WISA has gathered a collection of valuable resources and links to make your studying abroad experience seamless and enriching. This webpage is curated by international students who have studied in Wellington for several years and regret not knowing about these resources earlier. Are you searching for volunteering opportunities, summer programmes tailored to your career interests, or NCEA study resources to elevate your academic performance? Look no further, this page is an excellent starting point.
For international students, adapting to a new education system and language while simultaneously adjusting to a new culture can be daunting. A good academic record can help students secure scholarships for their tetiary education, or enter certain selective pre-professional programmes. The good news is your academic experience can be much more stressless with some quality (and free!) resources.
NBTS (No Brain Too Small) is by far the most comprehensive platform that provides the most FREE resources to assist you with your NCEA Science study. It includes by-topic worksheets and past exam questions helps you excel in both of your internal assessments and exams. Their material covers curriculum all the way from Year 9 to Year 13.
https://www.nobraintoosmall.co.nz/EP (Education Perfect) is a online learning platform, combining a full bank of curriculum-aligned resources with engaging tools to help you learn new concepts and consolidate your understanding. EP, however, requires subscription. So if your teacher or school offers it, we recommend you completing all the tasks assigned and go back for revision when exam time comes!
https://www.educationperfect.com/Learn Coach is the most used online platform for New Zealand secondary school students. It covers a wide range of NCEA curriculum, from Sciences to Humanities. Learn Coach does require subscription for full access to their resources. However, you can still search up Learn Coach on Youtube to watch their very comprehensive free explanation videos to refresh your mind before the exams.
https://learncoach.com/Study Time provides many super useful resources for a range of NCEA subjects across different media, including downloadable (and physical) Walkthrough guides, cheat sheets, and free explanation videos on Youtube. Their resources are mostly free or at affordable prices. Their resources cover the Sciences and English subjects.
https://studytime.co.nz/StudyIt is an online study platform put together by the Ministry of Education. They provide advice & tips and resources for each standard in English, Maths, and the Sciences. There is also a discussion forum where you can ask any standard-related questions which will be answered by professionals .
https://studyit.govt.nz/Infinity Plus One is a Youtube channel is dedicated to NCEA Level 1 Mathematics, NCEA Level 2 Mathematics and NCEA Level 3 Calculus. There are videos on Skills, Tips, Calculator Use (Casio fx-9750 GII), Worked Answers and Exam Revision. They also host live help desk before exams for students to ask questions and get immediate answers.
https://www.youtube.com/@infinityplusoneAlpha Atoms is a Youtube channel is dedicated to NCEA Science and Chemistry standards. There are comprehensive videos on Skills and Worked Answers and Exam Revision for specific standards.
https://www.youtube.com/@alphaatomsIf you find doing NCEA past papers helpful, you might want to extend your preparation by doing the past papers on D&D workbooks, so you could be exposed to a wider range of questions. Each workbook contains around 6 practise papers that are generally harder than the NCEA past exams. Their workbooks cover NCEA Level 1&2 Maths and NCEA Level 3 Calculus and Statistics.
https://www.ddresources.co.nz/ESA Study Guide have full coverage of the year’s work (both internal assessments & exams) for almost all the NCEA subjects. These guides contain notes, examples, illustrations, photos, diagrams, questions and answers. They are up to date, accurate and easy to follow. See if you could borrow one from your school library or teacher!
https://learnwell.co.nz/collections/study-guides
Leadership programs provide international students with opportunities to develop leadership skills, build networks with peers from diverse backgrounds, and enhance cultural awareness. By learning effective communication and leadership, students can gain valuable experience that can help them in their academic and professional careers. These programs also provide students with a greater understanding of different perspectives.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award is available to all 14–24-year-olds. There are three levels to the Award—Bronze, Silver, and Gold—and each level has 4 specific sections that participants need to complete activities in: Voluntary Service, Physical Recreation, Skills, Adventurous Journey, and Residential Project.
https://dofehillary.org.nz/The SVA Service Award is a free platform where volunteers can record and reflect on their volunteering hours. Volunteers work towards physical badges - Member (5 hours), Bronze (32 hours), Silver (250 hours), and Gold (500 hours) - to acknowledge the work they do in their community, whether it be for their school, whānau or neighbourhood.
https://sva.org.nz/Develop leadership and decision-making skills, grow a power sense of responsibility, build self-esteem and encourages a caring attitude to the environment and community. Cadets also received training in first aid and emergency skills. Cadets meet once a week during the school term and the programme is for 8-18 year-olds.
