Picton Motel was the first in New Zealand which opened in December 1952.

The image shown is a Picton Motel image from 1958. I can't find one of the original Picton Motel. 

Motels quickly became popular with New Zealanders. Not only were they cheaper – low staff requirements kept prices down – but most had kitchen facilities and their own bathrooms, which hotels lacked.

Their popularity further increased once six o’clock closing ended, as the Licensing Control Commission commented in 1968: ‘Travellers simply prefer the privacy, spaciousness and amenities of a motel room and are becoming more and more disinclined to take a room in a hotel, particularly since ten o’clock closing, when they may have to put up with the hubbub from the bars below or nearby.’ Competition from motels contributed to a significant drop in hotel numbers after 1967. Motor lodges, which provided dining and bar facilities, also opened.

By 2008 motels were the country’s most popular form of accommodation, making up a third of total guest nights. There were 1,838 of them, outnumbering hotels by three to one. However motels tended to be small in scale.

As of December 2024 there are 2291 Motels, Hostels and Holiday Parks combined in New Zealand.

The most accurate count for stand alone Motels is 455.