Studying in another country is about much more than changing schools. You are finding new friends, learning new routines, living in a different culture and discovering where you fit.
At Haeata, you do not have to work all of that out on your own.
You arrive as an international student. You become part of our community.
Good support starts with relationships.
At Haeata, our International team takes the time to know each student as a person - how school is going, what they enjoy, what they are working towards and when something may not feel quite right.
Our current International model includes a personal network of five trusted adults and weekly wellbeing check-ins, helping ensure students have people around them they know they can approach.
Support also comes through the wider Haeata community: teachers, friends, Homestay family, wellbeing staff and the International team.
The aim is simple:
PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOU
Build relationships with trusted adults who know how you are doing and are there when you need support.
REGULAR CHECK-INS
Wellbeing conversations give you regular opportunities to tell us what is going well — and what might need some attention.
STUDENT VOICE
Your experience matters. We want students to feel comfortable asking questions, raising concerns and telling us what they need.
SUPPORT WHEN YOU NEED IT
Sometimes you need advice. Sometimes you need practical help. Sometimes you simply need someone to listen.
We don't wait until something goes wrong.
Pastoral care at Haeata is not something that only happens when there is a problem.
It is part of everyday school life.
Our approach is to notice, check in, listen and respond. That means paying attention to the whole student - learning, attendance, friendships, wellbeing, Homestay and how they are settling into life in New Zealand.
Haeata also has a wider focus on hauora and wellbeing. Current external school evaluation has recognised both Haeata's strong focus on wellbeing support and its resourced hauora provision.
For an international student, this matters. A small change in mood, participation or routine can sometimes be the first sign that something needs attention.
You should never have to wait until a small concern becomes a big one before someone asks:
“How are you going?”
Check In - Regular opportunities to tell us how things are going.
Listen - Your voice matters. We listen to what you tell us.
Notice - We pay attention to changes in engagement, learning and wellbeing.
Respond - When support is needed, we help connect you with the right person.
Haeata International's planned wellbeing system brings student check-ins and key information together so the International team can develop a clearer picture of how each student is doing.
For students, the app is designed to provide a simple way to:
For the International team, the accompanying dashboard is designed to help bring information such as wellbeing, attendance and learning indicators together in one place.
The purpose is not to replace conversations.
It is to help make those conversations earlier, better informed and more personal.
Technology should help us notice. Relationships are what help us respond.
Homestay is about much more than having somewhere to sleep.
It is where many of the small experiences of living in New Zealand happen: sharing dinner, talking about your day, learning household routines, celebrating special occasions and becoming part of everyday family life.
The Haeata International philosophy is simple:
A Homestay is not just accommodation. It is family.
Living with a Homestay family can also give you another important circle of support away from school.
You have people to talk to at the end of the day. People who can help you understand life in New Zealand. People who notice if you seem quieter than usual. And people with whom ordinary moments can become some of the memories you value most.
Become part of everyday New Zealand family life.
Share conversations, meals, routines and experiences.
Learn about New Zealand culture by living it.
If something does not feel right, you will have people at school you can talk to.
This is where friendships grow.
Some of the strongest friendships at school do not begin in a classroom lesson.
They start while warming up for a game. Rehearsing for a performance. Sitting together at lunchtime. Joining a club. Helping at an event. Laughing on the bus home.
Getting involved is one of the best ways to turn a new school into your school.
Haeata encourages students to participate in the wider life of the campus, and external evaluation has also noted the school's focus on co-curricular participation.
You do not have to be the best at something to join in.
You just have to be willing to give something a go.
Sport is a chance to move, compete, improve and, just as importantly, become part of a team.
Depending on the season and current school offerings, students may have opportunities to take part in school sport, training and recreational activities.
The friendships built through a team can make a new school feel familiar very quickly.
Not everyone finds their place on a sports field.
Clubs, activities and school events give students different ways to meet people with similar interests, try something new and contribute to school life.
Whether you enjoy creating, performing, building, debating, helping or simply discovering something you have never tried before, participation creates connection.
Performing and creative experiences give students another way to express themselves and work alongside others.
Music, performance and creative activities can also cross language barriers - sometimes friendship begins before you know all the right English words.
