They’ve have come from the Czech Republic, Chile, Jordan, Japan, Portugal, Pakistan and virtually everywhere in between to call Queenstown home.
This year, the 1350 pupils at Wakatipu High School represent about 43 different nationalities, based on the countries they were born in.
Yesterday, 27 of those representatives gathered at the school for a special photocall for Allied Press to celebrate the high school’s, and community’s, diversity.
Pictured are (front row from left), principal Oded Nathan and Arya Kurniawan, 19 (Indonesia).
Second row, from left, Ethan Bueno , 13 (Portugal), Aran Quinn, 13 (United Arab Emirates) and Lorenzo Carrizales, 13 (Spain).
Third row, from left, Retaj Alshinawi, 17 (Jordan), Isadora Figueroa, 17 (Chile), and Serena Teo, 15 (Malaysia).
Fourth row, from left, Manuela Messerli, 14 (Switzerland), Marty Botha, 15 (South Africa), Shidoh Ichihara, 17 (Japan), and Eanna Tanghal, 17 (Philippines).
Fifth row, from left, Alisa Pekhtereva, 13 (Russia), Iman Shahbaz, 13 (Pakistan), and Niki Schouten, 17 (Netherlands).
Sixth row, from left, Madi McLean, 16 (Singapore), Annika Thornton, 16 (Australia), Marite Balzarini, 17 (Italy), and Ciara File, 13 (Ireland).
Seventh row, from left, Lauri Wefer, 17 (Germany), Elias Garceau, 16 (Finland), and Taj Johnson, 17 (Vanuatu).
Eighth row, from left, Jan Vavera, 16 (Czech Republic), Julius Cooper, 15 (Denmark), Hugo Johnson, 16 (Great Britain), and Marley King Smith, 17 (New Zealand).
Back row, from left, Eoin McGlynn, 18 (United States), Matheus Dos Santos, 18 (Brazil) and Thisanka Weeraddana, 18 (Sri Lanka).
NNathan says of the school’s 51 newly-enrolled pupils this year, about half were born overseas, something he attributes to the Queenstown workforce’s global recruitment drive.
The huge diversity within the school community’s something they value highly, Nathan says.
‘‘We think it’s representative of … our community, but it’s also important for students to see.
‘‘We’re really isolated in Queenstown, so it’s quite nice to be able to celebrate the various different cultures … Diversity is a complete positive, and an opportunity.’’
The school’s also welcomed 16 international pupils so far this year, more arriving mid-year, he says.
