International

All years 9-11 international students must stay in one of our Boarding Houses.  In years 12-13, students can choose to remain in Boarding or move into homestay accommodation with a New Zealand family.

Boarding

Our two Boarding Houses, Rutherford and Barnicoat, each has 60-75 students.  We will place you in one of these houses where at least one other student speaks your first language.

As a boarder you will:

• live in a caring structured environment
• enjoy 24-hour supervision, 7 days a week
• have all of your meals provided
• live with New Zealand and international students
• be in a dormitory with boys your own age, with younger students sharing a cubicle and senior students having their own
• participate fully participate in school life
• participate in many sporting, cultural and social activities
• always have company of other boys and make many New Zealand friends of your own
• develop your everyday communication language skills.
• study regularly in the evenings with supervision and assistance
• have access to tutorials and homework classes to help you with your study
• have senior students and supervisors available to assist you

Students who wish to shift from boarding to homestay must give one term’s notice and must have permission from their parents to allow this.

One of the two boarding houses will remain open in the holidays for those International students who do not travel. Alternatively we will find a good homestay for you in Nelson or somewhere else in New Zealand if desired.

Homestay Accommodation

Staying with a New Zealand or ‘kiwi’ family is a great way to experience the New Zealand way of life.  All homestays are carefully chosen and monitored by the school. We will find a homestay that is best suited to your individual needs. All our homestays have undergone a police background check.

Staying in homestay accommodation allows you to:

live with a New Zealand family and experience the ‘kiwi’ way of life

• learn and practise English in a friendly environment
• have your own bedroom and with a desk for study
• join in with family activities in the weekend and holidays
• share your own culture with your New Zealand family

Our homestay families choose to have international students stay with them because they want to learn about a different culture. You can share yours with them and maybe cook some of your own special food.