General COVID-19 FAQS
NZH continues to support all homestay participants and stakeholders in managing placements as COVID-19 has an ongoing impact on travel, study and daily life.
The NZH COVID-19 Safety Policy outlines expectations regarding health and safety, information for incoming students, and how NZH is being flexible with regards to bookings and refunds.
Several safe and effective vaccines have been developed to prevent people from getting seriously ill from COVID-19.
Vaccination is an important step for people to protect themselves and the community against the virus. The New Zealand Homestay (NZH) encourages all homestay participants to receive an approved COVID-19 vaccination if it is considered safe for you to do so on the advice of a health
practitioner.
All hosts (including residents aged 12 years and over who are eligible to receive the vaccine) and guests are asked to enter their COVID-19 vaccination status on their NZH profile so we can appropriately match participants for upcoming placements (NOTE: this is optional). Homestay participants can also indicate if they require their host/guest to be vaccinated to assist with this process.
If any residents or guests have any COVID-19 symptoms they should take a COVID-19 test as soon as possible, even if symptoms are mild.
If any residents (including guests) in an NZH placement test positive to COVID-19 they must isolate as per New Zealand Government requirements. Others in the home should follow the Advice for Household Contacts. Please ensure you contact NZH as soon as possible to advise of your situation if you are in an active placement.
New Zealand Homestay has data storage systems and policies in place to ensure we are compliant with the Privacy Act 2020. These measures already safeguard other Personal Information (PI) you provide to us such as your name, address, police vetting checks, etc.
You can view the NZH Privacy Policy any time at https://portal.newzealandhomestay.co.nz/policies/privacy. It contains further information about the PI we collect and how it is managed, your rights, and how to contact us about the PI you provide to us.
If you are not comfortable uploading COVID-19 vaccination certificate/s to your NZH profile, please contact your local office and they will be able to discuss an alternative method to verify your vaccination status.
Student COVID-19 FAQS
Vaccination is not mandatory to participate in homestay, however, NZH encourages all eligible guests to be vaccinated if it is considered safe to do so on the advice of a health practitioner.
We are asking students to include their vaccination information on their profile so we can manage placements as efficiently as possible. Please be mindful that it may be difficult for us to find a host for you if you are not vaccinated.
You also need to be aware of New Zealand Government requirements for incoming international arrivals, which stipulate most people need to be vaccinated to enter New Zealand.
We are asking all homestay participants who indicate they have received the COVID-19 vaccination to upload a vaccination certificate (or proof of exemption) as verification.
Host COVID-19 FAQS
Hosts should allow their guest to isolate at home just as you would with your family members.
We have asked all active members of our host pool to contact us if they are not comfortable accommodating a student if they catch COVID-19 at some point. This is so we have the opportunity to find an alternative placement for the guest to prevent any issues in the future.
By continuing in a placement and not highlighting any concerns about allowing a student to isolate in your home, you are agreeing to accommodate those needs if required. We will be unable to move a guest out of a current placement if they are required to isolate.
Under New Zealand Government requirements for incoming international arrivals, travellers must be fully vaccinated with a completed course of an approved vaccine unless they are listed as someone who does not need proof of vaccination OR they have received a vaccination exemption.