New Zealand Tertiary College’s new international students have been welcomed with a one-week orientation.
On the morning of Monday the 18th of February, orientation packs were gifted to each student containing a list of emergency contacts, information on accommodation, bus timetables, a “supporting our students” sheet with NZTC contact numbers and emails, and an NZTC hat, water bottle, notebook and pen.
Then at 9am a pohiri (traditional Maori welcome ceremony) was held. This ceremony signifies the coming together of two groups as one and plays a fundamental part in the College’s culture.
NZTC’s Chief Executive Selena Fox welcomed the students and congratulated them for embarking on a career in early childhood education: “Whether you have come from around the corner or a distant land… our tradition today is to acknowledge the opening of our door, our lives, our hearts… for you to join us in our journeys together.”
The ceremony ended with students exchanging hongi (the pressing of noses together) with key College leaders and the sharing of morning tea.
Following this the students were given a series of presentations on what to expect when studying with NZTC and living in Auckland, New Zealand. Representatives from banks and insurance companies also spoke. For the next three days the new students were given an academic orientation to studying in New Zealand, early childhood education and their programs of study.
On Friday the students were taken on a tour of Auckland by Avril Fortuin, the International Pastoral Support Officer, and representatives from NZTC’s international team.
To put into place practice on Auckland transport, the group boarded a train from opposite the Auckland Campus to Britomart Transport Centre, in the Auckland CBD. The team showed them where to pick up free train timetables and maps. The group walked around the city centre and down to Auckland’s beautiful Viaduct Harbour, where they were able to take in the views of Auckland Harbour and city.
Everyone then boarded a bus from Britomart to the Auckland Museum, where they joined a tour and learnt about the Maori culture and New Zealand’s history. A pizza lunch was enjoyed in the lunchroom, where they were challenged to perform a short song or dance from their own cultures. From these performances it was evident that the students had great potential as future early childhood educators.
They proceeded to walk to Newmarket before finally arriving back at the Greenlane Campus via bus.
The students made strong bonds with one another and left the orientation feeling excited and ready to start their studies.
For more information about studying an early childhood program with NZTC, please call us on (09) 520 4000 or emailing info@nztertiarycollege.ac.nz