nelson high schools

southeast asia - october 2023

Following the overwhelming success of our first programme to Southeast Asia with students from Nayland College, Nelson College, and Nelson College for Girls, a second comparable program was implemented and the group travelled in October 2023 to Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand.

Whilst in Cambodia, the group spent time at REACH Siem Reap gaining an insight into ethical volunteering and how to create lasting change. Prior to their departure, the group worked together making dumplings as their fundraising project and made a contribution to support the REACH community.

student testimonials

The richer understanding I have of people and their connection to their histories is so important to me as I go onto study cultural heritage. The conservation work being completed on temples and palaces was amazing to see and has made me realise that I definitely want to continue down a material conservation path. The Embassy also gave me a better understanding of how my skills in understanding history and culture could lead me down other roads such as diplomatic work or liaison work for museums at an international level. Overall, the trip has given me so much to think about in the future while also enriching my current study as I prepare for my history exam on the Opium Wars and my scholarship exam on Communism.

Amy W

I learned how little I really knew about the world and other people’s lives and how privileged we are in New Zealand. This realisation came more from our everyday interaction with people and experiences such as drinking bottled water every day than a specific activity. I also learned a lot about what is most important to me in life, which I think came from being removed from my normal environment and normal people. These experiences have definitely shaped my next step as I go off into the world next year.

Astrid S

I gained insight into the world outside of New Zealand that I had never experienced before. Seeing the contrast between the skyscrapers of Singapore and the fishing villages of Cambodia has made me think a lot about the way different groups of people live their lives and I will take this interest and insight in my future life and studies.

Ethan C

Visiting REACH was a highlight. Learning about their education/community programme and all the different aspects involved in fighting poverty was insightful and inspiring, and gave me a totally new perspective on how interconnected so many social and environmental issues are. I LOVED their focus on cycling - as a cyclist myself I really resonated with this as I understand how many benefits cycling can have. Discussing ethical tourism/volunteering with REACH staff gave me new perspectives on the experiences we had on our trip and the role of tourism in economies and communities. This will also impact how I view tourism, volunteering, and social issues back home.

Freya H

Throughout the duration of the trip, I have learnt how to interact with a wide variety of people and how to enjoy myself in new and potentially uncomfortable situations. I feel as if this will be helpful in the coming years as I move out of my comfortable home town to a new city with a new range of people.

Genevieve B

I intend to study biology and environmental science at university, so it was incredibly interesting for me to visit Doi Inthanon National Park and get a glimpse of the plants and wildlife there and how it compares to that of New Zealand. It was also interesting to see the waste management (or lack thereof) in cities like Siem Reap, to better understand how priorities like these are affected by the development of a country. This thought process was explored further when talking to the Ambassador in Bangkok.

Petra G

The economic and political situation of these countries really fascinated me, how and why one country is wealthy and the next one is impoverished. Definitely put life in perspective. The importance of education on a personal, national and international level has motivated me to pursue my goal of starting a Masters in Industrial and Organisational Psychology. The trip has given me a greater understanding of, and connection to, the life and fortunes of our former refugee students – many of whom were in refugee camps in Thailand and come from Myanmar.

I loved travelling with this group of young people, hearing their perspectives, concerns about the world, and their thoughts on the politics and culture of each place we travelled.  This was another delightful surprise on how much joy I got from travelling alongside the kids.

Vikki H