Hong Kong students give Southland big tick

International students in Southland secondary schools are better settled than those in the North Island, according to education agents from Hong Kong.

Four Hong Kong-based education agents travelled around Southland and Otago last week to look at the educational opportunities for international students provided by schools in Queenstown, Te Anau and Invercargill.

The agents' job is to travel the world looking at education in different countries so they can advise parents in Hong Kong about the areas that would be best suited for their children.

All four agents agreed that New Zealand provided the best interaction between international students and host students and the connection with host students in Southland was even stronger, they said.

Agent Sing Wong said it was his first trip down south but praised New Zealand educators for how well they worked to settle international students in.

Because extracurricular activities were organised by schools, students gained a better understanding of the culture faster than in any other country, he said.

Agent Stella Chu said when she visited southern schools international students could not wait to tell her how much they were enjoying themselves.

In Southland they were settled into schools after just a month, something that usually took three months in other areas, she said.

The agents were bought to Southland by Air New Zealand and Education New Zealand to show them what the region had to offer.

Combined, the four agents have about 100 students in New Zealand secondary schools, paying $20,000 each a year, but just six in Southland. Now they had seen the region, more students were likely to come here, they said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

Newest First

Oldest First