Waikato	75	285	Auckland
4	26 September 1978	Lincoln	240	60	Massey
5	3 October 1978	Victoria	220	245	Otago
6	10 October 1978	Canterbury	235	110	Waikato
7	17 October 1978	Auckland	190	170	Lincoln
Semi-finals
8	24 October 1978	Victoria	?	?	Canterbury
9	31 October 1978	Otago	?	?	Auckland
Final
10	7 November 1978	Otago	?	?	Victoria

The fourth series was filmed in Dunedin in August 1979 and screened later in the same year on TV One. The University of Canterbury won the series, defeating the University of Auckland in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	18 September 1979	Otago	135	205	Auckland
2	25 September 1979	Waikato	130	285	Victoria
3	2 October 1979	Massey	215	175	Canterbury
4	9 October 1979	Lincoln	140	180	Otago
5	16 October 1979	Auckland	200	140	Waikato
6	23 October 1979	Victoria	185	275	Massey
7	30 October 1979	Canterbury	355	5	Lincoln
Semi-finals
8	6 November 1979	Auckland	275	225	Massey
9	13 November 1979	Canterbury	?	?	Victoria
Final
10	20 November 1979	Canterbury	?	?	Auckland

The fifth series was filmed in Dunedin in August 1980 and screened later in the same year on TV One. Peter Sinclair returned as host. The University of Otago won the series, defeating Victoria University of Wellington in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	17 October 1980	Otago			Canterbury
2	24 October 1980	Victoria			Lincoln
3	31 October 1980	Auckland			Massey
4	7 November 1980	Waikato			Otago
5	14 November 1980	Canterbury			Victoria
6	21 November 1980	Lincoln			Auckland
7	28 November 1980	Massey			Waikato
Semi-finals
8	5 December 1980	Otago	?	?	Auckland
9	12 December 1980	Victoria	?	?	Massey
Final
10	19 December 1980	Otago	?	?	Victoria

The sixth series was filmed in Dunedin in August 1981 and screened later in the same year. Unlike previous series, the 1981 edition screened on TV One's sister channel, TV2. The series was produced by Max Cryer. The University of Canterbury won the series, defeating the University of Otago in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	3 October 1981	Massey	130	235	Canterbury
2	10 October 1981	Lincoln	160	315	Otago
3	17 October 1981	Auckland			Victoria
4	24 October 1981	Waikato			Massey
5	31 October 1981	Canterbury			Lincoln
6	7 November 1981	Otago			Auckland
7	14 November 1981	Victoria			Waikato
Semi-finals
8	21 November 1981	Massey	?	?	Otago
9	28 November 1981	Victoria	160	195	Canterbury
Final
10	5 December 1981	Canterbury	?	?	Otago

The seventh series was filmed in Dunedin in August 1982 and screened later in the same year on TV2. Massey University won the series, defeating the University of Canterbury in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	25 September 1982	Otago	?	?	Waikato
2	2 October 1982	Un­known
3	9 October 1982	Un­known			Lincoln
4	16 October 1982	Canterbury	?	?	Otago
5	23 October 1982	Waikato			Un­known
6	30 October 1982	Un­known
7	6 November 1982	Lincoln	?	?	Canterbury
Semi-finals
8	13 November 1982	Auckland	170	210	Canterbury
9	20 November 1982	Massey	?	?	Otago
Final
10	27 November 1982	Massey	?	?	Canterbury

The eighth was filmed in Dunedin in August 1983, and returned to TV One, screening on Sundays later in the same year. Unusually, each university won one and lost one of their heats. This was the closest of all the original run of series, with three games decided by just five points. The final was low-scoring, due in part to the final being "Christmas themed" (for broadcast just prior to Christmas), something that none of the teams had prepared for or were aware of prior to filming. Victoria University of Wellington won the series, defeating the University of Auckland in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	15 October 1983	Waikato	135	185	Canterbury
2	22 October 1983	Otago	160	190	Victoria
3	29 October 1983	Auckland	170	175	Massey
4	5 November 1983	Lincoln	140	170	Waikato
5	12 November 1983	Canterbury	65	280	Otago
6	19 November 1983	Victoria	160	180	Auckland
7	26 November 1983	Massey	140	145	Lincoln
Semi-finals
8	3 December 1983	Otago	150	155	Auckland
9	10 December 1983	Massey	135	185	Victoria
Final
10	17 December 1983	Victoria	115	45	Auckland

