The Canterbury Ice Hockey Association (CIHA) is the parent body of almost all formalised Ice Hockey in Christchurch. Our games are all hosted at the Alpine Ice Sports Centre on Brougham Street, in Opawa, Christchurch.

The Canterbury Ice Hockey Association is the regional authority formed largely of executive committee members from the various leagues within our jurisdiction. We maintain the regional registry of players and liaise with the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation (NZIHF), the national body overseeing ice hockey in New Zealand.

Ice Hockey, a game invented by Canadians towards the close of the nineteenth century.
It was first played in New Zealand during the early 1930s. At first, matches were played under the banner of ice skating clubs, but as the sport became more popular, several Ice Hockey Clubs were formed. For some years these remained members of the New Zealand Ice Skating Association.

In June 1937, following the first Erewhon Cup final, the New Zealand Ice Skating Association was formed at Opawa Station, Canterbury. It exercises a general supervision over all aspects of the sport and arranges the various national championship meetings. There are also three district associations – Canterbury, South Canterbury, and Otago – which run provincial championships.

In 1937 the first Ice Hockey National Series was held for the Erewhon Cup. Mostly South Island Clubs can participate in this event. First Winners of the Erewhon Cup were Mount Harper (Timaru) in 1937, and continues to the present day with the Erewhon Cup still up for grabs. It used to be a knockout competition held in July, but now depends a lot on the availability of suitable open air ice rinks in the South Island.

In 1963, however, following discussions with the Australian Ice Hockey Federation. Four Ice Hockey Clubs broke away from the NZISA to form the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation. At the same time an application for affiliation was lodged with the International Ice Hockey Federation in London. The application is approved, New Zealand teams will be able to participate in the World and Olympic championships.

The Canterbury Ice Hockey Association has a history that dates back to 1962. Since then we have grown with the sport in Christchurch to incorporate seven different leagues. Masters, Seniors Contact and Senior Non Contact, Senior Woman's league and then to the lower age groups, High Schools / College and Minors Hockey (Bantam, Peewees and Atoms).

We provide certain equipment at the ice rink necessary for playing ice hockey at our levels, funding for representative players and teams, manage most major ice hockey events in Christchurch, deal with disciplinary matters and promote the sport in our region.

If you have any queries regarding the Canterbury Ice Hockey Association or wish to contact us for information about any of the leagues, Sponsorship for Representative teams, or any other reasons.

Feel free to contact us.