Aquinas College is a friendly Catholic co-educational secondary school for students aged 11 to 18 years.
Founded in 2003, the college is set in open spacious grounds of 10.7 hectares, with modern facilities including a Sports Action Centre, industrial kitchens, and a Maori meeting house. It is famous for its academic performance, consistently achieving one of the highest student pass rates of all schools across New Zealand.
Aquinas College is a vibrant and joyful secondary school situated in the busy seaside city of Tauranga on New Zealand’s east coast. It is a new and modern college, with outstanding facilities including science laboratories, a gymnasium, music rooms.
As a Catholic school, Aquinas has a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, guided by Christian values.
My time at Aquinas College was an awesome experience that I will never forget. All students and teacher were always helpful and friendly and I made good friends that I will never forget. Aquinas College helped me to have the best possible time in New Zealand that I can have. I did subjects that are not offered at my school in Germany like Hard Materials Technology. I made a coffee table for my host family. They loved it!
Anna Smialek
What makes us unique?
Top performing academic school in the local region and one of the top achieving schools across New Zealand.
Aquinas offers a Catholic Student Scholarship valued at 50% of tuition fees.
It enrols a maximum of 30 international students from all around the world, meaning students meet and become friends with genuine ‘kiwi’ students, not other fellow German students.
The environment is warm and welcoming, a place students are supported to fulfil their sporting, cultural, arts, service, personal and academic goals.
Value is placed on holistic well-being, with students encouraged to take part in every facet of school life. This includes joining clubs, leading committees, representing the college in sport and taking part in performing arts and culture events.
Sports, Activities & Trips
Students can take part in 28 different sports while enrolled at Aquinas College. These include yachting, gym sports and water polo as well as football, rugby and netball. Highly performing athletes can apply to be part of the Aquinas College Sports Academy. This special programme runs before and after school and is designed to support students with training and play commitments outside of school time. There are over 70% of students taking part in sports at Aquinas College. Athletics, swimming and cross country running are all school-wide events that are held each year, with successful athletes given the opportunity to compete in regional and national competitions.
Aquinas College students have the option to learn French and Te Reo Maori languages, in addition to English. Any student wanting to learn another language will be supported to do so via online learning classes. Students needing additional English language support receive small class tuition as part of the English as a second language subject.
Choir, Jazz Band, Concert Band, Badminton Club and Environment Committee are just a few of the many clubs and activities that are open to students at Aquinas College. Lots of these happen on the College campus before or after school, or during lunch breaks. There are also free music lessons scheduled within school hours for students wanting to learn a musical instrument.
Sports & Activities
- New students Orientation Day with lunch - January
- New students and families' barbecue - February
- Term 1 Trip - Surf lesson, hike up Mount Maunganui, Fish n chips shared dinner at the beach - April
- Aquinas Day celebrations and games - May
- Term 2 Trip - McLarens Falls Sports, shared dinner and Glow Worm kayaking - June
- Term 3 Trip - Rotorua Gondola and Luge riding with visit to Maori Cultural Village - September
- Term 4 - Christmas Party with simming and shared dinner - November
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Cross Country Running
- Football
- Golf
- Gymsports
- Hockey
- Netball
- Rock Climbing
- Rowing
- Sailing
- Ski Snowboarding
Languages we teach
- English
- Specialised English Language Tuition
- French
- Te Reo Maori
Extracurricular Activites
- Choir
- Jazz Band
- Concert Band
- Magazine Committee
- Ball Committee
- Health and Wellbeing Committee
- Debating
- Chess Club
- Scholarship Club
- International Club
End of Year Programme
International students take part in a 3-week tourist activity programme. This includes trips to Waitomo Caves, White Water Rafting, Hobbiton Movie Set, and to see the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua.
They also attend fun workshops on New Zealand food, art and culture as well as take part in a volunteer programme at a local animal shelter and primary school.
Year Planner
There is a wide variety of sports and activities that students can take part in. It’s the best way to improve your English, make new friends and try out something new. It is also possible to join a local club if you have a sport or activity that you enjoy that is not offered by the College. Just contact our friendly International Team and we will arrange it for you.
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | ||||
| Badminton | ||||
| Basketball | ||||
| Cricket | ||||
| Cross Country Running | ||||
| Football | ||||
| Golf | ||||
| Gymsports (Includes Artistic, Tumbling, Cheerleading, Aerobics, Rhythmic and Trampoline) | ||||
| Hockey | ||||
| Netball | ||||
| Rock Climbing | ||||
| Rowing | ||||
| Rugby | ||||
| Sailing | ||||
| Skiing / Snowboarding |
Susanne Doerner
StudyNZ Co-ordinator
Donna Jarden
Director of International Students
Natasha Kahle
International Student Administrator
Fee Breakdown
Please note that these fees are approximate. Contact StudyNZ or the school for exact fees depending on your choice of activities or subjects.
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Fees | $3,712.00 NZD | $3,712.00 NZD | $3,712.00 NZD | $3,712.00 NZD |
| Homestay Fees | $3,360.00 NZD | $3,360.00 NZD | $3,360.00 NZD | $3,360.00 NZD |
| Extramural Fees | $150.00 NZD | $150.00 NZD | $150.00 NZD | $150.00 NZD |
| Study NZ Fees* | $3,600.00 NZD | |||
Our Fees include the consultation beforehand, school choice, assistance with all paperwork and visa application, preparation for time abroad. Pick up on arrival. Transfer to family or domestic flight depending on destination and support during entire stay in New Zealand for student and family. Airport drop off or check in support in Auckland for departure to home country depending on departure situation. We also offer orientation and farewell camps for our students on arrival and departure. Health Insurance is compulsory and can be taken out through StudyNZ with Unicare under our Master policy