New Zealand offers their students a good quality education, a multi-cultural society, adventures and unique scenery

If you are thinking about doing part of your education in another country, consider New Zealand. Not only is it a good place to study, but it's also a great place to visit. Here are just a few of the reasons why New Zealand should be on your list of possible study destinations:

Top quality education
A New Zealand education provides internationally recognised qualifications to all students, with the quality of our programmes is second to none.  Our Government has a commitment to making sure that all students in New Zealand, regardless of where they are from get the best education that is available.  A central body quality assures all of New Zealand's education programmes, from secondary education curriculum and examinations through to private vocational training courses.

All institutions must meet high standards for both academic quality and pastoral care.  New Zealand was the first country to develop and implement a compulsory Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of all enrolled international students.

Here's proof of the quality education you will get in a New Zealand institution - when you apply for a job in New Zealand you will be asked what qualification you have, but probably not where you got it from. That is because employers trust the New Zealand education system, and know that when a qualification is awarded, it will be of excellent quality and signify that the student really does meet that standard. 

Clever thinkers
New Zealand is full of clever thinkers, this is a skill that we pride ourselves on teaching students.  It's one thing to learn and remember something but an entirely different skill to learn how to think.  New Zealand institutions encourage you to think independently and to come to your own conclusions. This is why New Zealand is a big player in areas like film making - Peter Jackson, director of Lord of the Rings, is arguably the best and most well known in Hollywood, molecular biology and chemistry.

The late Alan MacDiarmid was an extremely clever thinker from New Zealand.  So much so, that he received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2000, after which a New Zealand Centre for Research Excellence (CoRE) was established at Victoria University of Wellington in his name.  His name, and the centre, are known world wide for their creation of new systems and challenging of existing ideas.  All New Zealand universities are founded on solid research based principles and another six CoREs operate from our universities.  The CoREs are designed to support leading edge international standard innovative research and foster excellence.

Another creative and cleaver thinker is University of Auckland Professor Margaret Brimble, who was recently awarded one of five Laureates in the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards.  Margaret is the first New Zealander to win one of these prestigious awards for her work in treating cancer, cardiovascular disease, peptic ulcer disease, anti-fungal agents and Alzheimer's disease.

These two people are great examples of how important the difference between knowing what to think and how to think is.

Work hard, play hard
New Zealand's not all about hard work, we're also an active and lively nation.  Whether you want to experience the bright lights of our dynamic cities, or meander through the slower paced, but equally exciting, towns; whether you are into fashion, food or learning more about the iconic "Kiwi" culture, those who make the trip here know that New Zealand is where you can find it all.

New Zealand is well known for being a top choice for adventure recreation.  If you want to ride over it, walk up it, jump off it or paddle around it, New Zealand is the place for you. Many of students who study in New Zealand list the range of recreational activities as major highlights. Stefan Rethfeldt, originally from Germany, likes the variety; "I like to go surfing at the beautiful beaches near Auckland, go hiking on the North and South Island."

As does Sandra Negro from Belgium, "I play canoe polo and do river kayaking. I tramp with friends all around the country to see magnificent and unique landscapes. I enjoy a lot outdoor activities here in New Zealand."

It's true that New Zealand has fantastic adventure and scenery, with golden beaches and snowcapped mountains within a couple of hundred kilometres of one another. But not everyone wants to be out in the wide open spaces so fortunately, New Zealand has sophisticated cities as well!

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, with around 1.3 million people. Like many cities in New Zealand, it is set on a harbour. The Capital is Wellington, another harbour city, whilst the largest city in the South Island is Christchurch. City attractions include museums, theatres, cinemas and of course shopping! Restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs are plentiful - in fact Wellington has more of these per person than New York! The smaller cities and towns all have the complete range of shops and services that the large cities have - so no matter whether your preference is a big city or smaller town, you will have access to everything you need!

Although he is hard at work researching how New Zealand's secondary school counsellors help their students, surfing and hiking around New Zealand, Stefan Rethfeldt also likes "the open minded attitude and friendliness of the people, the variety of food, culture, and music festivals" too.

New Zealanders have a reputation as being friendly people.  New Zealanders travel overseas a lot and this means they are well used to a range of cultures. New Zealand itself is a multi-cultural nation, with a fusion of Maori (the original settlers in New Zealand), Pacific Island, European and Asian people combining to make a vibrant and colourful society.

Visit www.newzealandeducated.com for further information on studying in New Zealand