New Zealand Celebrates Matariki—Māori New Year Tomorrow, June 20, New Zealand celebrates Matariki Day, a public holiday since June 2022. Matariki is the Māori name for a cluster of seven stars that appears in the early morning sky in New Zealand during midwinter. The constellation of these seven stars is known as Pleiades or Seven Sisters in Western culture, but is known as Matariki by the […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | June 18, 2025 0 Comments
4 New Zealand Ski Resorts Set to Open This Weekend After Heavy Snowfall New Zealand ski season is set to kick off this Saturday, June 14, with four major resorts—Mt. Hutt, The Remarkables, Coronet Peak, and Cardrona—welcoming skiers and snowboarders after a series of storms blanketed the region in fresh snow. Mt. Hutt had initially planned to open on Friday, June 13, but was postponed by a day due to unsafe conditions following […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | June 13, 2025 0 Comments
Mt. Hutt, New Zealand, Reverts Back to June 13 Opening Day Due to Too Much Snow in Forecast There is such a thing as too much of a good thing—Mount Hutt, New Zealand, announced on its social media channels and website yesterday, June 3, that the resort will not open this coming weekend. Instead, the season opening will be on Friday, June 13, as initially planend, due to around 1 meter (3 feet) of snow forecast for the […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | June 3, 2025 0 Comments
Early Snow Hopes Melt as Mt. Hutt, New Zealand, Delays King’s Birthday Opening Just weeks after Mt. Hutt, New Zealand, surprised the New Zealand ski community with its earliest planned opening in 16 years, the Canterbury ski field has been forced to delay operations due to recent poor weather. Warm temperatures, rain, and wind eroded the early-season snow cover in the last couple of weeks. The resort confirmed today, May 26, that it […] Kiwi Brains | May 25, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] More Snow for New Zealand as Resorts Fire Up Snow Guns Six weeks after the season’s first snow dusted slopes in New Zealand, followed by a dump on May 1, Mother Nature has delivered again, allowing some resorts to begin snowmaking. Opening days are just a couple of weeks away, with Mt. Hutt planning to open on May 31, its earliest opening in 16 years. Related: Mt. Hutt, New Zealand, Announces […] Kiwi Brains | May 19, 2025 0 Comments
Mt. Dobson Ski Area in New Zealand Listed for Sale After 50 Years of Family Ownership After five decades of family ownership and hard-earned legacy, Mt. Dobson Ski Area is officially on the market. Peter Foote, now 82, confirmed he is selling the South Island, New Zealand, ski field he first envisioned in the early 1970s. The announcement, reported by the New Zealand Herald, marks the end of an era for one of the country’s most […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | May 12, 2025 0 Comments
Mt. Hutt, New Zealand, Announces Early Season Start After Rare May Snowfall, Marking First May Opening in 16 Years Mt. Hutt, one of New Zealand’s premier ski destinations, is set to open early for the 2025 season following an extraordinary 1.2-meter (4-foot) snowfall during the first week of May. This marks the resort’s earliest opening in 16 years, with weekend operations commencing on May 31, including the King’s Birthday public holiday on June 2. Full seven-day operations will begin […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | May 11, 2025 0 Comments
Mt. Hutt, New Zealand, Sees Record May Snowfall Over the weekend, Mt. Hutt in New Zealand’s Canterbury region has experienced a remarkable snowfall of approximately 1.2 meters (3.9 feet). This takes the current snow base at the top of Mt. Hutt to an estimated 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) and the lower base to 50 centimeters (1.6 feet). However, the exact snowbase is currently hard to establish, as wind […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | May 5, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] More Fresh Snow for Ski Resorts in New Zealand Three weeks after the season’s first snow dusted the slopes of some ski areas in New Zealand, Mother Nature delivered again on May 1. While opening days are still weeks away, recent snowfalls at Treble Cone, Cardrona, Coronet Peak, and The Remarkables have reminded skiers that winter is coming. Related: Chilean Ski Resorts Report First Snowfall of the Season At Cardrona, […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | May 1, 2025 0 Comments
Whakapapa Ski Field on Mt. Ruapehu, New Zealand, to Reopen Under New Operator After Years of Uncertainty After years of uncertainty and financial instability, the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DoC) has granted a 10-year concession to Whakapapa Holdings Limited (WHL) to operate the Whakapapa ski field on Mt. Ruapehu. The decision marks a pivotal moment for New Zealand’s most prominent North Island ski destination, which has faced serious questions about its long-term viability following the collapse […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | April 30, 2025 0 Comments
