Why should you care?

These huts are more than just shelter — they’re markers of our relationship with the land, built through decades of exploration, labour, and quiet connection to place. Constructed throughout the mid-1900s for deer cullers, surveyors, and early trampers, they’ve become part of the cultural fabric of New Zealand’s backcountry — simple, purposeful structures that reflect a time when freedom to roam, explore, and live close to the land was a defining part of life. In the early days of restoration, it was often just a few people with packs full of tools, heading into the bush on foot to patch a roof or fix a window. That spirit of DIY care still runs strong — but the movement has grown.

What began as quiet trips into the hills has grown into a coordinated effort, uniting individuals, clubs, and national support to preserve these huts. It’s no longer just about repairs — it’s about recognising their cultural value and keeping them part of the living landscape. These huts are stitched into the memory of the land — reminders of where we’ve been and what we care enough to carry forward. If we don’t keep them standing — and remembered — they risk quietly slipping away. And once they’re gone, we don’t get them back.

In recent decades, as priorities shifted and budgets tightened, the government’s participation in maintaining the hut network began to shrink. Many of these backcountry shelters — once routinely serviced — were quietly dropped from maintenance schedules, left to weather, rot, or be removed altogether. For a while, it seemed inevitable that a large number would simply disappear, lost to time and neglect. But their value never faded for those who knew what they meant — as landmarks, resting places, and cultural touchstones. The risk of losing something so woven into New Zealand’s outdoor heritage sparked a quiet response: not from institutions, but from individuals, communities, and grassroots groups who refused to let these places vanish without a fight. The Hut Keepers.

To learn more about the huts, their history, and how you can get involved, visit remotehuts.co.nz — a resource built by and for those who care deeply about New Zealand’s backcountry heritage.