Here from across the world

TESTING THE WATERS: International students at Boys’ High, front from left, Jannis van Harten, Timmy Pham, Henry Klepser, Joel Mauchle, Niklas Trescher, Peter Gaertner, Johanthan Holzle, Luis Dreyer, Tyrese Itarie and teachers Ben Faulkner and Andrew Donaldson. In the back are Kilian Boos, Johann Friedlaender, Bela Sugar, Nicola Krause. All the students are from Germany. Picture by Liam Clayton

For 30 years Gisborne Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools have been hosting and educating international students.  Loren Sirl chats to Wendy Kirkwood and Michele McCarthy, directors of international students at the two schools, and Boys’ High principal Tom Cairns.

From across the globe high school students have loved coming to Gisborne.

“Our strengths are our easy accessibility to great surfing beaches and other water sport activities, our schools, climate and community,” says Michele McCarthy from Boys’ High.

The students are hosted by local families. The early 2000s were a boom period when some 200 international students were living in the Tairāwhiti district at any one time. The then Tairāwhiti Polytechnic and Lytton High School were also involved in the programme.

This year it is estimated up to 40 fee-paying international students across Girls’ and Boys’ High will take part.

“Covid took out everything for quite a while, with many schools in New Zealand shutting down (their overseas programmes),” said Wendy Kirkwood. “We are very grateful to our boards for having the vision and keeping the door open. We are rebounding now and we have a steady flow of inquiries,” she said.

“There’s a lot of short-term, recreational homestay interest from Germany, Austria and Switzerland but it’s time now to re-secure the Asian market and diversify with academic pathways.”

The two directors will visit Vietnam and Hong Kong in May where they will meet agents from all around the world, at events set up for the purpose of connecting schools with students.

The event is “like speed dating”, says Ms McCarthy. “It’s a relentless day; we are very busy.” They can conduct 35 interviews in the one day.

Over the years the two have established relationships with good accredited overseas agents, built on trust, honesty and quick communication.

They point to the many benefits for hosting students. Often lifelong friendships are formed, with hosts visiting the student’s own country and home years later.

“Students’ families fully fund their trip, not taxpayers’ dollars. Their fees go towards the provision of their programmes and courses. It helps to retain subjects and staffing in the school. This has a flow-on effect for the existing courses for local students. It also enriches the classroom environment,” says Miss Kirkwood.

Michele McCarthy recalls the first question from one young student, Johann, on arriving into Gisborne,

“When can I start playing rugby?” he wanted to know.

“They want to be a part of our schools by integrating into sporting teams, which is not always a possibility back at home because there are sports clubs, but they do not run sports at school as we do here.

“Johann’s gone down, joined rugby and there’s 40 instant mates. Boys love it, he gets encouraged, they’re joining in, they are learning about him and where he is from,” said Tom Cairns.

“It’s good for local kids to see, to get a taste of the bigger world out there (and see) you’re not isolated on the edge of the earth. It sets a goal – ‘there’s places I can go’.”

Homestay hosts come in all shapes and sizes including retirees, single parents and those who may already have children in school in the same age group. Being an integral part of a student’s positive experience, the families need to be willing to showcase the region, be actively involved and be able to share. They are provided with support by a homestay manager and payment covering the student’s full board.

“They need to be able to value and support the student. We are always on call to support the family as well,” says Wendy.

“You want two things if you are sending your kids to the other part of the world to know that they are safe and being looked after. But you also want to know they are going somewhere where they share the same sort of values.

“We are lucky now in that you can get on Zoom and talk to the parents. Families are neat people and it’s nice to make that connection,” said Mr Cairns.

One of the goals for the programme is to get students out into the community.

Holly Quinn from Salt Shack Surf School, Gisborne is providing surfing and coaching lessons. Dancefit is also popular with the girls as an activity after school and the new Kiwa Pools have been “a great facility to share with the students”.

A young student from the German university town of Konstanz took up the programme in Gisborne many years ago and a firm friendship was established.

Recommendations followed and others made the journey to Aotearoa.

The student is now a member of Parliament in Germany and last year Ms McCarthy and Miss Kirkwood travelled to Konstanz, setting up an information evening. With an audience of over 100 and the MP saying, “Gisborne’s great, I loved my time there”, the trip proved to have a positive outcome — 15 students signed up.

“The cultural nature of the East Coast — there’s a curiosity and an interest, especially from Europeans, in finding out about other people’s cultures,” says Ms Kirkwood.

The students who arrive are often multilingual, something the host families and local students have found fascinating.

“Our students become global citizens as well.”

There is the possibility of forming future business relationships through agriculture partnerships such as in the kiwifruit or the wine industry. Students would return home with increased knowledge of our region’s products. Future possibilities for the programme could be connections with South America, where a shared love of rugby and surfing could be the drawcard.

“It’s been a great thing for the two schools to have worked together for so long. It’s been a big partnership and the reward is the horizon moves a little bit further; our kids go out and see it can be done,” says Miss Kirkwood.

Both directors want overseas students to know “they have a place here”.

“When they come into our schools, they are a part of our wider school community, our brotherhood, our whānau.”