The ninth series was filmed in Dunedin on 17–19 August 1984 and screened towards the end of the same year on TV One. The series was hosted by Peter Sinclair with booth announcer Hal Weston. The series was directed by Brian Stewart and produced by Derek Wooster. The University of Otago won the series, defeating the University of Auckland in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	21 October 1984	Lincoln	155	280	Massey
2	28 October 1984	Auckland	330	105	Victoria
3	4 November 1984	Canterbury	275	125	Waikato
4	11 November 1984	Otago	290	85	Lincoln
5	18 November 1984	Victoria	225	210	Canterbury
6	25 November 1984	Massey	105	320	Auckland
7	2 December 1984	Waikato	110	330	Otago
Semi-finals
8	9 December 1984	Auckland	300	120	Canterbury
9	16 December 1984	Otago	260	205	Massey
Final
10	23 December 1984	Auckland	190	280	Otago

The tenth series was filmed in Dunedin in August 1985 and screened later in the same year on TV One. The University of Auckland won the series, defeating the University of Canterbury in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	20 October 1985	Victoria	65	230	Auckland
2	27 October 1985	Waikato	125	220	Canterbury
3	3 November 1985	Otago	105	165	Lincoln
4	10 November 1985	Massey	210	100	Victoria
5	17 November 1985	Canterbury	175	155	Otago
6	24 November 1985	Auckland	220	95	Waikato
7	1 December 1985	Lincoln	160	135	Massey
Semi-finals
8	8 December 1985	Massey	100	265	Canterbury
9	15 December 1985	Lincoln	160	270	Auckland
Final
10	22 December 1985	Auckland	235	170	Canterbury

The eleventh series was filmed in Dunedin in August 1986 and screened between September and November on TV One. The series was presented by Peter Sinclair with John Jones replacing Hal Weston as booth announcer. The series was directed by Brian Stewart. The University of Otago won the series, defeating the University of Waikato in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	11 September 1986	Otago	225	200	Waikato
2	18 September 1986	Canterbury	235	210	Victoria
3	25 September 1986	Massey	65	245	Auckland
4	2 October 1986	Lincoln	130	230	Otago
5	9 October 1986	Victoria	70	280	Massey
6	16 October 1986	Auckland	145	180	Lincoln
7	23 October 1986	Waikato	160	275	Canterbury
Semi-finals
8	30 October 1986	Canterbury	185	240	Otago
9	7 November 1986	Waikato	250	200	Auckland
Final
10	14 November 1986	Otago	205	150	Waikato

The twelfth series was filmed in Dunedin on 19–21 August 1987 and screened towards the end of the same year on TV One. This series of the contest was unusual in that every one of the competing sides won one and lost one heat. The series was presented by Peter Sinclair with John Jones as booth announcer, and was produced and directed by Brian Stewart. Uniquely among the original run of the show, there was a two-week gap between the broadcasting of two heats, to allow for a television special to be played on 25 October. The University of Auckland won the series, defeating the University of Waikato in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	13 September 1987	Canterbury	225	180	Otago
2	20 September 1987	Auckland	210	140	Victoria
3	27 September 1987	Lincoln	140	110	Waikato
4	4 October 1987	Massey	130	115	Canterbury
5	11 October 1987	Victoria	160	130	Lincoln
6	18 October 1987	Waikato	195	110	Massey
7	1 November 1987	Otago	210	160	Auckland
Semi-finals
8	8 November 1987	Auckland	185	160	Canterbury
9	15 November 1987	Otago	105	140	Waikato
Final
10	22 November 1987	Auckland	245	85	Waikato

