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Welcome from the International Director

Lynda Lidgard
Director of International Students

“Over the years I have seen many students come to New Zealand with different goals and it has been my pleasure to be involved and support them through their journey.

Rangitoto College embraces the cultural diversity and character international students bring to our school. Many of our students come to study in our high school programme to gain entry onto tertiary study through either the NCEA or IB pathways.  Rangitoto College has a history of providing excellent academic environment for them to be successful in their chosen academic pathway.  We also welcome students to come for a term or semester as an opportunity to learn, grow, travel and experience a new culture. 

I would like to welcome you to join the Rangitoto College community and experience life in New Zealand while continuing to study towards your long term academic goals.”

Student Stories

Our international students all have different reasons for choosing New Zealand and when they leave they have some amazing stories to tell. Here are some of the things they say about their experiences at Rangitoto College, living on the North Shore of Auckland, and travelling around New Zealand.

Zhicheng (Charlie) Wang

China

Reflecting on my graduation from Rangitoto College in 2017 and my subsequent international university journey, I now appreciate the exceptional five years I spent in New Zealand. My time there was enriched not just by a plethora of extracurriculars, ranging from cricket and rugby to violin and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, but also by the robust NCEA curriculum. This academic foundation not only challenged me intellectually but also sparked my passion for politics and international relations.
What distinctly sets Rangitoto apart from my later experiences in the United States, China, and the United Kingdom is its emphasis on ‘virtue education’ – an approach that goes beyond academic excellence to foster personal growth and moral development. This holistic focus encourages a balance between artistic and sporting pursuits and academic rigor, nurturing well-rounded individuals. It instilled in me and my peers the values of hard work, humility, and teamwork, both inside and outside the classroom. These virtues have profoundly influenced who I am today and are what I cherish most about my education at Rangitoto.
Moreover, growing up in New Zealand was instrumental in my personal development. Being away has made me realize the unique serenity and contentment that stems from living in a society valuing genuine human connections over materialistic symbols like job titles or designer brands. While no country is flawless, New Zealand’s approach to life strikes me as closer to perfection than many. I often find myself fondly reminiscing about the peaceful and happy times I enjoyed there.

回想起我2017年从Rangitoto毕业以及随后的国际大学之旅,我现在更加珍惜在新西兰度过的非凡五年。那里的时间不仅因从板球和橄榄球到小提琴和爱丁堡公爵奖的丰富课外活动而充实,还因为强大的NCEA课程体系。这种学术基础不仅在智力上挑战了我,而且激发了我对政治和国际关系的热情。 Rangitoto与我后来在美国、中国和英国的经历截然不同的是,它强调“美德教育”——这种教育方法不仅追求学术卓越,还致力于促进个人成长和道德发展。这种全人教育重点鼓励在艺术和体育追求与学术严谨之间保持平衡,培养全面发展的个体。它在我和我的同伴们身上灌输了在课堂内外努力工作、谦逊和团队合作的价值观。这些美德深深影响了我今天的自我,并是我最珍视我在Rangitoto教育中的一部分。 此外,在新西兰成长对我的个人发展至关重要。离开新西兰以后,我才意识到生活在这样一个重视真诚人际关系而非物质象征的社会中所带来的独特宁静和满足。虽然没有哪个国家是完美的,但新西兰的生活方式在我看来比许多其他国家更接近完美。我经常怀念在那里度过的平静和快乐时光。

Along with my study here at Rangitoto College, I am also involved in the girl’s rugby team. I have been playing rugby since I was very little, and it’s something I love and am confident at. At the start of my study abroad in New Zealand, I used to struggle with the whole new environment that I was in, but rugby led me to make friends and gave me a place to be confident. Getting involved in activities such as sports is the best way to get to know people around you and make friends with whom you share some common interests with. Another exciting fact about this is that you get to visit many places around New Zealand. For example with rugby, we go to different schools to play games, and last year, we went down to Tauranga for a tournament and stayed a few nights together. This was one of my favourite moments which I will never forget: eating dinner together, listening and singing music together, and getting to know more about my teammates. Getting involved in activities also allowed me to have more connections with people, and this is where I learned different cultures and vibes people have in New Zealand. Māori is one of the cultures I learned and experienced in New Zealand by being in the girl’s rugby team, and as I learned more about the culture, I gained more understanding about people and New Zealand. If you do play sports in your own country, I would recommend you to continue it at Rangitoto College, because it really helps you to make friends and most importantly feel involved and confident. Rangitoto College also has different levels of teams in some sports teams, so if you are interested in playing a new sport, I would strongly recommend having a tr

