Kindred looks after everything a student needs on the ground in New Zealand — trip logistics, homestay accommodation, caregiver services and social life. We work alongside families, education agents and institutions to create a supported experience from planning through to arrival and beyond.
Students come to us directly, or through the agents and institutions we partner with. Either way, we coordinate the practical support they need to live, settle and thrive in New Zealand — including pre-departure preparation, accommodation, local support and arrival planning.
Flight coordination, airport transfers, orientation scheduling and travel documentation — handled door to door so nothing falls between the cracks.
Carefully assessed and vetted homestay families matched to each student, with ongoing support and monitoring throughout the placement.
Dedicated local support for students who need it, with regular check-ins, practical assistance and someone to contact when issues arise.
Weekend trips, cultural events and social meet-ups that turn a study abroad year into real friendships and real belonging. From thermal pools and beach days to laser tag and farm visits, with appropriate supervision based on the activity, group and programme arrangements.
Those first few weeks matter most — here's how we make sure students feel right at home, from day one and every week after.
We meet the student at the airport, handle transfers, and walk them through their first day — no one navigates a new country alone.
Homestay placement is confirmed ahead of arrival and introduced in person, with a welcome pack and house orientation.
Their caregiver checks in often, keeps the school in the loop, and is just a call away whenever they need a hand.
Social and cultural activities run throughout the stay, connecting students with peers and with New Zealand itself.
Every student seen and supported on a personal level.
Reliable, transparent and consistent — every time, for every family, school and host.
Bridges between people, cultures and communities.
Guidance that builds confidence and independence.
High standards in every detail of day-to-day care.
Kindred works alongside schools, education agents and providers as their on-the-ground student-care partner in New Zealand. You retain your education and client relationship; we manage the agreed care, accommodation, activities and local support.
"We stopped worrying about logistics the moment Kindred took over on-arrival care."
— International Programme Coordinator, Partner School
Alongside supporting students you've already enrolled, Kindred offers selected New Zealand programmes that partner agents and institutions can introduce to their own families. We coordinate the programme and student-care experience in New Zealand, while you retain your client relationship.
Present Kindred programmes to your families as part of your own catalogue, under your existing relationship with them.
We coordinate the New Zealand programme experience — education-provider arrangements where applicable, homestay, caregiver support, activities, transfers and pre-departure support.
Regular wellbeing and progress reporting back to you throughout, so you're never guessing how your students are doing.
Students come to Kindred in different ways — through education agents and institutions, directly through families, or through one of our own programmes. We can support students who are already enrolled with an education provider, or coordinate selected programmes that combine education with Kindred student care.
Any parent or student interested in studying or spending time in New Zealand — and the agents and institutions who support them. Whether a student arrives through a partner agency or comes to us directly, the care on the ground is the same.
We help coordinate the practical arrangements before departure — programme documentation, travel information, insurance where applicable, accommodation details and arrival planning — so students and families know what to expect before they leave home.
Our homestay selection process is designed around student safety and suitability. Host families are interviewed, homes are assessed, and appropriate checks are completed before placement. We also stay in contact throughout the placement so students and hosts have ongoing support.
Students are given a clear local point of contact based on the support included in their programme. Students receiving Kindred caregiver services have a dedicated caregiver, with emergency support available according to their service arrangements.
Student care first. Kindred's core business is supporting students in New Zealand through accommodation, caregiver services, activities, logistics and programme management. For selected programmes, Kindred may also assist with enrolment as an authorised education agent of the education provider. Education is delivered by the relevant New Zealand education provider, not by Kindred.
Yes — that's the core of what we do. Head to the Partners section or get in touch to talk through your next cohort.
Tell us where your students are coming from and when they arrive — we'll take it from the tarmac.
Every host family is vetted, interviewed, and checked in on for as long as they host — because a homestay only works when it actually feels like home.
No family is approved on a form alone — every home is assessed in person, and stays accountable for as long as they host.
Host families agree to clear expectations, so every student knows what to expect too.
Whether you're an agent arranging a homestay or a family interested in hosting, get in touch and we'll take it from there.
Students who require caregiver support are paired with a dedicated local caregiver for the agreed period of their stay. The level of support is tailored to the student's age, programme and circumstances.
This isn't a once-a-term check-in. It's ongoing, hands-on support across everything a student needs to settle and thrive.
