Due to its location in the South Pacific and distance from the early Olympic host cities in Europe and North America, New Zealanders needed to undertake long sea voyages to participate.

New Zealand, like other Southern Hemisphere countries, has had the disadvantage of needing to peak to compete in summer sports that are held during their winter months.

In 1992, Annelise Coberger of New Zealand became the first person from the Southern Hemisphere to win a medal at the Winter Olympics when she won silver in the slalom at Albertville in France.

In 2018, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won New Zealand's second Winter Olympic medal in the inaugural big air snowboarding competition in Pyeongchang, South Korea, winning bronze.

Later on the same day, 16-year-old Nico Porteous won New Zealand's third Winter Olympic medal in the men's ski halfpipe, also taking bronze.

Nico Porteous later won New Zealand’s second-ever Winter Olympics gold medal, again in the men’s ski half pipe.

The selection process was overhauled after the disappointing performance at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where the 151 New Zealand athletes returned with just four medals (one gold and three bronze).