https://youth.stjohn.org.nz/public/join-st-john-youth/cadet-programme/Rito is a Parliament’s youth reference group tasked with increasing youth engagement with Parliament. You will work with seven other members to develop a project that aims to increase youth awareness of, and participation with, the Parliament. You will represent young people in your community as well as provide feedback on other youth-focussed resources Parliament produces.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/footer/about-us/parliament-reference-groups/rito-o-te-paremata/Scouts Aotearoa is the national organization for Scouting in New Zealand with the mission to encourage young people to develop teamwork and skills for life through outdoor adventures, leadership opportunities, and community service. It offers a range of programs for different age groups, including Venturers (14-18 year olds) and and Rovers (18-26 year olds).
https://scouts.nz/GirlBoss NZ is New Zealand's leading network for young women, they empower confident, future-ready, young women to lead and change the world. GirlBoss organises summits, workshops, and career accelerator programmes for ambitious young females interested in technology, entrepreneurship, business, and primary industries.
https://www.girlboss.nz/Hands-On at Otago is a week-long residential camp for senior secondary school students from all over New Zealand at the University of Otago, Dunedin. It is designed to support and show interested students what researchers do, why they do these things and to encourage talented them to consider further study as a step in their career pathway. Students can choose from a range of subject-specific projects from Anatomy to Politics.
https://www.otago.ac.nz/hands-on-at-otago/index.htmlThe Innovative Young Minds program is offered to Year 11-12 female students in New Zealand, and is available in April (online) and July (residential). The program aims to address the gender imbalance in STEM fields by providing engaging and interactive online and residential programs, exposing participants to inspiring STEM content and encouraging the development of lasting friendships with like-minded peers.
https://iym.org.nz/Future Leaders is a year-long program for high school students aged 14-17 offered by the Inspiring Stories Trust. The program includes workshops, mentoring, and community projects designed to develop leadership skills and social entrepreneurship.
https://www.futureleaders.nz/Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ (MYLN) is a network of ethnically diverse young leaders between the ages of 18 and 35 who are committed to strengthening social cohesion, championing ethnic and intersectional diversity in leadership, and empowering diverse young New Zealanders.
https://multiethnicyoungleaders.org.nz/Check out Rangatahi Leadership Opportunities Database (RLOD), Aotearoa NZ’s first free, single-source, open-access database that provides crowdsourced information on all leadership opportunities available to young people under 35 in Aotearoa.
https://rangatahiopportunities.co.nz/
Volunteering is an excellent way for international students to gain valuable experience and contribute positively to their new community. By volunteering, students can develop new skills, build their resume, and network with others in their field of interest. Additionally, volunteering can help students adjust to a new culture and feel more connected to their community. Through volunteering, international students can make a difference in the lives of others, which can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
SPCA stands for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They are the largest animal welfare charity in New Zealand and offer a range of volunteering roles like Animal centre volunteers, Op Shop volunteers, and Event and fundraising volunteers.
https://www.spca.nz/how-you-can-help/volunteerSt Vincent de Paul (SVDP) is a charitable organization in New Zealand that operates throughout the country, providing assistance to those in need. They offer a range of roles ranging from Op shop assistant to warehouse sorter.
https://www.vinnies-wellington.org.nz/volunteerMary Potter Hospice is a non-profit organization that provides specialist palliative care services to people living with life-limiting illnesses in Wellington, New Zealand. They have all sorts of vacancies ranging from Community Companion providing hospice care to Retail Assistant.
https://marypotter.org.nz/category/vacancies/volunteer-vacancies/Since 1883, The Salvation Army has fought poverty and social and spiritual distress in New Zealand.
https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/help-us/volunteerConservation Volunteers New Zealand connects people with nature through conservation volunteering opportunities across New Zealand. CVNZ's volunteering events, like tree rescue and dune restoration, are one-off which suits students with a busy schedule.
https://conservationvolunteers.co.nz/volunteer/Do you want to make a difference for elders in your community? In addition to roles like providing 1-1 companionship to residents, each Enliven Home offers unique and specific volunteer opportunities. This can include anything from coordinating a Bingo game to building a shed!
https://www.enlivencentral.org.nz/volunteer/Check out SEEK Volunteer, which has been connecting New Zealander's to volunteer opportunities since 2015.
https://seekvolunteer.co.nz/