Arrival of international students lifts the cultural energy at NMIT

Recently 61 international students have arrived at NMIT since the pandemic, being the first large group to arrive in a long two and half years.

“With many of the students already having studied online with NMIT while overseas, the excitement and anticipation amongst the cohort for studying in New Zealand are incredibly high,” said Will Tregidga, Head of International Development at NMIT.

“Twenty-three students are from a Japanese partner university and were able to travel to New Zealand on visitor visas for short-term study here, but the majority of the other 38 students secured student visas as a part of a border exception cohort prior to student visa processing resuming on the 1 August,” he added.

18 years old Rinko Shinkai from Fukuoka, Japan is enrolled in the New Zealand Certificate in English Language (NZCEL) pathway programme with NMIT. Rinko intends to continue studying in 2023 for a Bachelor of Information Technology.

Rinko is overwhelmed by the assistance available for learners, including the three Japanese support staff and the range of great events for students. 

“In the future, I want to work for an international company, so the Bachelor of Information Technology at NMIT will set me up for this through the skills I will develop in the industry-focussed, small class sizes,” said Rinko.

COVID-19 restrictions got Rinko to wait for over a year to enrol in NMIT. But with the recent arrival of international students, the campuses of NMIT are now again sparkling.

For more such updates follow Leverage Edu