  In providing an independent measure of the expansion history of the Universe,
the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP) has observed 71 high-z Type Ia supernovae
(SNe Ia) in the near-infrared bands Y and J. These can be used to construct
rest-frame i-band light curves which, when compared to a low-z sample, yield
distance moduli that are less sensitive to extinction and/or decline-rate
corrections than in the optical. However, working with NIR observed and i-band
rest frame photometry presents unique challenges and has necessitated the
development of a new set of observational tools in order to reduce and analyze
both the low-z and high-z CSP sample. We present in this paper the methods used
to generate uBVgriYJH light-curve templates based on a sample of 24
high-quality low-z CSP SNe. We also present two methods for determining the
distances to the hosts of SN Ia events. A larger sample of 30 low-z SNe Ia in
the Hubble Flow are used to calibrate these methods. We then apply the method
and derive distances to seven galaxies that are so nearby that their motions
are not dominated by the Hubble flow.
