The International Department and the WHS Soroptimist Club have been working together to promote an initiative called the Kiwi Passport being offered by one of our onshore agents, Study Nelson.

Study Nelson is an all German speaking agency based in Nelson who place students in High Schools in Nelson, Wellington and hopefully, one day, Hokitika. We have had two of our Year 11 students sign up for this exciting initiative, Ella Stewart and Poppy Johnston-Coates.

The Kiwi Passport course was designed for those international students, whose plans to come to New Zealand in July 2020 or January 2021 were disrupted by the travel restrictions caused by Covid-19. Although travelling to New Zealand might not be possible at the moment and we are not certain when this might change, Study Nelson wanted to give students from Germany and Austria the opportunity to learn more about New Zealand.

In the Kiwi Passport course, the international students will complete seven chapters. They will learn about New Zealand culture, the school system, intercultural differences and also improve their English language skills. Each chapter finishes with a short challenge or test.

The role of the Kiwi buddy is to partner up with an international student to support them with some of these tasks. The international student will do most of the “footwork”. Your role as a Kiwi Buddy is like a “sparring partner”, e.g. provide your point of view and your NZ perspective. By working together on these projects, you both will learn a lot about each other and each other’s culture. The international student might also ask questions about your school, subjects, extra-curricular activities or other activities in your area.