An Emerging Model at the Intersection of Education, Tourism, and Cultural Exchange
International study holiday programmes represent a significant and growing opportunity for New Zealand’s regional economies. Unlike traditional international education pathways — which typically involve long-term secondary or tertiary enrolment concentrated in major cities — study holiday programmes combine short-term academic engagement with structured cultural experiences and tourism activities, typically running for one to three weeks. For host regions, these programmes create a unique economic development opportunity: direct local spending across accommodation, food services, tourism operators, schools, transport providers, and cultural organisations, while simultaneously building long-term relationships with international students, schools, and families.
New Zealand’s international education sector was, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s fifth-largest export earner, contributing approximately $5.1 billion to the national economy in 2019. The sector collapsed dramatically during border closures, falling to just $1.2 billion in 2021, but has since recovered strongly. Education New Zealand’s Going for Growth plan targets a doubling of sector revenue to $7.2 billion by 2034, with an explicit emphasis on regional distribution of benefits beyond Auckland and other gateway cities. Study holiday programmes are identified as a key mechanism for achieving this regional ambition.
Wuyuan, Jiangxi Province — one of China’s most scenic rural regions and the source of the pilot programme’s student cohort, reflecting the depth of the Eastern Bridge–Jiangxi relationship.
Why Study Holiday Programmes?
Study holiday programmes are particularly popular among Asian education markets, where schools and families increasingly seek short, safe, and structured overseas education experiences. The model’s key features make it highly attractive to both international participants and host communities:
For New Zealand regions outside major metropolitan centres, study holiday programmes present an opportunity to attract high-value international visitors directly into regional communities — distributing tourism benefits beyond traditional gateway cities such as Auckland or Queenstown. The per-person daily spend of study tour participants consistently exceeds that of independent tourists, making them a high-yield segment for regional economies.
Brings international visitors directly into regional communities, bypassing traditional gateway cities and distributing economic benefits more equitably.
Per-person daily spend of $511 significantly exceeds the NZ average international tourist spend of $300–$350/day, making this a premium market segment.
Builds lasting connections with international schools, families, and communities — supporting future tourism, long-term education enrolment, and trade.
What the 2025 Pilot Set Out to Achieve
In 2025, Eastern Bridge Limited designed and delivered a pilot study holiday programme in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, working closely with local councils, schools, and iwi partners to develop an integrated cultural and educational experience for a group of 40 secondary school students and 5 accompanying teachers from Jiangxi Province, China. The programme was the culmination of several years of relationship-building between Eastern Bridge and Jiangxi educational institutions, and represented the first structured, commercially viable study tour to be delivered in the Eastern Bay of Plenty region.
The programme was designed around four clear strategic objectives, each of which was measurable and directly aligned with the region’s economic development goals:
Prove that the Eastern Bay of Plenty can attract and host international study groups at a commercially viable scale, establishing a proof-of-concept that could be used to attract future investment and programme participants. This objective required demonstrating that the region had sufficient accommodation, educational, cultural, and tourism infrastructure to support a group of 45 international visitors for an extended period.
Distribute programme spending across a wide range of regional businesses, schools, and cultural organisations — ensuring that the economic benefits of the programme were felt broadly across the community rather than concentrated in a single sector or operator. This required deliberate procurement decisions that prioritised local suppliers at every stage of the programme.
Deliver authentic, iwi-led cultural experiences through partnerships with Ngāti Awa and Whakatōhea, positioning Māori culture as a genuine point of difference for the Eastern Bay of Plenty as an international destination. This objective required careful co-design with iwi partners to ensure experiences were culturally appropriate, meaningful, and commercially sustainable.
Create a documented programme structure, partner network, and operational framework that could be replicated for multiple annual cohorts and adapted for other New Zealand regions. This objective required Eastern Bridge to act not just as a programme deliverer, but as a model-builder — capturing lessons, documenting processes, and identifying the conditions required for success.
