Homestay hosts sought for international students
Welcoming homestay hosts who can provide a room, full board and a “Kiwi experience” are being sought for NorthTec International students.
Hosts are paid $230 per week for providing the student’s own fully-furnished bedroom, three meals a day and internet access.
Homestay students are mainly from China, mostly 17-18 year-old boys with a few female or older students. They plan to study at NorthTec for two to three years on average, but mostly only stay in homestay for the first six to 12 months.
Transport support is provided by NorthTec International within suburban Whangarei to and from the Raumanga campus, but students still need their homestay’s help with rides to any after school activities or their weekend social life.
Homestay hosts are expected to provide all meals daily with students preparing their own breakfast and lunch if preferred.
Under the NZQA Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016, all international students under the age of 18 must live in approved homestays with fully police vetted and checked hosts.
NorthTec also recommends that all international students begin their stay in New Zealand with local people who can help them adjust to the local culture, practise their English, introduce them to the local area and provide them with some guidance.
To apply to become a homestay host, contact NorthTec International on 09-470 3605, or via homestay@northtec.ac.nz.
We're talking new year resolutions...
Tidying the house before going to bed each night, meditating upon waking or taking the stairs at work.
What’s something quick, or easy, that you started doing that made a major positive change in your life?
What word sums up 2024, neighbours?
If 2020 was the year of lockdowns, banana bread, and WFH (work from home)....
In one word, how would you define 2024?
We're excited to see what you come up with!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️