Belonging also grows when you contribute.
Helping at an event, volunteering, supporting other students or participating in community activities gives you opportunities to move from simply attending Haeata to actively helping shape the community around you.
Haeata is an Aotearoa New Zealand school whose environment and learning are strongly connected to te ao Māori. The school's cultural narrative was developed with Ngāi Tahu connections to east Christchurch, and te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are valued across the campus.
Two ideas are particularly important to the experience we want international students to have:
Showing care, respect and hospitality towards others.
Building relationships, connection and a sense of belonging.
These are not decorative words for a website.
They describe the kind of community we want students to experience.
At Haeata, you will meet people with different languages, cultures, identities and life experiences. You will have opportunities to share your own culture while learning from the cultures and perspectives of others.
Belonging does not mean becoming the same as everyone else.
It means knowing there is a place for you as yourself.
International student trips are about much more than visiting new places. Shared activities give students time to relax, talk and get to know one another outside the normal school day, helping new friendships form naturally. As students explore Christchurch and the wider region together, they become more familiar with their new home, build confidence navigating unfamiliar places and create shared experiences they can talk about long after the trip is over. Those ordinary moments - travelling together, trying something new, helping each other and laughing along the way - strengthen connections and help international students feel increasingly part of the Haeata community.
Rock climbing at the Adventure Centre
Relaxing at He Puna Taimoana hot pools
Ten pin bowling at Zone Bowl
Feeding time at the Christchurch Alpaca Farm
Go karting grand prix at Supa Karts
Ziplining at Christchurch Adventure Park
Paddling through Christchurch with Waka on Avon
Orana Park close encouters
Experience panoramic views from Christchurch Gondala
Experiencing the cold at the Antarctic Centre
You don't have to know everything on day one.
Starting at a new school in another country can feel exciting and unfamiliar at the same time.
That is normal.
Your first days are about helping the unfamiliar become familiar.
Ata is here to welcome you and help you have a positive start to your time at Haeata. They are always here to help and to answer your questions.
ARRIVE
Begin your Haeata experience and start settling into Christchurch.
MEET YOUR PEOPLE
Connect with the International team and people who will support you.
FIND YOUR WAY
Become familiar with the campus, routines and school day.
JOIN CLASSES
Meet your teachers and begin learning alongside Haeata students.
MAKE CONNECTIONS
Talk to classmates, join activities and begin building friendships.
SETTLE IN
Gradually, the places, people and routines that were new begin to feel normal.
Nobody expects you to have everything worked out immediately.
Ronan Bass is Haeata Community Campus's Director of International Students.
With 30 years of experience as a teacher and educational leader, including serving as a New Zealand high school Principal, Ronan brings a deep understanding of what helps young people feel known, supported and able to succeed.
His role is not simply to manage an international programme.
It is to know the students in it.
Ronan works closely with students, families, Homestays, teachers and the wider Haeata team to make sure every international student has people around them who understand how they are doing and are ready to help when needed.
A central goal of Haeata International is to develop globally leading pastoral care — care that is personal, proactive and built around genuine relationships. That means noticing the small things, checking in regularly, listening to student voice and responding early when something does not seem right.
Whether you have a question about school, need help working something out, want to talk about how things are going, or simply need to know who to ask, Ronan and the International team are there.
You should never feel that you have to work everything out on your own.
Belonging also means knowing that what you think matters.
We want international students to tell us about their experience - what is working, what could be better and what would help them get more from their time at Haeata.
Ask questions.
Share ideas.
Tell us when something is great.
Tell us when something is difficult.
You do not need to wait until somebody else notices.
We listen. We learn. We respond.
Yuu - Year 13 - International Student from Japan
On your first day, almost everything may feel new.
New school.
New people.
New routines.
Perhaps a new language.
A new country.
Then something begins to change.
You know where to go.
Someone says hello when they see you.
You have people to sit with.
A teacher knows what you are working towards.
Your Homestay begins to feel familiar.
You join something.
You contribute something.
And one day, without really noticing when it happened, Haeata no longer feels like the school you came to visit.
It feels like your school.
That is belonging.
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