The thirteenth series was filmed in Dunedin in August 1988 and screened towards the end of the same year on TV One. The series was presented by Peter Sinclair with John Jones as booth announcer, and was produced and directed by Brian Stewart. The University of Canterbury won the series, defeating the University of Waikato in the finals.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	11 September 1988	Otago	225	200	Waikato
2	18 September 1988	Canterbury	235	210	Victoria
3	25 September 1988	Massey	65	245	Auckland
4	2 October 1988	Lincoln	130	230	Otago
5	9 October 1988	Victoria	70	280	Massey
6	16 October 1988	Auckland	145	180	Lincoln
7	23 October 1988	Waikato	160	275	Canterbury
Semi-finals
8	30 October 1988	Otago	185	240	Canterbury
9	6 November 1988	Waikato	250	200	Auckland
Final
10	13 November 1988	Canterbury	205	150	Waikato

The fourteenth and final series of the show's original run was filmed in Dunedin in August 1989 and screened towards the end of the same year on TV One. Episodes were 25 minutes in length, five minutes shorter than in previous series. The series was presented by Peter Sinclair with John Jones as booth announcer, and was produced and directed by Brian Stewart. The University of Waikato won the series, defeating the University of Auckland in the finals. Each member of the winning team won a Macintosh Classic. One still remains in the Waikato Students' Union Office as a trophy of their victory.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Heats
1	3 September 1989	Otago	235	40	Lincoln
2	10 September 1989	Victoria	210	5	Massey
3	17 September 1989	Waikato	205	70	Canterbury
4	24 September 1989	Auckland	50	250	Otago
5	1 October 1989	Massey	85	175	Waikato
6	8 October 1989	Canterbury	90	180	Auckland
7	15 October 1989	Lincoln	120	175	Victoria
Semi-finals
8	22 October 1989	Otago	125	180	Waikato
9	29 October 1989	Auckland	155	130	Victoria
Final
10	5 November 1989	Waikato	115	110	Auckland

Two international series were held in 1986 and 1987 between the British and New Zealand champions of the previous year. The first of these was held in Dunedin, New Zealand (the venue for the filming of the New Zealand domestic series); the second was held in Manchester, England. Each of these was a best of three series. Both series resulted in a win to the British team.

There was also a one-off match between the Australian and New Zealand champions in 1989, filmed immediately after the completion of the Australian filming in Hobart, Tasmania, resulting in an Australian win.

Year	Venue	Foreign Team	New Zealand Team	Result
1986	Dunedin	Jesus College, Oxford	University of Auckland	2–1 to Great Britain
1987	Manchester	Keble College, Oxford	University of Otago	3–0 to Great Britain
1989	Hobart	University of Tasmania	University of Waikato	Win to Australia

The fifteenth series was filmed on 1–5 July 2014 and premiered on 22 November 2014 on Prime. It was in a new round-robin format, hosted by Cue TV director Tom Conroy and produced by Sheree Carey. Auckland University of Technology, newcomers to the show, lost all seven of their round-robin games. The final episodes aired on 4 April 2015, with the University of Canterbury winning the series after defeating the University of Auckland in the final.