Programme Architecture, International Coordination, and Partner Engagement
Eastern Bridge Limited acted as the programme architect and international coordinator — responsible for developing the concept, securing the international partner cohort, coordinating all local partners, and delivering the programme end-to-end. This role was distinct from that of a simple tour operator: Eastern Bridge brought together a complex network of public, private, and iwi partners, each with different objectives and operating contexts, and aligned them around a shared programme vision.
The programme’s success was built on Eastern Bridge’s unique position as a trusted intermediary between the Eastern Bay of Plenty community and Jiangxi Province. Founded in 2014 by Simon Appleton, Eastern Bridge has spent over a decade building relationships with Jiangxi government agencies, educational institutions, and business communities — relationships that are not easily replicated and that provided the foundation for the pilot programme.
Eastern Bridge worked closely with Whakatāne District Council, which supported the programme as part of its wider strategy to strengthen international relationships and promote regional tourism. Council support was critical in facilitating introductions to local schools and providing logistical assistance for the programme’s civic components.
Eastern Bridge engaged directly with Ngāti Awa in Whakatāne and Whakatōhea in Ōpōtiki. Participants visited Tūtātini Marae in Ōpōtiki, where they were formally welcomed with a pōwhiri and introduced to Māori cultural traditions including kapahaka, waiata, and the hongi. Whakatōhea also hosted a farm visit, integrating iwi-led agribusiness into the programme.
Three Eastern Bay of Plenty secondary schools hosted students for classroom immersion: Trident High School in Whakatāne, Whakatāne High School, and Ōpōtiki College. Students participated in regular classes alongside their New Zealand peers, practised conversational English, and engaged in structured cultural exchange activities facilitated by school staff.
Eastern Bridge contracted a range of local tourism operators to deliver activity components: nature and environmental tours, a nocturnal wildlife experience, cultural performances and workshops, and farm visits. All operators were locally owned and operated, ensuring programme spending remained within the regional economy.
The hongi — a traditional Māori greeting that symbolises the sharing of the breath of life — was a central and deeply meaningful element of the cultural exchange programme.
Eastern Bridge’s Specific Contributions
Beyond the coordination role, Eastern Bridge made several specific and measurable contributions to the programme’s success:
Direct Spend, Multiplier Effects, and Sectoral Distribution
Programme Overview
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Participants | 40 international students + 5 accompanying teachers |
| Programme duration | 10 days in New Zealand (7 days based in Eastern Bay of Plenty) |
| Programme budget | NZD $230,000 (excl. international flights and insurance) |
| Average spend per person | $5,111 per participant |
| Average spend per person per day | $511/day — significantly above the NZ average of $300–$350/day |
| Schools involved | Trident High School, Whakatāne High School, Ōpōtiki College |
| Iwi partners | Ngāti Awa (Whakatāne), Whakatōhea (Ōpōtiki) |
Regional Spending Breakdown
The $230,000 programme budget was deliberately distributed across a wide range of regional businesses and organisations, with procurement decisions made to maximise local economic benefit. The chart below shows the distribution of programme spending across seven categories:
Accommodation represented the single largest expenditure category at 31% ($72,000), reflecting the 10-night stay for 45 participants. Food and hospitality was the second-largest category at 23% ($52,000), with meals sourced from local restaurants and catering providers throughout the programme. Tourism activity providers received 14% ($32,000), while schools and education activities received 12% ($28,000) — a direct financial benefit to the participating secondary schools. Marae and cultural programmes received 8% ($18,000), providing meaningful income to iwi organisations while showcasing Māori culture to international visitors.
Economic Multiplier Effect
Tourism spending has a well-established economic multiplier effect: money spent by visitors circulates through the local economy, supporting additional business activity and employment as it does so. Regional tourism studies in New Zealand generally estimate a multiplier of between 1.7 and 2.3, depending on the degree of local economic integration. Using a conservative multiplier of 1.8 — consistent with estimates used by regional economic development agencies for similar programmes — the total economic impact of the pilot programme is estimated at over $414,000.
