The Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand (YHA New Zealand or YHA NZ) was a youth hostelling association in New Zealand. It owned some hostels, with others privately owned by franchise partners or associate partners. The national office was in Christchurch.
With the impact of the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, which started in 2020, many of the franchisees and associates stepped back from operating hostels, including some who sold their properties. In November 2021, YHA NZ said it would close the remaining 11 hostels it owned on 15 December, due largely to COVID pandemic-related financial losses, but 23 individually owned hostels would continue to operate â these included Ahipara, Paihia, Bay of Islands, National Park, Taupà Â, Waitomo, Whanganui, WhangÃÂrei, Arthur's Pass, Golden Bay, Hanmer Springs, Kinloch, Nelson, Picton, Punakaiki, Springfield and Westport. In 2022 YHA sold its five remaining hostels (Auckland, Aoraki / Mount Cook, Franz Josef, Queenstown Lakefront and Te Anau), and four hostels previously sold to RPZ in 2021 and leased back to manage were also on-sold to Gaw Capital Holdings Limited (Rotorua, Wellington, Lake Tekapo and WÃÂnaka). Eight of them rejoined as YHA Associates, only Te Anau not keeping the YHA logo. The lease of Christchurch Hereford St was also taken over by Gaw in 2022. The hostels were then refurbished and rebranded Haka House.
YHA NZ went into liquidation at the end of 2024, though its website continues with links to five: Nelson and Westport on the South Island; Taupà Â, Waitomo and Whanganui on the North Island.
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 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 nine 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, Pigeon's Bay, Okain's Bay, Akaroa, Duvauchelle, and Hill Top, all on Banks Peninsula. Teddington and Diamond Harbour were added, also in 1932.
The association was a member of Hostelling International from 1946. It had 895 members by 1953. A national council was created in 1955. In 1965 there were 39 hostels and 7000 members. In 1983 there were 47 hostels, 6,700 life members and 21,000 ordinary members. As of April 2001, there were 57 hostels in the YHA NZ system, including three in Auckland and two in Christchurchthe two largest urban areas in New Zealand.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2007, Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand described YHA NZ as a "standout New Zealand organisation" and "such an iconic feature of holidaying in New Zealand". The hostel in Wellington won the Hostelworld "Hoscar" prize for Best Hostel in Oceania in 2007 and 2008. In 2009 the hostel in Rotorua won the award.
This is a list of current YHA NZ hostels. This section was up to date in March 2024.
This section lists the locations of former YHA NZ hostels.