Every student receiving Kindred caregiver support, along with their parent or school where appropriate, has a direct line to their caregiver — not a shared inbox or call queue.
Get in touch and we'll walk you through how caregiver matching works for your next cohort.
Whether you're an agent placing a cohort, a parent with questions, or a family interested in hosting — tell us a little and we'll come back to you.
We’ve received your enquiry and a member of the Kindred team will be in touch soon to learn more about what you’re looking for and how we can help.
We collect personal information to arrange and deliver student services. This page explains what we collect, why, who sees it, and what you can ask us to do with it.
Last updated: 7 September 2026 · Kindred Student Care Ltd
Kindred Student Care Ltd ("Kindred", "we", "us") is a New Zealand company providing student-care and programme-management services to international students. Our services may include homestay coordination, caregiver support, activities, local logistics and programme support. For selected programmes, Kindred may also assist with enrolment with a New Zealand education provider.
We are the agency responsible for the personal information described in this policy. If you have questions or requests, contact us at info@kindredstudentcare.com.
The information we collect depends on your relationship with us.
If you contact us through this website:
If you are a student, or a parent or guardian of a student in our care, we may also collect:
If you apply to become a host family, we may also collect:
If you apply to work with or represent Kindred, we may also collect:
Some of this information — particularly health information and police vetting information — is sensitive. We collect and use it only where reasonably necessary for student safety, suitability, service delivery, or to meet applicable legal or contractual requirements.
We do not use your information for automated decision-making, and we do not sell it.
We share personal information only where it is necessary to deliver our services or meet a legal obligation. This may include:
We do not otherwise disclose personal information to third parties without your consent, unless we are required or permitted to do so by law.
We hold personal information securely and limit access to those who need it to do their job. Some of our service providers may store information on servers outside New Zealand. Where that happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure comparable privacy protections are in place, as required by the Privacy Act 2020.
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described above, or for as long as we are legally required to retain it. Records relating to student care and host family approval may need to be kept for a defined period after a placement ends.
Under the Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to:
To make a request, email info@kindredstudentcare.com. We will respond within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at privacy.org.nz or 0800 803 909.
Many of the students we support are under 18. Where a student is a minor, we handle their information with particular care and may work with their parent or legal guardian, education provider, referring agent and other authorised people involved in their care or programme. We share student information only where there is a legitimate reason connected with their care, safety, programme or our legal obligations.
This website does not use cookies, tracking pixels or analytics tools, and does not store information on your device.
The site loads fonts from third-party services (Fontshare and Google Fonts). When your browser requests these, those providers may receive your IP address and basic technical information. We do not control or receive that information.
If we introduce analytics or other cookies in future, we will update this policy and, where required, ask for your consent before they are used.
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. Material changes affecting how we use your information will be communicated directly where practical.
Questions, requests or complaints about privacy:
Email: info@kindredstudentcare.com
Phone: +64 22 094 5444
Kindred Student Care Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand
Classes fill the weekdays. What turns a few months in New Zealand into the year they never stop talking about is everything around them — the beach days, the hot pools, the friends made in a bowling alley.
Activities run throughout the student's stay, as a group, always accompanied by a Kindred caregiver — no student is ever dropped somewhere and left to it.
An example of how activities tend to spread across four weeks. Tap through to see how a month usually unfolds.
Early days — getting oriented and meeting the other students.
A proper look around Christchurch, so the place starts feeling navigable rather than foreign.
Out on the Avon River, followed by a picnic in Hagley Park.
The museum telling the story of the Canterbury earthquakes — the best way to understand the city they're living in.
Settling in — the point where friendships usually start forming properly.
Low-key, loud, and the fastest way to get a group of students talking to each other.
A day trip north to the thermal pools and waterslides, about 90 minutes from the city.
By now they know their way around and the group has found its rhythm.
Competitive, chaotic, and reliably the activity students bring up months later.
Christchurch's seaside suburb — sand, surf, and fish and chips on the esplanade.
Venturing further afield now that everyone's comfortable.
Native New Zealand wildlife, including the chance to actually see a kiwi.
A side of New Zealand most students have only seen in pictures.
A mix of outdoors, culture and the kind of thing that's just good fun after a week of classes.
Natural thermal pools and waterslides in the alpine village north of the city. A full day out, and usually a favourite.
Day tripPaddling the Avon through the middle of the city, then a picnic in Hagley Park. Calm, green, and very Christchurch.
