Homestay accommodation

Many students prefer to stay in homestay accommodation to be a part of a family environment. International students also like homestay accommodation to improve their English and to experience New Zealand culture.

Host Families NZ pride themselves on carefully matching students and visitors to their ideal host families by providing each party with a detailed profile. You can feel safe and secure knowing that all host families are interviewed, and police screened. Whether you’re looking for short-term or long-term stays, our dedicated and experienced team match you with your ideal host as best as we can.

What is a homestay family?

Homestay families come in all shapes and sizes! There really is no such thing as a 'typical' homestay family. People from all over the world host students and visitors in their home.

Our host families represent a lot of different cultures, for example a host family may be African, American, Asian, European, Māori, Pākehā, Pasifika. A host family may also be a mother and children, or grandparents and their grandchildren, or parents and several children, or a single person! Host families may have pets in their homes too, such as cats, dogs, rabbits, fish or birds.

At Host Families NZ, we want you to feel comfortable in your home environment, so please let us know if you have any specific preferences for your stay with us.

What you can expect? 

• Welcoming family environment
• Referenced families with police checks
• Laundry availability
• Breakfast and dinner on weekdays
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner on weekends and public holidays
• Reasonable use of internet, electricity and water is included 
• 24-hour support in case of an emergency

Watch this video(external link) to see what you can expect from our host families.

How to apply?

1. Submit an application online(external link)
2. Receive and accept a quote
3. Make the payment
4. Receive homestay confirmation