In short: Quirky Campers NZ partners with hand-picked campervan owners across the country, handling bookings, payments, marketing and customer service so owners can focus on the van, the handover and supporting their guests. This guide covers what we look for in a van and an owner, what’s involved week to week, and how to work out whether hiring out your campervan with Quirky is the right fit for you.
By James O’Hern · General Manager, Quirky Campers NZ · Published June 2026
Is becoming a Quirky Campers owner right for you?
Quirky Campers NZ is a committed community of campervan owners and enthusiasts spread across the country, with vans from Auckland to Dunedin and plenty of places in between. We’re looking for owners who genuinely connect with what Quirky stands for, and who want to help shape what it becomes in future years.
Our campervan owners are the heart and soul of our business. It’s thanks to their dedication and creativity that our wonderful campervans exist and can be shared with guests from all over the world.
We’re a small company, and we take care over which campervans join the fleet, and which owners join with them. Each of our vans and owners are connected to all the others. We share in the fun and the great results, and we share in the hard work too. One thoughtful five-star review lifts everyone, and the opposite is just as true, so we’re always working hard to protect our community and the customers who trust us with their holidays.
Our business, and our owners’ return on the time, effort and heart put in, depends on us all doing a great job and looking after the experience we’re building together. It’s the reason we say no to more campervans than we say yes to.
It’s a cliche, but I’m going to use it anyway. At Quirky we like to ‘go the extra mile’, and it shows in our vans, customer service and reviews. We aren’t trying to be your typical campervan operation, and we aren’t trying to be the biggest platform either. We’re building a curated group of characterful vans, with owners who take genuine pride in the experiences they create.
The aim of this piece is to be honest about what that involves, so you can decide whether it’s the right fit.
The joy of being a Quirky owner
Being a Quirky owner can be brilliant fun. It’s a channel for your imagination and creativity, watching your design ideas come to life inside your campervan. There’s always a new challenge that pulls you into learning a new skill, and the income from your bookings gives you the funds to invest back into the van to allow it to continue to grow and evolve.
Alongside the build and the upkeep, you get access to a wonderful group of customers from across New Zealand and around the world. You meet interesting people, build relationships and share advice on how to make the most of a New Zealand road trip, which most of our owners are passionate about. For many guests, a trip to New Zealand is a dream holiday to the far side of the world, so it’s easy to get swept up in their energy and excitement, and vice versa with our owner’s enthusiasm too.
“I love getting to play an active part in creating memories for people. These are little houses on wheels, and travellers genuinely bond with them. They call them by name, take pictures with them. They make them home for however long they’re on the road. Getting to provide such a special part of their experience here in Aotearoa is something I take real pride in.”
What can I earn as a Quirky owner?
The financial side is a big part of campervan ownership, and big enough to deserve its own piece. We’ve written a dedicated guide on financial returns for owners that covers it off in detail.
The short version: our established owners earned an average of $16,000 last season (after Quirky fees), with many returning well north of $20,000. The honest companion to the earnings question is the one this article is here to answer, which is what does it take to be one of our owners and what are our expectations?
What we look for in a van
Our campervans are intentionally distinctive. It’s a big part of what makes Quirky stand out. We look for style AND substance: a characterful presentation inside and out, with real attention to materials and finish. But it can’t all be style, it needs to be backed up with reliability, practicality and longevity.
| Things we love | Things we don’t love |
|---|---|
| One-of-a-kind features | Mass-produced designs |
| Genuine craftsmanship | Slapdash or wonky work |
| Safe and legal vehicles inside and out | A blanket thrown over bare foam |
| Beautiful upholstery & coherent styling | Unreliable design and components |
We also have a strong focus on safety and compliance, which you can read about in this article. Quirky Campers NZ holds a New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Transport Service Licence (TSL) to operate our service, which requires all our vans hold the following certificates where required:
- Certificate of Fitness, rechecked every six months. This replaces the Warrant of Fitness (WoF)
- Gas certificate for any fixed gas installations (e.g. LPG for cookers and hot water)
- Electrical Warrant of Fitness for any campervans with a 230v connection
- Certified self-contained to the green sticker standard
- Regular servicing and maintenance to ensure the vehicle is safe ahead of every rental
You can read more about freedom camping in our Freedom camping in New Zealand: a 2026 guide.
We appreciate this might sound like a lot of work, so we’re happy to discuss any of this and look at vans that haven’t yet ticked every box. If you’re partway through a build, or you’re thinking about buying a van with hire in mind, get in touch early and we can give you an honest steer. Drop us an email at campervansnz@quirkycampers.com.
What we look for in an owner
The owners who thrive on our platform tend to share a handful of traits. You don’t need every one of these, but our top performing owners are most of them.
- Enthusiastic. You’re proud of the experience you create for guests, and it comes through in the way you design and maintain your campervan. Customers can feel it before, during and after their trip.
- Friendly. You enjoy meeting people, sharing the story and features of the van, and answering odd questions while customers are on the road.
- Pragmatic. You’re comfortable with the realities of hiring out your vehicle and solving some of the challenges that go with it.
- Organised. You can stay on top of turnarounds and maintenance, particularly when bookings are frequent over summer.
- Reachable. You’re contactable during your guests’ trip. Most issues are small and quickly sorted, and being available is reassuring for customers.
If you’re after a completely hands-off rental or investment, we probably aren’t the right fit. The business leans on the relationships between owners, guests and the Quirky team. This is by design and is a big part of what helps us stand out from the crowd.
