Rings of Power Season 3, Aotearoa Edition

Season three of the Middle-earth series reaches Prime Video in New Zealand from 11 November, in three drops over three weeks, five years after production left New Zealand.

By Catherine Crowe November 7, 2026 3 min read

Photo: Prime Video

The series that began in New Zealand is back. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power returns for its third season on Wednesday 11 November, and Prime Video is releasing it in New Zealand on the same schedule as the rest of the world. The series streams in more than 240 countries and territories, and it is a Prime Video exclusive, so a Prime membership is the only way to watch.

The release schedule

Season three has eight episodes, released in three drops:

Episodes 1 to 4: Wednesday 11 November
Episodes 5 and 6: Wednesday 18 November
Episodes 7 and 8: Wednesday 25 November

Amazon MGM Studios has published dates but not a release time for New Zealand, so the safest plan is to check the Prime Video app on the day rather than stay up for midnight.

Daniel Weyman as Gandalf in The Rings of Power season three — In pictures 3

Morfydd Clark as Galadriel in The Rings of Power season three — In pictures 3

That front-loaded opening means the first half of the season is available at once, and the finale lands a fortnight later. Anyone who wants to watch week to week without spoilers has a short window.

Where the story picks up

The new season jumps five years past the fall of Eregion. Sauron’s armies have taken much of Middle-earth, and only a few pockets hold out: the Dwarves sealed inside Khazad-dûm, and the elven realms of Lindon and Rivendell, protected by their Three Rings. In Barad-dûr, Sauron works on the One Ring itself. Amazon sets the season “at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron.”

J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay remain showrunners. Returning cast include Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Charlie Vickers as Sauron, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Daniel Weyman as Gandalf and Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil. The cast also includes Jamie Campbell Bower as Celeborn and Eddie Marsan as Thrain, and Simon Pegg voices the Balrog.

Before episode one, the first two seasons, 16 episodes in all, are on Prime Video for a catch-up.

The New Zealand connection

The series began here. Season one was shot in New Zealand, with post-production continuing in the country until June 2022, before Amazon moved production to the United Kingdom for season two, announced in August 2021. The Government then withdrew a planned 5 per cent uplift on top of the standard 20 per cent International Screen Production Grant rebate. On estimated qualifying local spend of NZ$663.74 million, the production was still potentially eligible for a NZ$132 million rebate.

So the landscapes of season one are New Zealand’s, even if the later seasons are not. For the places where Peter Jackson’s films were shot, see our guide to Middle-earth filming locations.

Where to watch

The Rings of Power season 3: Prime Video, NZ, episodes 1 to 4 from Wednesday 11 November, then 18 and 25 November
The Rings of Power seasons 1 and 2: Prime Video, NZ, streaming now
More new arrivals: November on streaming in Aotearoa, and this week’s Down Under picks