Two nights later The Block made its debut for 2014, attracting 351,000 viewers, a figure that remains the show's highest audience.
Its TV One rival attracted a viewership of 458,000 on September 2, its biggest ratings result to date.
During the past four weeks The Block has attracted a bigger following than My Kitchen Rules New Zealand just once, on Tuesday night when 348,000 tuned in.
That was 16,000 more than the number who watched the battle for home cooking supremacy.
Looking at the ratings for the rival primetime shows, media commentator Martin Gillman said: "You would expect The Block and My Kitchen Rules New Zealand to be way up there sitting at number one and two [in the ratings].
"Neither, in my view, has quite cut the mustard yet.
"Maybe they'll pick up but I thought it was a telling position that Country Calendar rated equally with them [two weeks ago]."
He said it appeared pitting the shows at the same time on consecutive nights had led to an overall reduction in ratings for both.
"Their decision to run head to head has definitely cost them," he said.
Meanwhile, last week My Kitchen Rules New Zealand judge Gareth Stewart took a line from one of the judges of the popular Australian MKR series, Manu Feildel, when he sat down to a serving of lamb.
"Sorry @manufeildel for stealing your line tonight, but I feel your pain ... WHERE IS THE SAUCE! #mkrnz," tweeted Stewart.
Feildel, who has spent much time on the Australian series complaining about a lack of sauce used in contestants' meals jokingly tweeted back: "stealing my line!"
