New Zealand

This study abroad program is intended to give students experience and exposure to the culture and business environment in New Zealand. The program will visit two areas of New Zealand; the city of Auckland on the North Island, and Queenstown on the South Island. The program will be a mixture of classroom lectures at the University of Auckland, executive speakers from businesses in Asia Pacific, visits to businesses, outdoor adventure activities, and excursions to cultural sites on the islands.

We will fly into Auckland and spend 10 days there, then fly to Queenstown on the South island for 4 days.  We will return to Auckland and fly back to the U.S. from there. It will be summer in New Zealand, but it could be cool in the mountains. Throughout the trip, the group will be visiting businesses and meeting with business leaders to learn how they operate in New Zealand and their leadership style. We will also visit important cultural and ecological sites on the journey.

We will take an overnight cruise to the beautiful Bay of Islands near Auckland, which includes swimming, snorkeling, fishing, and kayaking.  We will also enjoy a boat ride and gondola ride in Queenstown. The itinerary includes time for optional canyoning, zip-lining, bungee jumping, hang gliding, sky diving, and other less extreme activities such as visits to the Glow Worm caves or to Hobbiton.

The island nation of New Zealand is known for adventure and eco-tourism, and has gained more fame recently as the location for filming of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies. With lots of seacoast and mountains, the natural beauty of the two islands is amazing in this English-speaking country with a heritage similar to the US.

The program has the following components:

• Business visits to learn about business functions
• Executive business speakers to learn about leadership philosophies and business styles in New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region
• Cultural visits to areas of interest in New Zealand
• New Zealand history, geography, and economics