Fitting Quirky around your life
Where you need to be based
Being near a place where lots of trips start and finish is helpful for driving bookings, but there are no hard and fast rules. Auckland and Christchurch are naturally our two biggest centres, thanks to their international airports. We also have vans that do well in Hamilton, Wellington, Nelson, Dunedin, Wanaka and Queenstown.
If you’re not in any of these spots, don’t worry. Have a chat with us and we can take an honest look at whether your location is likely to work. Customers come from all over New Zealand and from every corner of the world, so where there’s a great van with a great owner, we’re confident we can find great customers. If you’re in Whāngarei, Coromandel, Tauranga, Napier, Blenheim or Invercargill then give us a shout, you could be the first Quirky Camper in town.
What if I already have a job?
If you already lead a busy life, that’s OK. Quirky van ownership can usually fit around your other commitments. There’s no escaping the fact that running your campervan takes a chunk of time and effort, but there’s nothing stopping you from managing your van in the evenings and at weekends. You set your own pick-up and drop-off windows, so there’s always flexibility where it makes sense for you and the customer.
With New Zealand being a long way to come for many of our travellers, most bookings are made well in advance, often with weeks or months of notice. That gives plenty of time to make arrangements to be available. In our experience, the best owners can’t be stretched too thin. There’s a genuine amount of work involved in looking after your camper, but a busy or varied schedule doesn’t need to be a complete blocker.
How the partnership works
A clear split of responsibilities is one of the things that makes the partnership work. Here’s how it breaks down.
| What Quirky Campers NZ handles | What the owner handles |
|---|---|
| Listing build, photography guidance, pricing and owner support | Owning and maintaining your Quirky campervan |
| Insurance covering customer bookings and private use | Staying compliant with government and Quirky rules and regulations |
| Inbound enquiries and bookings management | Handovers, walkthroughs and return inspections |
| Customer and owner payments | Cleaning and turnaround between hires |
| Website, marketing and customer traffic to drive bookings | Guest support during the trip itself |
| Incident management and responding to issues on the road | Calendar management and your own personal use |
A typical week as a Quirky owner
Owner workload varies a lot by season. In quiet winter months you’ll barely think about the van. From December through February, you’ll regularly be needed for handovers and turnarounds.
- Summer peak (December to February): lots of bookings and quick turnarounds, often two to four hours of work per turnover.
- Shoulder seasons (March to April, October to November): a more relaxed pattern of bookings.
- Winter (May to September): the quietest period, with occasional bookings. A great time for servicing and fixing the small things you’ve been putting off.
Across the full year, the average Quirky NZ owner handles around 5 to 10 bookings, with an average length of 15 days.
How to apply: from enquiry to launch
The path from first enquiry to going live typically takes four to six weeks, depending on how ready your van is.
- Initial chat. Fill in our new owner form or email us at campervansnz@quirkycampers.com with a few photos and a paragraph about your van. We’ll come back honestly on whether it’s likely to be a fit, or what might need to be done to be accepted.
- Van check. We review your compliance information and self-containment status. We’ll flag anything that needs attention.
- Listing build. We work with you on photography, campervan description, pricing and availability. You don’t have to be a copywriter or a photographer, we’ll guide you through it.
- Launch. Your listing goes live and we start driving enquiries and bookings.
Ready to talk?
If this sounds like a fit, send us an email to campervansnz@quirkycampers.com with a few photos of your van and a paragraph about you and your van’s story. We’ll come back to you as soon as we can. If you’d like a sense of the kinds of vans we already work with, take a look at our current fleet.
Quirky Campers owner Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What kind of campervan does Quirky Campers NZ accept?
Quirky Campers NZ accepts handcrafted, individually built campervans which have been finished to a high standard. By the time the listing goes live, each van must be certified self-contained to the current green sticker standard, with a valid Certificate of Fitness, and gas and electrical safety certificates where required. The Quirky team can talk you through these requirements if you don’t have them yet.
How much time does being a Quirky Campers owner take?
How much time being a Quirky Campers owner takes varies heavily by season. In peak summer (December to February), expect regular bookings with two to four hours of work per turnaround. In the shoulder seasons bookings are less frequent. Winter (May to September) is the quietest period with only occasional bookings, leaving time for servicing and conversion upgrades.
Does Quirky Campers NZ handle the bookings and customer service?
Yes, Quirky Campers NZ handles all inbound enquiries, bookings, payments, marketing and front-line customer service. Owners look after handover, walkthrough, cleaning, restocking and supporting guests during the trip itself.
Do I need special insurance to rent out my campervan?
Quirky Campers NZ provides fully comprehensive insurance for our campervans, which covers both customer rentals and private usage by owners. You can see more about our insurance offering for customers on our FAQs page.
Can I still use my own campervan when I’m a Quirky owner?
Yes, you can still use your own campervan when you’re a Quirky owner. You control your own availability calendar. The more availability you offer, the higher your returns are likely to be.
How long does it take to launch as a new Quirky owner?
Launching as a new Quirky owner typically takes four to six weeks from first enquiry to the listing going live, depending on how ready your van is. If your conversion and certificates are already in order, launch can be quicker. If you need to certify for green self-containment, add a gas safe certificate or finish your conversion, allow a longer period. The sooner we can get you live, the better for your first season.
Do I need to handle cleaning myself between hires?
You’re responsible for the van being clean, restocked and ready for each guest. Many of our owners clean themselves; a small number may outsource to a local cleaner, particularly through peak season when turnarounds are back to back.
What happens if a guest damages my van?
If a guest damages your van, the damage is handled through the Quirky Campers insurance process. We support owners through the process, document the incident, and recover costs from customers where fair and appropriate.
