Welcome to International students wishing to study at Whakatane High School
Whakatane High School welcomes students from other countries. Until 2009 our school has accepted a limited number of students on exchange. The outstanding success of visits by students from Sweden, Finland, Germany, USA, Australia, Italy, Argentina and Peru has persuaded us to widen this opportunity to others.
In future years we plan to continue to restrict numbers of international students to less than 3% of the school roll. This way, international students remain ‘special’.
International students who make best use of their time with us get involved in everything they can. They study Marine Studies and learn to scuba dive in the Marine Reserve off our coastline. Others join hockey, soccer, netball and basketball teams, learn to play rugby or to surf at nearby Ohope beach. They take a role in the stage production, play in a band or spend time doing art or learning to dance. Others on the Outdoor Education course learn to kayak, mountainbike, rock climb, ski and hike (New Zealanders call this ‘tramping’).
Our school is 50% Maori and many international students choose to join one of our Maori cultural groups to learn indigenous language, dance and crafts. Most students leave with some very close friends and a feeling of having gained another family.
Read what other students have had to say about Whakatane High School:
Malin Naesstroem, Germany
The range of classes you can pick
I especially enjoyed going diving
Jeannie Evans, Maine, USA
I enjoyed playing in the girls’ rugby team and scuba diving
I would advise other exchange students to introduce yourself to everyone and you need to open up, even before you’re ready to
Ines Kakkonen, Finland
The chance to choose the subjects you want to study
The activities I liked best were rugby and school trips
I would advise other exchange students to be active and participate in many things
If I could change one thing about my stay it would be to stay longer
Where is Whakatane?
Whakatane sits in the spectacular Eastern Bay of Plenty of New Zealand, right beside the Pacific Ocean. These warm waters are world-famous for incredible deep sea fishing and marine sports.
The Whakatane District in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is one of the most diversely beautiful areas in New Zealand. Sandy beaches are predominant along the 54 kilometres of coastline that stretches from Otamarakau in the west to Ohiwa in the east. Central areas include fertile lowlands and farming areas on the Rangitaiki Plains through to Murupara. Te Urewera National Park in the south, which makes up 41% of the district, is protected native forest and is home to a rich array of flora and fauna.
The total area of the district covers 433,000ha or 4,442km2.
