No Place Like Home

The Block NZ winners Amy and Stu are relishing life back in good old Gizzy and looking forward to a family Christmas in their stunning beachside home

- Debbie Harrison

It goes without saying that proud Gisbornites (“Gizzy hard!”) Amy Moore and Stu Watts – winners of this year’s The Block NZ– will be spending Christmas in their favourite place: their personal slice of heaven right across from the beach in their home city.

After a massive year – which included spending 12 gruelling weeks away from home as they competed on the TV show to transform a brand new townhouse in Hobsonville, Auckland, into a dream home – the couple are looking forward to some downtime and bringing their family together to celebrate Christmas.

“We are not traditionally super-Christmassy but we love to get together for food and drinks and enjoy the company of anyone and everyone,” says Amy. “For us, Christmas is about the kids. We just have our fingers crossed that it’ll be a cracking Gizzy summer’s day.”

Yule be right On 25 December, you’ll find the blended family (Amy has a daughter, Nina, 13, and Stu has two children, Flynn, 13, and Zoe, 11) chilling out with family, friends and no shortage of food. “There’s always a ham,” says Amy. “My Dad usually does pork on the Weber and there are salads and lots of sweets, including Mum’s famous brandy and chocolate ice cream.”

On The Block, Amy’s styling prowess stood out from day one, but she takes a more laidback approach when it comes to decorating for the festive season. “I love Christmas lights and am a big fan of the things the kids make to hang on the tree, but that’s about as far as it goes – a few fairy lights and sometimes a little tree decorated haphazardly with homemade decorations is about the extent of it,” she says.