School Children Activities in New Zealand

I am a very pleased parent to see my children going to school in New Zealand. My three kids are still young and they grew up in a system where it was a constant cycle of studies and homework and hardly anything else. After being in New Zealand now, they go to a school which has so many different activities that I can see their all round development right in front of my own eyes. The change has been gradual but I can see there is a definite aspect of creating all round growth and not just academics. The emphasis on sports and games, outdoor activities, new language skills, personality development, new skills like cooking, carpentry, working with machines and such has really transformed my kids into complete new beings. The emphasis on academics is also very good and I quite like the teaching style which is more relaxed and friendly. Kiwis who read this might wonder why I am going on about something that is commonplace in New Zealand. If only they could experience what schooling is like in developing countries. The average New Zealand school has more facilities, activities and opportunities than most schools globally.  

The other thing I like about schools in New Zealand is the safety aspect concerning the students. They are trained to deal with emergencies, there are supervisors and marshals for ensuring safety in all activities and the education itself instills physical and mental strength and confidence to the growing children. There is absolutely no class distinction among the students and I am yet to notice any overt or covert racism in the school where my children go. It is one big family of young people growing up together with good values, attitudes and skills. I can see a lot of fantastic inputs to help build strong and committed future New Zealand and global citizens. I am a very pleased parent indeed. 

Below are some pictures of an annual activity in the school where my children go. A giant hot air balloon is inflated on the school grounds and the kids get a joyride with the highest safety standards being practiced throughout the event. What an experience!! I wish I could go to school again :) Thank you New Zealand for making my kids so happy and aiding them in their growth.

        

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Nga mihi (Regards)

Arun

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The process to become a Licensed New Zealand Immigration Adviser

24th March 2015. A date I will remember for a long time because on this day I became a Licensed New Zealand Immigration Adviser bearing Licence No.201500460. It was the culmination of a journey that had started in February 2014 when I applied for the Graduate Certificate in New Zealand Immigration Advice (GCNZIA) from the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. This is the ONLY qualification at this point in time which allows an individual to qualify to apply for a license to practice as a New Zealand Immigration Adviser. The course is heavily subscribed and getting an admission is a task in itself. But I was fortunate to have the right credentials and references to secure my seat and got down in earnest to going back to school some 20 odd years after I had last sat in a classroom.

The course is delivered online via the versatile Moodle platform and every student is expected to do an enormous amount of self study. There is a weekly tutorial via video conferencing where all the students (of that tutorial group) and tutors get together, discuss, learn and move on to the next week. The course has an intensity that is ferocious at times and some students withdrew after a few weeks or changed into the part-time mode that is more easy paced. The assignments and timed tests come in a barrage and there is a huge amount of research and essay writing involved. Assignment submissions work to a strict deadline and if you miss it there are no comebacks. This course and its pace tests the expectation that a student undertaking a Level 7 qualification in New Zealand is capable of self-study, research, essay writing, creating presentations and staying the course. I would advise anyone contemplating this course to be prepared mentally prior to committing to it.

The final challenge of the course is to write four exams over two days and I mean actually write with a pen on paper. For someone like myself who is mostly on a computer or tablet and barely writes anything on paper anymore, this was the final challenge. But I overcame this and emerged successfully with an overall 81.75%. I could have possibly done better but was not dissatisfied with this outcome for someone who was back to school after a very long time. The graduation day in beautiful Tauranga was an unforgettable experience too and laid the foundation for applying for my license.

Getting the qualification under the belt is only part of the process towards getting a license. Then a formal application is made to the Immigration Advisers' Authority (IAA) who then assess an applicant for eligibility. Only upon satisfactory assessment is when a license is granted. So overall it is quite a challenging process to become a Licensed Immigration Adviser (LIA) and I am glad I can proudly claim to be one today.

I want to assure my readers that this blog is not an attempt at a vain show off of my achievements but is primarily aimed at being of benefit to two types of readers:

A) For those who are planning to start a migration process with Immigration New Zealand you should be confident when dealing with a LIA because now you know that it is not everyone who can qualify and become one. The stringent process and the very law itself under which the licensing regime was introduced (Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007) has but one purpose - to protect the interests of migrants. In fact the motto of the IAA is Licensed professionals = Protected migrants. So be assured when you are dealing with me or any of my colleagues from the licensed fraternity.

B) For those who are contemplating becoming a Licensed Immigration Adviser (LIA) this is an insight into what is in store for you. Plus as a full license holder I am happy to consider becoming a supervisor for a handful who are about to embark on this journey. The latest licensing requirements state "All students who begin their study towards the Graduate Certificate in New Zealand Immigration Advice in July 2015 will be required to hold a provisional immigration adviser licence for two years before they may upgrade to hold a full licence. Students may apply for a provisional licence after they have completed Courses A and B, or following graduation." (Source: IAA website) And provisional license holders can provide advice on all immigration matters but must be supervised by a full licence holder. So if you would like to work under my supervision, I am happy to consider. Besides currently being a self employed immigration adviser, I am also teaching at an Adult Community Education school. I will gladly extend my passion for teaching into the New Zealand immigration domain as well.

And with that I end my first blog as a LIA and will be contributing more thoughts as I progress in this new career. Thanks for reading and come back to check my new posts if you have any interest in New Zealand migration. I will be sharing case studies too and some of you may find echoes of your own situation in these. So hopefully you will bookmark this blog and visit often. And if you like my posts, I will appreciate if you can share it with your family and friends. As a new LIA setting off on an exciting new journey any support will be appreciated. Thanks in anticipation.


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Nga mihi (regards)