Clemence Dafniet – Tahiti

Hi, my name is Clémence and I’m from Tahiti! It’s an island situated in French Polynesia!

Actually, when I write this little text it’s my second time in Pukekohe high school for an exchange.

Pukekohe High School is a great school and the people who care about the exchange are so nice I love them! My life with my host family is perfect nothing to say about it. It’s my second time and I will come back for a third time and a fourth time… I love the fact that you are really in immersion with just New Zealand’s students. I think the thing most exciting is to make new friends even if it’s really hard to say goodbye but goodbye isn’t forever! So an exchange vacation is perfect if you want to work on your English and even better at Pukekohe High School! Thank you Lynda, Lydia and Mary!  Merci pour tout!

Jinny Chaimut – Thailand

Studying with Pukekohe High School for 4 years has been such an incredible journey for me. What makes it truly special this year is that I have made many enjoyable memories with my friends. The teachers have been very supportive, helping me succeed with my academic studies. My time here has helped me become more confident and responsible person.

Josephine Baron – New Caledonia

My name is Josephine Baron, I’m French and I live in New Caledonia.
I’m an exchange student in Pukekohe High School for 2 months (one term). We start at 8:40 and finish at 15:10. I’m studying sciences, maths, social sciences, food, and nutrition, English and sports. I have met a lot of lovely people, they’re all very nice to me and help me to improve my English.
Usually at school, we are going to classes end at breaks we eat at the international lounge or in the field when it’s sunny. I really like the infrastructures; the school is really beautiful and it’s located in the city centre.
I have already made a lot of progress and I really enjoy my stay here!

Baiyou Zou – China

My name is Baiyou Zou. I believe that people’s first impression of New Zealand is the stunning nature and landscape. As you know, the reality of New Zealand is exactly what you thought.

I originally come from China. When I was 16 years old, I relocated to New Zealand to start a completely different experience and journey. I believe I made the right decision to study abroad, I have had a journey in New Zealand, as gorgeous as I could have possibly imagined.

Additionally, New Zealand’s culture is diverse, varied, and compatible, so you can have interesting interactions and communication with people. Furthermore, New Zealand’s environment provides a good platform to improve and shape my English.

In conclusion, I highly recommend people to have a unique and spectacular experience in New Zealand as I have.

Aliah Janssen, Year 11 – Germany

I really liked my school year at Pukekohe High School. I made lots of friends and had lots of fun. My favourite subject was Outdoor education.

Birgit Halwachs, Year 11 – Austria

I really enjoyed my time here at Pukekohe High School. The school is huge and I always got lost. I found most of the subjects quite easy compared to my school in Austria. I also joined gymnastics when I was here where I met lots of other people. I like the people in New Zealand they are nice.

YingZhi Jiang, Year 13 – China

Hi, I am YingZhi Jiang from China. I have been in New Zealand for nearly 3 years. Since I arrived in May 2015, I have made a lot of new friends they are not only kiwis but also come from all over the world. The thing that I enjoyed most is that the teachers here are very helpful and supportive, they are actually caring about the students and are keen to help them achieve their goals and make it easier for them, especially for international students. My home stay experience has been brilliant as the family I live with gave me so much help in every aspect of my life here. The time I have spent with them I will never forget.

Togo Saji, Year 13 – Japan

Hello my name is Togo. I am graduating high school this year. I have many friends and had lots of new experiences.
First time when I arrived in New Zealand I was not able to write an English sentence. After four years my English improved a lot and now I will be able to live in an English Country without any help.
New Zealand is a great place to study and live. I will always look forward to coming back. I love New Zealand.

Chayada Sudson, Year 10 – Thailand

Hello my name is Chayada. I have been here for 1 ½ years. I like Pukekohe High School very much. All my teachers have been very kind and helpful. My favourite subjects are Science and math. In School in Thailand we just read and write with not many experiments. I found here there is much more detail and it is easy to follow and understand. Since being in NZ I have caught a train and bus to Auckland City and have been to the temple a few times which I enjoyed very much. I feel blessed to be in such a clean green country. I will try very hard to achieve my goal.

Risa Hokazono, Year 12 – Japan

These two and half years I have been in New Zealand have been such an amazing experience in my life. When I first came here, I couldn’t even speak in English at all. However, now I have learnt a lot of things including speaking English at PHS. I have also met wonderful friends and homestay family whom I still want to keep in touch with. I will never forget these beautiful memories in New Zealand.

Senling Liu, Year 13 – China

I am Senling Liu and I have been in Pukekohe High School for 2 years now. I think Pukekohe High is a great place for studying. Not only the pleasant environment but also the subjects available for students to choose. My favourite subjects are calculus and economics. The teachers here are very reliable and kind. The students are also friendly and I have made lots of friends here. I want to go to University to study Quantity Surveying or Engineering. My English has improved a lot in these 2 years. My homestay family and friends taught me a lot. Talking is the best way to improve my English. My homestay family treat me as their daughter so I felt really comfortable and welcome to live there.

Miguel Vida Lamegal, Year 12 – Brazil

Ola! My name is Miguel and I have been studying at Pukekohe High for 8 months and it has been an amazing experience. I’ve been able to not only improve my English but also travel all around NZ and visit places of indescribable beauty. I have made a lot of new friends and I’m sure I’ll keep in touch with them for years to come. The teachers are really good and you can see they care for each of their students. It has been the best year of my whole life and I highly recommend to do an exchange at Pukekohe High and have the same experiences I did.

Gonzalo Maldonado, Year 10 – Spain

The term I had at school was really nice with teachers and students. I achieved by goal of learning English. My advice to international students is to try and enter in all the activities in the school and if you listen to the teachers you won’t have any problems with tests.

Margherita Laviani – Year 13 – Italy

I’m Margherita and I’ve spent 6 months in NZ for an exchange program. I can strongly affirm that it has been the best experience I’ve ever had. Firstly, I was glad to be able to choose my favourite subjects focusing on my future goals and passions, in this way every class was fun and interesting. I really appreciated the Pukekohe High’s atmosphere, indeed there everyone, both teachers and guys, is relaxed, supportive and encourages you to always do your best. I’ve been introduced to an amazing group of friends that even if my English wasn’t very good, always made me feel part of their group. Finally, I have to say a massive thank you to all the international coordinators that always planned fun activities and excursions in order to show us a little bit of New Zealand and help us making new friends from all over the world sharing different cultures and traditions.

Will Zhou, Year 13 – China

I came to New Zealand two years ago as a Chinese international Student. I was full of excitement and curiosity coming to a new country and meet lots of new friends. Over the past 2 years I have had a lot of people help me including Teachers, homestay family and friends. I am going to study in Auckland University next year. I want to say thank you to all the people who helped me and I will keep fighting till the day I reach my goal.