Whangarei Pop. 179,100
Institutions
Lifestyle
Northland’s relaxed, outdoor lifestyle is an integral part of your study experience in Northland. Whether you’re at secondary school or preparing for a career in tourism, hospitality or another vocation, you’ll have time to discover the region’s extraordinary outdoor, sporting and cultural opportunities.
Northland’s education providers include NorthTec and QRC Tai Tokerau Resort College. The region has a network of high-achieving public schools, and some private schools.
Whether you’re boarding or living in a homestay, you’ll get incredible opportunities in Northland to explore the outdoors, try adventure sports and discover Māori culture.
Whangarei Boys’ High has an on-site golf academy and also gives students a chance to take part in sports such as shooting, sailing and skiing. Students at Kerikeri High School can ride horses, surf and learn to sail at the school’s sailing academy, while Whangarei Girls’ High School students can try anything from waka ama (outrigger canoe) paddling to cheerleading or training for a triathlon.
NorthTec, Northland’s largest tertiary education provider, offers more than 100 programmes. You can gain internationally-recognised qualifications ranging from foundation to degree level through a mix of classroom time, field trips and project-based learning.
The University of Auckland’s Tai Tokerau campus in Whangarei provides teacher education programmes, while other tertiary education providers help students achieve their dream careers in vocations such as air transport, cooking, travel, tourism, hairdressing and the performing arts.
Study tourism or hospitality in Northland and you’ll benefit from hands-on, practical training and education institutions’ close links with local businesses.
Education providers in the region include the new QRC Tai Tokerau Resort College, which prepares students for careers in hospitality or adventure tourism management. The college’s students live on site, which builds a strong sense of community.
Whether you’re into swimming with dolphins, exploring Māori culture or soaking up the sunshine in one of the warmest parts of New Zealand, Northland can give you an incredible lifestyle. It’s only two hours from Auckland, yet its laid-back pace will give you room to breathe and the space to enjoy your life as well as your studies.
Whangarei, Northland’s only city and the largest city north of Auckland, has great cafes and restaurants as well as markets, cultural events, sports competitions and festivals.
North of Whangarei, there isn’t a traffic light or a high rise in sight. Your daily commute will take minutes rather than hours, and you’ll be able to take the pressure off to study in a safe, clean, peaceful and calm environment.
As an added bonus, accommodation in Northland is cheaper than in many parts of New Zealand.
Northland is the location of the first signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, in 1840. One-third of Northland’s population identify as Māori, and the area is rich in Māori culture and historic places.
Northland is also one of New Zealand’s most creative regions, with one of the highest ratios of artists per capita in the country. Whangarei is home to a thriving creative population of painters, potters, weavers, carvers and sculptors.
Take advantage of the sunny weather to explore Northland’s superb outdoors - where the rest of New Zealand goes on holiday.
In Northland, you’re never more than 40km from the coast, and you’ll have a seemingly endless choice of white sandy beaches, coves and harbours to discover. You can try big-game fishing, scuba dive in the world’s largest sea cave, explore the 144 islands in the Bay of Islands or swim with bottlenose dolphins.
If you’re studying tourism or hospitality in Northland, you may be able to stay on after you graduate - it’s a tourism hotspot, with people from all over New Zealand and the world drawn to explore its stunning landscape. You’ll be only a two-hour commute away from the jobs hub of Auckland.
More than one in 10 jobs in Northland involves tourism, and the Government is investing in the region to create more jobs for tourism and hospitality graduates.
Northland education providers train students to fill the part-time and full-time jobs needed for the growing number of tourism - particularly cultural tourism - and hospitality jobs locally and throughout New Zealand.
If you hope to stay on in New Zealand after graduating, commuting to Auckland is an increasingly popular way to get the best of both worlds.
You’ll be able to take advantage of the job opportunities available in New Zealand’s largest city, and the low house prices, incredible outdoor experiences and relaxed pace of life in Northland.
Graduates are needed in industries that make the most of Northland’s abundant natural resources, such as agriculture, horticulture, forestry and fishing.
There are also jobs available in boat building, marine engineering, construction, health, education, law, accountancy, manufacturing, IT and the petrochemical sector. Government studies have found that Northland has lots of untapped potential, so there’s also plenty of room for the job market to keep growing in the future.
Discover more about the Northland region at studynorthland.nz
For personalised tips and tools for studying in New Zealand.
Please complete all of the fields below.
Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter a first name.
Please enter a last name.
Please select a country.
Please select a valid date (MM/YYYY).
Thanks for subscribing
Kia ora! Get answers to your questions about studying in New Zealand