International students return to MBAS

by Holly Shan

After a long hiatus due to the pandemic from 2020, Mercury Bay Area School is pleased to welcome back international students for the new academic year. A group of 15 students, comprising 14 from Germany and one from Austria, have arrived to start their study at the school and their explore of the Coromandel. While some will stay for one term, others will be here for two terms or the whole year. In addition, eight more students are scheduled to arrive in July.

According to Marie Wilson, the International Student Director and Homestay Manager of the school, most of the students come to the school through agents, while others came directly through their parents' organizations. “It’s lovely to see that one of the international students, Freya Davis, who has come to Whitianga with her parents, is attending the junior school. She will be here for one term,” says Marie.

It's been over three years since international students were last able to study at the school, making their return an exciting occasion for everyone involved. Marie told The Informer that MBAS has enough homestays for this current cohort of international students, but more are always welcome and will be needed in the future. “Homestay hosts don’t have to be parents at the school or have students attending MBAS, says Marie. “All they need is a willingness to care for the students and help them enjoy their time in New Zealand.”

If anyone is interested in being a homestay, they can contact Marie at wilsonm@mbas.ac.nz or call 022 6134049.

Caption: Senior Students

top left to right - Max Kaminski, Bjoerna Hoeppner, Hanna Siemer, Lenny Schwartz, Paul Mielke, Lorna Meyer, Mala Dommes with MBAS International Student Director, Marie Wilson.

Middle row - left to right: Paula Koehler, Marlene Pfenning, Leonie Boehmig.

Bottom row - left to right: Moritz Wolfram, Carla Gutsche, Maria Althans, Alina Zobel.