Living with a Host Family

At Mount Maunganui College, we pride ourselves in providing quality host families for our international students.

We want students to be happy and supported while in New Zealand therefore our Homestay Manager, Jen, works hard to ensure that we place students in friendly, welcoming, active, caring homes with people who love the experience of hosting international students.  

You can expect to be included as part of the family while living in one of our homestays.  The special relationships formed often go on to become life long friendships.

All of our host families are located within the Mount Maunganui / Papamoa area and have easy accessibility to school, local amenities, beaches and activities. 

We perform a NZ Police check on all members of the home over the age of 18, along with other safety checks performed by our Homestay Manager.  Regular monitoring is also carried out during your stay.

STUDENT QUOTES

"Honestly you have no worries to have, they are so nice, they are always here to help you (especially in the first week) and that made me really confident. Moreover you don't have time to be bored because you always have activities to do with them." - Malo from France

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"I felt safe and calm since the first day I got there, the whole family was super nice to me, they seemed really interested about our life back home and we always had interesting conversations. I got lucky to be in a house with another international student, we became really close and also with my younger host sister that is always around and doing stuff with us. I am really glad that I stayed with them, they made this experience a lot better." - Lorena from Brazil

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"It was AMAZING !! Me and my host family really matched (even at the beginning), we went to see a lot of different places which was nice. I could really talk to them about anything and I was really myself. They are such a nice family that did their best (and succeeded) at making me feel like home on the other side of the world. I had a blast every night and learned heaps of new things about New Zealand. They also let me have some free time and friends over where I could do what I wanted to do, they really respected my personal space and let me have fun. They helped me create such a beautiful experience full of laughs and happy memories and for that I will be eternally grateful." - Anais from France

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"My host family was the best host family I could ever wish for me. It was natural to spend time with them and I felt from the first second, really welcomed. They made me feel like a part of their own family. I was part of everyting they do in their daily life. They supported me with everything I did and wanted to do. They have given me so many opportunities to do something everyday. It was the perfect host family for me and I would never have wanted to miss one single day. It is really hard for me to leave them." - Mia from Germany

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"They are loving people that will help you with any problems or worries that you could possibly have. They are communicative, helpful, they spend time together, cook great food and a lot of other things. If I were to choose a family agin I would definitely choose them every time!" - Natalia from Slovakia

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"They are an amazing family, the kids are lovely and funny. You will always have a great time in their house" - Agustina from Chile

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"I probably used all my luck to meet such sweet people.  They really treated me like their own child" - Jiaxin (Davy) from China

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"They are such an amazing family!  I could talk with them about everything, they are funny, caring and kind" - Smilla from Germany

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"I think I had the best host family that I could have.  They are really supportive and helpful.  They are truly here for us...I really feel apart of their life" -  Jade from France

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"For me personally, I could not have imagined a better host family.  I went on so many trips with them and they gave me so many new experiences.  I enjoyed every single day with them" -  Finn from Germany

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"The experiences that I've had here are amazing. I'll always remember them, but even more, the people that I've met" - Irene from Italy

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"An open family that wants you to feel at home. There’s always something going on, i'll tell you, it’s never boring or akward in this family. The kids are lovely but sometimes they have their brother sister moments. This family showed me the NZ lifestyle and how it is to be a kiwi. I knew I could always go to them if I had a problem. I had a great time in this family" - Lien from Belgium

HOST FAMILIES AND STUDENTS