Fitzone Matamata is a gym at 13 Short Street in Matamata, with a Google rating of 4.8 from 67 reviews. Customers mention friendly staff most often, along with a welcoming atmosphere and personal training.
The website lists free group fitness classes, 24-hour access, a creche, free challenges and a Fitzone app. The Fitzone Four Week Challenge offers a choice of nine programmes with scans, tracking and weekly check-ins. Body composition scans and MYZONE heart-rate training are also listed. A two-week trial pass is listed for new members.
Its Short Street gym makes it a practical place for group classes and a creche in Matamata.
Long before Fitzone grew into a group of clubs across New Zealand's smaller towns, it was one gym in Matamata - and a fairly stubborn idea. Founders Emma and Lennie Brooky had spent years travelling back and forth to Hamilton just to train, wondering why the towns closer to home didn't have a proper gym. When they finally looked into it, the answer was disappointing: most small-town clubs were unstaffed, or only staffed at certain times of day, so there was often nobody around to help. Rather than accept that, they set out to build the gym they wished existed.
Fitzone Matamata opened on 1 May 2016, taking over a long-running club that was ready for new energy. There was no renovation budget, so family members got to work painting, cleaning and reshuffling equipment until the space felt inviting, approachable and fun. From those scrappy beginnings, Fitzone has grown from 140 members to more than 2,000 across four towns - and Matamata remains the original.
The phrase the team keeps returning to is 'more than a gym' - more than gear, treadmills and exercise. Fitzone sees itself as a community and a place of positive change, where staff build genuine relationships with members and do everything in their power to help people stay on track. Walk in and you're greeted with a smile and a positive attitude; the goal is that you leave feeling better than when you arrived. Members agree, with reviews praising the 'wicked atmosphere', super friendly and supportive staff, and classes that are fun and motivating. The club is also an award-winning gym, and a big part of its vision is showing the wider community how fun health and fitness can be - out and about around town, not just inside the club. Since the beginning, Fitzone's clubs say they've positively impacted more than 9,000 community members.
Memberships are the backbone, and cautious newcomers can dip a toe in with the '14 days for $14' intro pass before committing. Group fitness classes run to a published timetable, and there's even 'Train like ME', a program from Fitzone's own Em. Around the gym floor, the club layers on extra services: Fitzone Body Scans to measure body composition, MYZONE for heart-rate-based training, the Fitzone App for your phone, a creche so parents can train while their children are cared for, and an online shop for Fitzone gear.
Fitzone's signature event is the Fitzone Four Week Challenge (FFWC), which runs in rounds - Round 23 at the time of writing. You choose one of nine programs, then bookend the round with an initial body scan and a final scan. In between there's weekly fitness testing and check-ins, a full workout program of four to six sessions a week matched to your program, nutrition tracking, daily habit tracking and a Facebook group where members support and encourage each other. Every round opens with Prep Week, when you complete your first scan, set your goals and go over your nutrition and training plan. First-timers can get their first challenge completely free by emailing info@fitzonenz.com for a discount code, and an online version lets you take part even if you can't get to a club.
Fitzone Matamata is one of four sister clubs, alongside Paeroa, Waihi and Te Aroha, all run on the same staffed, high-service, low-cost model. Opening hours for the Matamata club aren't published on the main website, so check the Contact Fitzone Matamata page or get in touch before your first visit. If you're eyeing up the challenge, note that each club has its own Prep Week scan times and its own official start date, so register early and pick the Matamata slots. And if you've never set foot in a gym before, you're exactly who Fitzone was built for: the whole idea was to give people in small towns a positive, approachable, exciting first exercise experience.