Sectoral Impact
The programme’s economic benefits were distributed across five distinct sectors of the regional economy, each of which experienced measurable positive impacts:
High-value group bookings and exposure to a new international market segment, with operators reporting that study tour groups are significantly less price-sensitive than independent travellers.
Consistent group bookings for restaurants and catering providers throughout the programme, providing predictable revenue during what is typically a quieter period for regional hospitality businesses.
Programme fees paid to participating schools, plus the opportunity to develop long-term international school partnerships that could support future student exchange and enrolment.
Marae and iwi organisations generated direct income while showcasing Māori culture to international visitors — a model that is both culturally respectful and commercially sustainable.
Sustained vehicle hire and driver services for local transport companies throughout the 10-day programme, providing consistent work for regional operators.
Social Outcomes, Long-Term Benefits, and the Opportunity to Scale
The pilot programme successfully achieved all four of its strategic objectives, delivering significant economic and social benefits while establishing a proven, documented model for future growth. Beyond the immediate economic impact, the programme generated a range of social and strategic outcomes that are expected to compound in value over time.
Students experienced Māori culture through direct, hands-on engagement — learning kapahaka movements, understanding marae protocol, and participating in traditional welcomes rather than passive observation. Post-programme surveys indicated that the marae visit was the single most memorable experience for the majority of participants.
Local students developed friendships with their international peers, increasing their awareness of global opportunities and building cross-cultural confidence. Several participating schools reported that the exchange had a measurable positive impact on local students’ interest in language learning and international study.
Local communities were able to showcase their culture, natural environment, and hospitality to international visitors — strengthening regional identity and demonstrating that the Eastern Bay of Plenty is a world-class destination. Community feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many participants expressing a desire to host future groups.
The programme demonstrated how iwi-led experiences can be integrated into international visitor programmes in a culturally respectful and commercially sustainable manner. Both Ngāti Awa and Whakatōhea expressed strong interest in participating in future programmes, and the model has since been discussed as a potential template for iwi-led tourism development across the region.
Jiangxi students engaging with local students at Whakatāne High School — one of three Eastern Bay of Plenty secondary schools that hosted the delegation for classroom immersion activities.
Long-Term Strategic Benefits
Research on international study tour programmes consistently demonstrates that short-term visits generate long-term economic and social returns that extend well beyond the immediate programme period. The following strategic benefits are expected to materialise over the coming years as a result of the pilot programme:
Scaling the Opportunity
The pilot programme demonstrates the potential to scale study holiday programmes significantly, with relatively modest increases in coordination capacity. The projections below use the same $230,000 per-programme baseline and a conservative 1.8× economic multiplier:
Achieving five programmes per year would require modest investment in coordination capacity and marketing, but would generate over $2 million in annual regional economic impact — a compelling return on investment for regional councils and economic development agencies. Eastern Bridge has the international relationships, the programme design capability, and the operational experience to support this scaling trajectory.
Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province — a city of over 6 million people and the administrative centre of Eastern Bridge’s primary international partner region. The depth of the Jiangxi relationship provides a substantial and growing pipeline of potential study tour participants.
Results Summary
| Objective | Target | Outcome | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demonstrate regional viability | Deliver a complete 10-day programme | Programme delivered in full; all logistics managed without incident | Achieved |
| Generate direct economic benefit | $200,000+ regional spend | $230,000 distributed across 7 expenditure categories | Achieved |
| Integrate Māori cultural experiences | Marae visit + cultural activities | Pōwhiri at Tūtātini Marae; kapahaka; Whakatōhea farm visit | Achieved |
| Build a scalable model | Documented framework for replication | Programme evaluation and scalability assessment completed | Achieved |
| School immersion | 3 schools participating | Trident HS, Whakatāne HS, Ōpōtiki College all participated | Achieved |
| Economic multiplier impact | $400,000+ total regional impact | $414,000 estimated total impact (1.8× multiplier) | Achieved |