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Round 1
1	22 November 2014	Waikato	115	255	Otago
2	29 November 2014	Auckland	190	180	Lincoln
3	6 December 2014	Victoria	245	45	AUT
4	13 December 2014	Canterbury	205[a]	90	Massey
Round 2
5	20 December 2014	Victoria	230	205	Auckland
6	27 December 2014	Waikato	140	170	Massey
7	3 January 2015	Canterbury	235	185	Lincoln
8	10 January 2015	Otago	210	105	AUT
Round 3
9	10 January 2015	Canterbury	165	190	Victoria
10	17 January 2015	Otago	265	185	Auckland
11		Waikato	195	75	AUT
12	24 January 2015	Massey	130	150	Lincoln
Round 4
13	24 January 2015	Otago	90	220	Canterbury
14	31 January 2015	Massey	120	165	Victoria
15		AUT	60	270	Auckland
16	7 February 2015	Waikato	145	125	Lincoln
Round 5
17	7 February 2015	Massey	60	280[b]	Otago
18	21 February 2015	Auckland	250	100	Waikato
19		AUT	125	140	Canterbury
20	28 February 2015	Lincoln	180	265	Victoria
Round 6
21	28 February 2015	AUT	105	170	Massey
22	7 March 2015	Lincoln	200	225	Otago
23		Victoria	260	140	Waikato
24	14 March 2015	Auckland	235	175	Canterbury
Round 7
25	14 March 2015	Lincoln	140	115	AUT
26	21 March 2015	Waikato	80	300	Canterbury
27		Auckland	240	160	Massey
28	28 March 2015	Victoria	145	185	Otago
Semi-finals
29	28 March 2015	Auckland	300	120	Otago
30	4 April 2015	Canterbury	220	190	Victoria
Final
31	4 April 2015	Canterbury	210	155	Auckland

The following table should be read vertically. A green cell indicates a win, and a red cell indicates a loss. The number in each cell shows the points differential (the difference between the two teams' points). Two points were awarded for each win. The four teams with the most points at the end of the tournament went through to the semi-finals. Total points differential (shown in the bottom row) was used as a secondary ranking criterion in case multiple teams had the same number of points.

vs.	Auckland	AUT	Canterbury	Lincoln	Massey	Otago	Victoria	Waikato
Auckland	—	-210	-60	-10	-80	80	25	-150
AUT	210	—	15	25	65	105	200	120
Canterbury	60	-15	—	-50	-115	-130	25	-220
Lincoln	10	-25	50	—	-20	25	85	20
Massey	80	-65	115	20	—	220	45	-30
Otago	-80	-105	130	-25	-220	—	-40	-140
Victoria	-25	-200	-25	-85	-45	40	—	-120
Waikato	150	-120	220	-20	30	140	120	—
Points	10	0	10	4	4	12	12	4
Points differential	405	-740	445	-145	-385	480	460	-520

The sixteenth series was filmed in late August 2015 and premiered on 17 October 2015 on Prime. It was again hosted by Tom Conroy, and featured all eight of New Zealand's universities, which were split into two pools. Pool A consisted of Waikato and the three South Island teams (Canterbury, Lincoln, and Otago) and Pool B consisted of the remaining North Island teams (Auckland, AUT, Massey, and Victoria). The University of Auckland won the series, defeating the University of Canterbury in the final.

The first three rounds of the competition involved a round-robin within each of the pools. Round four consisted of cross-over games, where the first place team from Pool A played the fourth placed team from Pool B, the second from Pool A played the third from Pool B, and so on. At the end of round 4, the four teams with the most points went through to the semi-finals (with points differential as a secondary ranking criterion).

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Round 1
1	17 October 2015	Canterbury	230	140	Waikato
2	24 October 2015	Victoria	430	15	Massey
3	31 October 2015	Otago	295	95	Lincoln
4	7 November 2015	Auckland	360	20	AUT
Round 2
5	14 November 2015	Otago	270	155	Waikato
6	21 November 2015	Lincoln	230	150	Canterbury
7	28 November 2015	AUT	65	125	Massey
8	5 December 2015	Victoria	295	220	Auckland
Round 3
9	12 December 2015	Waikato	285	125	Lincoln
10	19 December 2015	AUT	30	365	Victoria
11	26 December 2015	Canterbury	215	225	Otago
12	2 January 2016	Massey	55	345	Auckland
Round 4
13	9 January 2016	Otago	365	40	AUT
14	16 January 2016	Victoria	185	205	Lincoln
15	23 January 2016	Canterbury	295	45	Massey
16	6 February 2016	Auckland	370	100	Waikato
Semifinals
17	13 February 2016	Otago	170	215	Canterbury
18	20 February 2016	Auckland	435	70	Victoria
Final
19	27 February 2016	Auckland	345	95	Canterbury