Craigieburn Valley Ski Area, New Zealand, Reopens For the Weekend Craigieburn Valley Ski Area received 15 centimeters (6 inches) of snowfall in the last five days and has announced on social media that it will be opening this weekend, September 14 and 15. The top tow and maybe middle tow will be running, and the day lodge will be open to warm up in. However, the canteen will not be […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | September 10, 2024 0 Comments
Horror Car Crash Kills 3 Korean Ski Racers Training in New Zealand Three Korean skiers were killed in a horror crash on State Highway 79 in New Zealand on Wednesday, August 21. A van carrying Korean national athletes and a four-wheel-drive collided head-on on a highway near Geraldine in South Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island, leaving three dead and two with serious injuries. South Korean sports officials and New Zealand police […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | August 22, 2024 0 Comments
Uber Celebrates 10 Years in New Zealand With Free Luxury Ski Experience Uber is set to offer an extraordinary ski adventure in New Zealand, marking its tenth anniversary there. This exclusive experience, typically valued at $2,000, will be free to Uber One members. The adventure includes a day of skiing at the private Soho Basin, renowned for its scenic views and exceptional off-piste terrain. An Uber Snowcat will transport participants to enjoy […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | August 19, 2024 0 Comments
Kids’ Season Passes Fuel Growth for Whakapapa, New Zealand Whakapapa at Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand is gearing up to welcome an influx of young snow-seekers and first-time skiers to its slopes, following the success of its season pass campaign aimed at children under 10. With thousands of free season passes issued to kids, and approximately 70% of these as new memberships, Whakapapa is signaling a return to growth. Whakapapa Chief Executive Travis Donoghue expressed his enthusiasm saying: “Our free season […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | June 11, 2024 0 Comments
Whakapapa Ski Area at Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand, Announces Season Pass Launch, Free Kids’ Passes, And Partnerships with Powder Alliance & SnowPlanet Last week we reported on the launch of season pass sales on the Tūroa side of Mount Ruapehu on New Zealand’s north island. The twin ski areas Whakapapa and Tūroa were split into two entities after the long-standing operator of both ski areas was forced into voluntary adminstration. This week, Whakapapa is excited to share its plans for the 2024 […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | April 15, 2024 0 Comments
New Zealand Ski Area Owner Fined $600,000 For Fence Post Death of Woman Skier NZSki, the operator of Coronet Peak Ski Area in New Zealand, has been fined $600,000 NZD ($362,000 USD) following the tragic death of skier Anita Graf in 2019. The maximum fine possible was $1.5 million. The company has been fined $440,000, and must pay emotional harm reparation of $130,000 to the victim’s family, and prosecution costs of $28,000. NZSki was […] Kiwi Brains | October 10, 2023 0 Comments
Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand, Gearing Up for a Bumper Spring Season The Mt Ruapehu ski fields in New Zealand are gearing up for a busy spring season with the school holidays and several drawcard events taking place over September and October. Mt Ruapehu has released its September school holiday development programs for kids aged 6-16 years which are expected to sell out. The five-day ‘Holiday Crew’ group programs run 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | September 13, 2023 0 Comments
Cardrona Alpine Resort, New Zealand, Employee Charged as Australians Admit to Free Skiing Scam Four Australian skiers have admitted to using free passes to ski at Cardrona Alpine Resort in Wānaka, New Zealand, obtained dishonestly through a resort employee. The individuals admitted their wrongdoing between August 31 and September 3 in Queenstown District Court, Debbie Jamieson reports for Stuff.co.nz. Related: Cardrona Alpine Resort, New Zealand, Report: Hits, Hijinks, and All Ages Fun Rolled Into […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | September 4, 2023 1 Comment
Treble Cone Ski Area, NZ, Threatens to Revoke Skier’s Season Pass After He Shared Tips With His Beginner Buddies Treble Cone Ski Resort, New Zealand, has warned a skier that they could revoke his season pass after he shared skiing tips with his friends on the beginner slopes. Related: Hometown Mountain Shoutout: Treble Cone, Home of New Zealand’s Freeride Community Last weekend, James Sorrenson, a Hawea resident, shared skiing tips with friends on Treble Cone’s learner slope. To his […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | August 29, 2023 7 Comments
70 Year Anniversary at Mt Ruapehu Ski Resort, New Zealand This September marks Ruapehu Alpine Lifts’ (RAL) platinum anniversary operating Mt Ruapehu’s Whakapapa and Tūroa Ski Areas. To commemorate 70 years, on Friday, September 1, 2023, guests can nab themselves a special NZD 70 (USD 41) adult weekday pass and youth passes will be discounted to NZD 45 (USD 27). Passes purchased on Friday, September 1, 2023, can be used on […] Industry News Kiwi Brains | August 28, 2023 0 Comments
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