Program Description | Host Family & Community | Host School | Travel | Orientations & Activities | Eligibility
Program Description
New Zealand’s North Island boasts volcanoes, geysers, and beaches, while the South Island has rugged mountains, glaciers, and activities like swimming with dolphins and whale watching. New Zealand has two predominant cultures: the European (or Pekeha) and the Maori. There is also a Pacific Island influence, a growing Asian culture, and a plethora of other groups, which makes for a diverse mix of cuisine, music and art. Whatever their background, Kiwis are famous for their love of extreme sports and outdoor adventure.
As an AFSer in New Zealand, you’ll live with a host family while attending a local school. New Zealanders are typically very active and outgoing, so high school is a great place to make new friends and get involved in extracurricular activities and other fun stuff.
Language
English, Maori, and sign language are all official languages of New Zealand. English is used in day-to-day business and will be the language taught in your school and spoken by your host family.
Maori, the indigenous language of New Zealand, was recognized as an official language in 1987. It is spoken by 160,000 inhabitants. Many Maori words are used in everyday speech and many place and street names are Maori too.
Host Family & Community
Host families in New Zealand, like all AFS host families worldwide, are not paid. They open their homes to students in order to share their community and culture as well as to enrich their own family lives.
You could be placed anywhere in New Zealand, though most placements are in semi-rural to rural areas. You should be prepared for the possibility of being placed on a farm where you’ll be expected to help the whole family assists with farm work. This may involve jobs such as feeding stock, milking cows, haymaking etc.
Keep in mind that you may not learn about your host family placement until soon before your departure and, due to visa application processing time, it's possible that your departure from the USA may be delayed.
Kiwis
On the whole, New Zealanders (Kiwis) are self-reliant, practical people. The way of life in New Zealand is generally relaxed and informal.
Most families are a mixture of European, Maori, Asian or Polynesian descent. Kiwis are not influenced by Western culture alone. Fashion, jewelry, decorations and crafts reach deep into the Maori traditions. Maori are preserving their unique culture that contributes to New Zealand as a whole. It is not uncommon for both parents to work outside the home. Children and parents share the housework. Almost all families have pets living in the house.
Teens
New Zealanders love sports and the outdoors. Almost every young person is involved in some form of sport. The favorites are rugby, cricket, soccer, basketball, netball, hockey, and touch rugby (rugby without the physical contact).
In addition to their passion for being active, Kiwi teenagers also enjoy music, movies, festivals, theatre, shopping or just meeting friends in cafés or at social gatherings.
Most placements are rural or semi-rural so you will need to be prepared for the possibility of living in an isolated area where your social life may be influenced by lack of easy transport and distance to the nearest town.
Meals
You will find a varied diet in New Zealand. The most traditional meal is the roast. New Zealanders love barbecues; they are proud of their fish and chips take-outs and thanks to a wide variety of ethnic groups the culinary arts are becoming very diverse.
Breakfast usually consists of cereal with fruit, milk or yoghurt, and/or toast with butter/jam/honey; some families may have cooked food such as bacon and eggs.
For a light lunch, Kiwis typically have sandwiches, biscuits or muesli bars, and some fruit. Most students take a packed lunch to school, which they make at home.
New Zealanders often partake in afternoon tea with some crackers, cake, biscuits or fruit.
Dinner is the main meal, where you'll most likely be eating meat, fish, or chicken served with potatoes, pasta, bread or rice, salad, vegetables. Many families cook Asian style curries and stir fries for dinner. After dinner, there's sometimes dessert (pudding) or fresh fruit. If it’s a special occasion, you might get the opportunity to experience the traditional Maori way of cooking food—hangi, similar to a Hawaiian luau—where meat and vegetables are baked in an underground oven for several hours.
Most families who host students try very hard to cook food they think you will like. If you are served food that you don’t like, or that you cannot eat for health or religious reasons, discuss this with your family. Don't be afraid to try new foods.
Host School
It’s likely that you’ll attend a public, state-sponsored, school. You will be enrolled in Year 12 or 13, the equivalent of junior or senior year, depending on your age and previous courses taken. You’ll likely be studying math, English, art, and science. There are also optional classes like outdoor recreation, tourism, agriculture, and catering. You’ll also get to experience sports clubs, Maori cultural groups, choir, and drama clubs.
Most schools require a uniform, so you should budget up to $300 to purchase one.
Check out the Host School FAQ (.pdf).
Travel
You will receive a Travel Notification email about 6 weeks prior to international departure with your international flight itinerary and detailed instructions for when to arrive at the Gateway Orientation site in Los Angeles. At that point, you may arrange your domestic travel. In Los Angeles, you will join other AFS-USA participants for an overnight Gateway Orientation before you travel together to Auckland.
International airfare is included as part of the tuition, but it is your responsibility to get from your home town to the Gateway Orientation site.
Your Arrival
After the Gateway Orientation in Los Angeles, you and your fellow AFSers will travel together to Auckland, where AFS staff and volunteers will be waiting for you at the airport. It’s possible that your host family will meet you at the airport as well, but if they live some distance from the airport you will travel either by bus or plane to your host community.
Your Return
You will travel together with the other AFS-USA participants back to New York from Auckland.
Orientations & Activities
In addition to the orientations that you will participate in domestically (the locally held Pre-Departure Orientation, the Culture Trek online orientation, and the national Gateway Orientation), you and your fellow AFSers will have several orientations while abroad.
These required orientations are intended to help you maximize your AFS experience, prevent culture shock and to gain knowledge, skills and a global understanding.
Arrival Orientation
AFS participants arrive in New Zealand at different intervals, so there is no immediate Arrival Orientation. Instead, your first Orientation will take place on a local level within a week of your arrival in New Zealand.
Mid-Stay Orientation
You will attend a regional orientation about six weeks after arrival, which will allow you to catch up with your AFS friends, share your experiences and ask questions. Volunteers will help with adaptation issues and meet with you to see how things are going so far. By this time you will be getting used to life in a new country and may have many questions to ask.
End-of-Stay Orientation
Lastly, there is the End-of-Stay camp, a time to get together with other AFSers 3-5 weeks before you return home. During this you will be looking back at your exchange and sharing memories with other AFSers. It is also about thinking of the future.
Optional Activities
Year Program Participants will be offered an optional mid-stay orientation in the region you are hosted in. This orientation is not included in your tuition and will cost about $80.
AFS volunteers will organize several fun activities for you during your stay. These may include informal get-togethers, weekend outings, picnics and camping trips.
AFS New Zealand also offers optional bus tours of the North and South Islands during the April and September school holidays at a minimum cost of NZ$1,500 each. This fee is not included in your tuition.
Eligibility
To participate in this program, you must:
- Be within the age range (located in the ‘read more’ drop-down) upon departure
- Have a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Be mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy in accordance with AFS Medical Evaluation Policies
- Have a U.S. passport at the time of application. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the program end date
- Have an open mind, willingness to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to new a culture, school, and environment
Participation Notes
New Zealand cannot accept applicants with strict dietary restrictions such as vegans but will consider vegetarians. Please note that you may be asked to prepare your own vegetarian dishes as most host families eat red meat.
High School graduates will not be considered for this program.
