The Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand (often shortened to YHA New Zealand or YHANZ) is a youth

hostelling A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ba ...

association in New Zealand. it comprises 16 privately owned associate backpacker hostels—8 in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

, and 9 in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. All properties are

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

or associate partners. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the organisation in 2007, then Governor-General

Sir Anand Satyanand Sir Anand Satyanand, (born 22 July 1944) is a former lawyer, judge and ombudsman who served as the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand from 2006 to 2011. Satyanand was chair of the Commonwealth Foundation for two 2-year terms, ending in ...

described YHA NZ as a "standout New Zealand organisation" and "such an iconic feature of holidaying in New Zealand". The YHA hostel in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

(now closed) won the Hostelworld "Hoscar" prize for Best Hostel in Oceania in 2007 and 2008. In 2009 the YHA hostel in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

(now closed) won the award. In November 2021, it was reported that YHA New Zealand would close its remaining 11 managed hostels in December, due largely to

COVID Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

-related financial losses, however 20 other individually-owned YHAs will continue to operate as normal. These 20 individually-owned YHAs are as follows: Ahipara, Paihia, Bay of Islands, National Park, Taupō, Waitomo, Whanganui, Whangarei, Arthur's Pass, Golden Bay, Hanmer Springs, Kinloch, Nelson, Picton, Punakaiki, Springfield, Westport.

History

The Sunlight League was formed in 1931 in New Zealand and their attention was drawn to German youth hostels later that year; youth hostels had begun in

Altena Altena (; Westphalian: ''Altenoa'') is a town in the district of Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town's castle is the origin for the later Dukes of Berg. Altena is situated on the Lenne river valley, in the northern stretc ...

in 1912. The first ones in the Southern Hemisphere were those of the Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand, after its formation on 8 April 1932, at a meeting of 9 Canterbury tramping organisations, brought together by the League and chaired by Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson. Sir Arthur was elected as President and vice-presidents included Sir Heaton Rhodes and Professors Arnold Wall and Macmillan Brown. Cora Wilding had negotiated for trampers belonging to the clubs forming the Association to stay at nearby Le Bon's Bay,

Port Levy Port Levy () is a long, sheltered bay and settlement on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury, New Zealand. The current population is under 100, but in the mid-19th century it was the largest Māori settlement in Canterbury with a population of about 40 ...

, Pigeon's Bay, Okain's Bay,

Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for "Long Harbour", which would be spelled in standard ...

Duvauchelle Duvauchelle Bay ( mi, Kaitouna) is a small town situated at the head of Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula in New Zealand. State Highway 75 passes through the town. The Onawe Peninsula separates Duvauchelle bay from Barry's Bay. Duvauchelle i ...

, and Hill Top, all on

Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest cit ...

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...

and

Diamond Harbour Diamond Harbour () is a town and a municipality of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. It is the headquarters of the Diamond Harbour subdivision. Histor ...

were also added in 1932. YHA-NZ had 895 members by 1953. in 1983 there were 47 hostels, 6,700 life members and 21,000 ordinary members. It has been a member association of

Hostelling International Hostelling International (HI), formerly known as International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF), is a grouping of more than seventy National Youth Hostel Associations in over eighty countries, with over 4,000 affiliated hostels around the world ...

since 1946. YHA New Zealand was established in 1932 in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Cora Wilding Cora Hilda Blanche Wilding (15 November 1888 – 8 October 1982) was a New Zealand physiotherapist and artist, best remembered for her advocacy of outdoor activities and children’s health camps in the 1930s. She was instrumental in the foundin ...

. The national office is based in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. A national council was created in 1955. In 1965 there were 39 hostels and 7000 members. Previously, the patron of the association was the

Governor-General of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and li ...

Current YHA-NZ hostels

This is a list of current YHA-NZ hostels. This section was up-to-date .

Former hostels

This section lists the locations of former YHA-NZ hostels.

References

* ''Cora and Co: The first half-century of New Zealand youth hostelling'' by Dion Crooks (1982, Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Youth Hostel Association Of New Zealand Tourism in New Zealand Hostelling International member associations Organisations based in Christchurch