Their loved-up rivals have the added pressure of keeping romances alive on The Block NZ: Villa Wars, but Hamilton sisters Sarah and Minanne Kong are dealing with another sort of challenge on the building site.
While fans might assume the girls’ biggest hurdle is their lack of machismo, in fact, it’s the pint-sized duo’s mirror-image looks that are wreaking havoc at Block HQ.
Sarah and Minanne’s strikingly similar looks have caused confusion at Block HQ!
“There have been times where our tradies don’t quite get that me and Minanne are an actual team,” laughs Sarah, 23. “We look almost identical, so they’ll talk to us thinking we are the same person, waiting for the man of the team to come along.”
But as the strikingly similar sisters – who are joined at our exclusive shoot by their adored younger sister Amy – turn on matching grins for the cameras, you can easily forgive the hard-working labourers for their blunder. It’s the first time since the last Christmas holidays that all the girls have been together and the trio are gossiping away.
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“I’m the youngest, but you can always tell me apart because I’m taller than both of them,” teases 15-year-old Amy. “At home, when I hear their voices coming from the other room, for a split second, I think they’ve come back for a visit, but then I realise it’s just my sisters on TV. I’m really proud of them!”
Younger sister Amy (middle) is bursting with pride at what they’ve achieved.
They’re only four weeks into the long and arduous renovation, but their baby sister’s praise makes Sarah and Minanne already feel like winners. “Amy’s at an impressionable age, so it’s
great for her to see positive female role models,” says Sarah. “I hope we are setting a good example for all young girls who want to achieve something but aren’t sure if they can because of the critics and stereotypes out there.”
Farm girls
Of Chinese heritage, the New Zealand-born Kong girls and their brother Antony, 16, enjoyed a classic Kiwi upbringing in rural Hamilton. Their humble farm featured chickens, rabbits and a bountiful vegetable garden, and the children ran amok through the surrounding fields.
“We were raised to be super- independent,” recalls Minanne. “We were cleaning, taking care of ourselves and cooking Mum’s favourite Chinese dishes from a young age. We grew up in a small community – there were only 120 people at our school – and we didn’t have lots of toys or computers, so we spent a lot of time outdoors together.” Both Sarah and Minanne flew the coup at age 17, with Sarah completing her Master of Industrial Design in Wellington, while Minnane moved to Auckland, where she is studying arts and commerce.
Sarah and Minanne on The Block NZ Villa Wars
“We are used to staying in touch by text and sending each other selfies – The Block is the first time we’ve lived together as adults,” smiles Sarah. “There’s been a few adjustment periods, but it’s been fun and a great bonding experience.”
Minanne giggles, “I’ve discovered Sarah is very, very, very particular about being clean at bedtime. Everything around the bed area has to be spotless, which is particularly hard on a construction site. “Of course, we fight from time to time. We are sisters – you can’t really not fight with your sister! But it’s only ever nit-picky things that we bicker over, like how loud Sarah chews her food. The tension never lasts long. We make sure we hug it out before we go to bed and wake up with a clean slate.”
But while living in close quarters in Auckland for the TV3 series has strengthened their sisterly bond, for Sarah – who has left her longtime partner Neth, 38, back in Wellington – it’s a case of absence making the heart grow stronger.
“This is the longest time we’ve spent apart in our relationship,” says Sarah. “It’s been really, really hard. The longer I’m away from him, the more I realise how great life is when he’s in it.”
Sarah met her IT consultant squeeze seven years ago, when she first moved down to the capital. Despite her best efforts to persuade her man to join her on the renovation show, Neth wouldn’t budge.
“He’s not really a practical guy – he’d much rather hire someone else to fix it,” she grins. “But he’s been so supportive. He sends both Minanne and I really nice messages, telling us to push through the tough times. I’ll put him on speaker phone in the evening and we’ll chat away while I’m working late into the night.”
Minanne, pictured here at one month old, and Sarah, five, were inspired by their hard-working mum Jill and dad Halm Fan, a builder.