ランギトト学校(中学二年生から高校三年生)で私は英語の勉強と重ね、女子ラグビー部に入っています。 小さい頃からラグビーをしている私は、このスポーツに対して自信と情熱があります。ニュージーランド留学を始めた頃は新しい環境に戸惑い苦戦していましたが、ラグビー部に入ったことで友達ができ、自信をつけることができました。ランギトトではたくさんの部活やアクティビティがあり、その中の一つでも参加することが私の経験上友達を作る一番の方法だと思います。ラグビー部に入った私は、ラグビーをいう共通の趣味をもつ友達を作ることができ、当時の片言英語でも話せたことがとてもうれしかったことを覚えています。ニュージーランドの学校でアクティビティに参加するもう一つのメリットはニュージーランドの様々な場所に行けることです。例えば、私の場合ラグビーの試合は毎回違う学校で戦います。去年大きな大会に出たときは、タウランガというところで合宿をしました。 夜ご飯を一緒に食べたり、みんなで歌ったり踊ったり、お互いのことをもうちょっと深く知ることができ、これは私の中でとくに大切な経験の一つになりました。ラグビーをニュージーランドでしていくうちに、人とのつながりが増えて、そこからこの国の文化をたくさん学び、経験することができました。マオリ民族の文化がその一つです。私はどんどんニュージーランドの文化を知っていくうちにもっと周りの人を理解出来るようになったと思います。もしも日本で部活やスポーツをやっているならニュージーランドの学校でも続けることをお勧めします。友達を作る第一歩になりましたし、何より得意なことをやることは自信をつけるとこにつながりました。ランギトト学校は複数のスポーツチームに違うレベルのチームを設けています(初心者向け、上級者向けなど...)。なので、ニュージーランドにきて新しいスポーツやアクティビティに挑戦するのもおすすめします。

I have been a student at Rangitoto College since year 9, so I can confidently say this is a place that offers me a better education and provides me with a variety of future choices. Starting from year 12, I am also a member of our awesome IB crew. This makes my life more substantial as one of the core of IB requirements—CAS, pushes me to step out of my comfort zone. The IB is a rigorous course which is well-known worldwide. More importantly, because of the relatively small number of IB students in my year group, everyone gets to know each other quite well, and this is a huge difference compared with normal classes. Overall, studying the IB at Rangitoto College has been very rewarding. I feel I am becoming more of an all-rounder due to the broad academic programme the IB offers.

我从9年级开始就进入了Rangitoto College学习,所以我可以毫不犹豫的说是这所学校给予了我许多不同的未来道路的选择。从12年级开始,我选择了这所高中试运行的IB而非常规的NCEA因为我觉得IB可以使我走出自己的小圈子,去尝试以前我所从未尝试过的事情。虽然目前仍任重而道远,但是我相信吃得苦中苦,方为人上人。一分耕耘有时候并不一定能换来一分收获,但若是毫不努力,就更不可能学有所成。所以总而言之,学习IB使我成为了一个多元化发展的人。

New Experiences

Students love New Zealand because of the natural beauty, friendly people, open spaces and excellent education system. New Zealand is one of the top three safest countries in the world due to the low crime rate and absence of dangerous animals. Auckland’s east coast beaches (five minutes from the school) have small waves and are perfect for swimming, sailing, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. The west coast beaches (40 minutes from the school) have big waves and are perfect for surfing. We encourage our international students to explore the country they are living in so we work with a small number of tour companies who are experts in creating exciting tours for international students.

Homestays

Rangitoto College has hosted international students for many years. We have an exceptional team, with a lot of experience, who are dedicated to the academic and pastoral needs of our students. International students live with either a homestay family, designated caregiver or parent.

Agent Resources

Rangitoto College attracts students from all over the world and it is very important to us that our students get the right information before arriving in New Zealand. Our recognised agents have permission to use these resources when representing Rangitoto College online (website or social media) or in printed form. If you have any questions, please contact us.

 

Enrolments Open

Apply your child for International study today

Applications for 2024 International studies are open now. Click the button below to fill out the application form. If you have any enquiries please don’t hesitate to contact our international faculty.