OutdoorsThe story of the Canterbury earthquakes and the rebuild — the single best way to understand the city.
CultureAn easy evening out that does more for group friendships than almost anything else on the calendar.
EveningCompetitive and loud. Reliably the activity that comes up first when students talk about their time here.
EveningChristchurch's seaside suburb, twenty minutes from town — a proper beach day when the weather plays along.
OutdoorsNative New Zealand wildlife, including the chance to actually see a kiwi — which surprises most students.
NatureA side of New Zealand most students have only seen in pictures — and one of the more memorable culture shocks.
CultureMarking the milestones — arrivals, birthdays, and goodbyes — with everyone around one table.
GroupWe also run ten-day New Zealand Adventures for groups who want to explore the country rather than enrol in it — summer and winter itineraries, homestay accommodation, and our own team driving.
Tell us the dates and group size and we'll put together a plan that fits around their school timetable.
For groups who want to experience New Zealand rather than study in it. Ten days and nine nights based in Christchurch homestays — mountains, coast, city and culture, with our own team driving and a caregiver alongside throughout.
Local homestay families across the Christchurch area
Private van, driven by our own team
10 days and 9 nights, start to finish
A Kindred caregiver with the group throughout
The same ten-day shape, but summer and winter offer genuinely different trips — one has the coast and the Buskers Festival, the other has the ski fields.
Groups travelling between 23 January and 1 February get an evening at the festival — live performances, music and street shows across the city.
A full day at Mt Hutt, Porters or Cheeseman Ski Area, learning to ski or snowboard with certified instructors. Available as an optional extra.
Tell us your preferred dates and group size and we’ll put together an itinerary that fits.
Whether it's a few weeks of English, a term at a New Zealand high school, or a longer university pathway — we arrange the study and look after everything around it.
Each pathway is supported by Kindred's on-the-ground student-care services, tailored to the student's age, programme and circumstances — including accommodation, local support, transport, activities and pre-departure preparation where applicable.
Kindred programmes combine study with comprehensive student support in New Zealand. Education is delivered by the named New Zealand education provider, while Kindred manages the student-care and programme experience, including accommodation, activities, local support and logistics. Where applicable, Kindred may also assist with enrolment as an authorised education agent of the education provider.
Kindred can provide student-care services independently of education recruitment. Your existing enrolment and client relationship remains with you, while Kindred manages the agreed student-care services in New Zealand.
Intensive English at a New Zealand language institute, combined with activities that get students out into the country and its culture.
A term, a semester or a full year at a New Zealand secondary school. Students join regular classes alongside Kiwi students, with full pastoral care throughout.
Support for students heading into New Zealand tertiary study — foundation programmes, English for academic purposes, and the practical side of settling into student life here.
Ten-day New Zealand Adventures for groups who want to experience the country rather than study in it — mountains, coast, city and culture, with our own team driving.
Depending on the programme selected, Kindred can coordinate:
Younger students and programmes requiring caregiver support are paired with a dedicated local caregiver. Other students receive the level of local support appropriate to their age, programme and circumstances.
Send us the student's details and we'll come back with pathways, timing and availability.
Our work depends entirely on the people doing it — the families who open their homes, the caregivers students call first, and the team keeping it all running.
We recruit year-round rather than by vacancy, because student numbers shift with each intake. If a role fits you, get in touch — we'd rather know you early.
Help connect students and families with selected Kindred programmes in New Zealand. We provide programme training, approved resources and ongoing support so you can represent Kindred confidently in your market.
Host an international student in your home. You provide a private room, three meals each day, including an appropriate school lunch on school days, reasonable snacks, and a genuine place at the family table. Paid according to the agreed placement arrangements.
Be the person a student calls first. You'll check in regularly, attend school meetings, go along to medical appointments, and be reachable when something goes wrong.
Run the weekend trips and evening outings — the beach days, hot pools and bowling nights that turn a placement into a good year. Casual and seasonal work.
Coordinate placements, bookings, documentation and partner communication. The work that means nothing gets missed between a family in one country and a school in another.
Tell us which role interests you and a little about yourself. No formal CV needed to start a conversation.
A conversation in person or by video. For homestay families, this includes visiting your home with everyone present.
Police vetting and references. Required for every role that brings you into contact with students.
We introduce you when the right student or placement comes up, with an induction before anything starts.
Tell us which role suits you and we’ll take it from there.