A snow-capped mountain, endless beaches, lush forests, green farms—Taranaki’s natural beauty is wonderfully accompanied by a rich Maori culture and vibrant communities.
We have the best of New Zealand right on our doorstep. Taranaki offers students from around the world the chance to gain internationally recognised qualifications, build valuable skills beyond the classroom, live in a clean and green environment, and have authentic experiences that will help establish strong, successful futures.
In Taranaki, you will live and study alongside friendly locals, improve your English in classes with small numbers of international students, work with us to develop your individual talent and come away with qualifications that lead to fantastic career opportunities.
A decision to study at Taranaki Dio is a very smart move. From the vibrant city of New Plymouth in the north of the region, to the outdoors farming life of South Taranaki—the lifestyle here is legendary.
When you live and study in Taranaki you will have easy access to a great café scene, museums and art galleries, a rich Māori culture, a landscape with everything from surf and stunning beaches to an awesome snow-capped mountain surrounded by lush bush. And, of course, Taranaki boasts a friendly population who always have time to welcome new people from all over the world.
Taranaki is perfectly positioned in the centre of the North Island’s west coast—ideal for enjoying much of what New Zealand has to offer.
Here in Stratford, we are just four hours’ drive from New Zealand’s capital city Wellington and five hours south of our largest city, Auckland. New Plymouth’s airport provides easy access to the South Island (90-minutes to Christchurch).
Our mountain, Mt Taranaki, has a wonderful Maori love story woven into its origins. The summit of the mountain is of huge cultural significance to the Maori tribes of Taranaki and the opportunity to understand the unique culture of our Maori people, including being warmly welcomed to participate in our Kapa Haka activities, is another wonderful reason for choosing Taranaki and Taranaki Dio.
At Taranaki Dio you are living in the heart of Central Taranaki surrounded by brilliant green farmlands with paddocks of sheep and cows, including our own paddock attached to our school fields. The air is pure and you can see millions of stars at night. We take care to ensure our campus stays clean and green and our student environment committee welcomes new members who wish to care for our school and our planet.
Being 10 minutes away from a National Park is an exciting opportunity whether you come from a large city or from a rural environment in another country. The mountain has easy access and we spend time up there whether on school camps, overnight trips, trekking and hiking or just going out for a coffee in the refreshing mountain air.
For more info on Taranaki, please click here.