The kettle clicks off, you sink into the couch, and that first bar of the theme feels like home.

From Waitoki paddocks to Army Bay living rooms, Country Calendar has been part of Sunday nights for generations, and 2026 is its 60th year on screen.

The brand-new season starts tonight at 7pm on TVNZ 1.

TVNZ is also marking the anniversary on TVNZ+, with a curated set of classic episodes available now and more archive episodes added weekly.

It all began on Sunday, March 6, 1966, as a modest, studio-based programme hosted by Fred Barnes, built to inform farmers in a formal, instructional style.

Field filming was limited at first, simply because it was hard and expensive to get cameras out on location.

Over time, that changed, and so did the show.

It became more visual, more relaxed, and more human, letting rural people tell their own stories while the camera quietly captured the work, weather, and everyday reality.

A big shift came in 1974 when producer Tony Trotter recognised that plenty of urban viewers were watching too.

The storytelling widened beyond farming into fishing, forestry, and broader rural life, and it helped Country Calendar become something closer to a national scrapbook than a niche industry programme.

In a media era where other long-running local shows have been cancelled, its calm pace and high trust have helped it endure.

Hyundai has renewed its naming sponsorship again for this milestone year, marking 16 years of partnership, and if you are choosing one easy watch at 7pm tonight, this is the one.

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