It makes sense that they do that part way through the season doesn't it? They'll drop the yearly subscription price soon enough.
Free day passes are a great idea, and I said earlier in the season that they should be doing more of it. As it invites people to trial the completely new product - marketing 101. Good to see they're doing it tbh.
Their biggest problem is an unreliable supplier/delivery system that they have no control over - the Internet in nz.