The following tables should be read vertically. A green cell indicates a win, and a red cell indicates a loss. The number in each cell shows the points differential (the difference between the two teams' points). For the inter-pool round, the opponent is written next to the differential score. Two points are awarded for each win. The two teams in each pool with the most points at the end of the tournament go through to the semi-finals. Total points differential (shown in the bottom row) is used as a secondary ranking criterion in case multiple teams have the same number of points.

vs.	Canterbury	Lincoln	Otago	Waikato
Canterbury	—	80	10	-90
Lincoln	-80	—	200	160
Otago	-10	-200	—	-115
Waikato	90	-160	115	—
INTER-POOL	250 (Mas.)	20 (Vic.)	325 (AUT)	-270 (Auc.)
Points	4	4	8	2
Points differential	250	-260	650	-315

vs.	Auckland	AUT	Massey	Victoria
Auckland	—	-340	-290	75
AUT	340	—	60	335
Massey	290	-60	—	415
Victoria	-75	-335	-415	—
INTER-POOL	270 (Wai.)	-325 (Ota.)	-250 (Can.)	-20 (Lin.)
Points	6	0	2	6
Points differential	825	-1060	-895	805

The seventeenth series premiered on 15 October 2016 on Prime. It was again hosted by Tom Conroy, and featured all eight of New Zealand's universities, which were split into two pools. Pool A consisted of AUT and the three South Island teams (Canterbury, Lincoln, and Otago) and Pool B consisted of the remaining North Island teams (Auckland, Massey, Victoria, and Waikato). The University of Canterbury won the series, defeating the University of Waikato in the final.

The first three rounds of the competition involved a round-robin within each of the pools. At the end of round 3, the four teams with the most points went through to the semi-finals (with points differential as a secondary ranking criterion).

Episode	Broadcast date	Team 1	Score		Team 2
Round 1
1	15 October 2016	Victoria	120	260	Auckland
2	22 October 2016	Lincoln	155	150	Otago
3	29 October 2016	Massey	145	245	Waikato
4	12 November 2016	AUT	195	205	Canterbury
Round 2
5	19 November 2016	Auckland	230	125	Massey
6	26 November 2016	Canterbury	220	70	Lincoln
7	3 December 2016	Waikato	205	195	Victoria
8	10 December 2016	Otago	155	120	AUT
Round 3
9	17 December 2016	Auckland	250	235	Waikato
10	24 December 2016	Lincoln	135	215	AUT
11	31 December 2016	Massey	120	280	Victoria
12	7 January 2017	Otago	125	290	Canterbury
Semifinals
13	14 January 2017	AUT	130	245	Canterbury
14	21 January 2017	Waikato	215	205	Auckland
Final
15	21 January 2017	Waikato	90	210	Canterbury

The following tables should be read vertically. A green cell indicates a win, and a red cell indicates a loss. The number in each cell shows the points differential (the difference between the two teams' points). Two points are awarded for each win. The two teams in each pool with the most points at the end of the tournament go through to the semi-finals. Total points differential (shown in the bottom row) is used as a secondary ranking criterion in case multiple teams have the same number of points.

vs.	AUT	Canterbury	Lincoln	Otago
AUT	—	10	-80	35
Canterbury	-10	—	-150	-165
Lincoln	80	150	—	-5
Otago	-35	165	5	—
Points	2	6	2	2
Points differential	35	325	-225	-136

vs.	Auckland	Massey	Victoria	Waikato
Auckland	—	-105	-140	-15
Massey	105	—	160	100
Victoria	140	-160	—	10
Waikato	15	-100	-10	—
Points	6	0	2	4
Points differential	260	-365	10	95

• University Challenge footage at NZ On Screen
• Interview with participants in the final, Southland Times