26 August 2026 at 1:04 pm
New Zealand teachers and Korean students strengthen ties through English language programme
Six New Zealand teachers have returned from South Korea after helping deliver an English language programme for 69 secondary students from rural communities, before welcoming the students to New Zealand for a week-long cultural and education experience.
The annual programme, delivered under the Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (KNZFTA), aims to build English language skills while strengthening educational and cultural connections between New Zealand and the Republic of Korea.
Teachers selected from schools across New Zealand travelled to South Korea in July to teach students aged 14 to 17. After completing the programme, the students travelled to Whangārei, where they experienced New Zealand culture, tourism attractions and the country's inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning.
For participating teachers, the programme also provided valuable professional development opportunities and fresh perspectives on language learning.
Above: 69 students came together from across Korea to Bloomvista in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, to participate in their English language classes taught by New Zealand teachers
Hayden Macdonald, Assistant Head of Department English and Year 10 Dean at Palmerston North Boys’ High School, said the experience had a lasting impact.
“Having taught English to second-language learners in New Zealand, including both international and migrant students, it was a genuine pleasure and privilege to teach students in their home country. The experience gave me a valuable new perspective, placing me in the unfamiliar position that many of our students experience when they arrive in New Zealand and must navigate a different language and culture. It was both humbling and enlightening.
The programme has provided significant benefits to my teaching practice and professional development. I have returned with a deeper understanding of language learning, greater cultural awareness, and many ideas that I can apply in my own classroom.
It was an experience that I will remember fondly for many years.”
Jeremy Downing, Teacher and Mentor Coordinator at Lynfield College, said:
“It was a lot of work but equally an incredible opportunity. I've taken a range of learnings with me back to my own context.”
The programme is led by the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and is one of the education initiatives established under the Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement signed in 2015.
