Welcome to ECN English Academy.

Welcome to the ECN English Academy | Why hamilton?

FIRST DAY AT ECN

	Introduced to tutor by the head of tutors
	Shown around premises to familiarise new student with facilities and introduce them to other staff members
	Rules, complaint procedures, emergency procedures explained to student with the assistance of an interpreter if necessary
	Support personnel facilities explained
	Questions the students might have are answered
	Introduced to classmates by tutor
	Routines explained to student

CLASS TIMETABLE

HOLIDAYS

SHOPPING

Normal shopping hours are from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday; Larger shopping centres - 9.00 am to 9.00 pm Thursday and Friday, and 9.00 am to 5.00 pm on Saturday. Most big shopping centres are also open on Sunday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. You will find small neighbourhood shops will often stay open later, particularly cafes and dairies.
Example of living costs: Cup of coffee - NZ $3.50 Big Mac - NZ$3.90 Can of Coke - NZ$1.10 Cinema - NZ$12.00

POSTAL SERVICES

The postal service in New Zealand is called "New Zealand Post ". Post Shops are open in general from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday. They are also open from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm on Saturday. New Zealand Post Shops offer a full range of postal services including stamps, parcel post and fax transmission.
New Zealand letters up to 10 grams cost 45 cents within New Zealand.
$1.50 to Australia
$2.00 to Asia, Europe and South America

TELEPHONE

Local calls within the Hamilton region are free from residential telephones. There are special rates for calls made from pay phones and mobile phones. Phone cards are available for use in public payphones and can be purchased from Post Shops, shops and newsagencies near a public payphone, or where you see the Phonecard sign. If you are going to live in a homestay, we strongly recommend that you use pre-paid phone cards. For general information/Telecom Operator you can telephone 010 (this call is free of charge). For the international operator call 0170.

BANKING

New Zealand has a decimal system of currency based on the dollar ($1), which equals 100 cents. There are six coins - five, ten, twenty, fifty cents, one and two dollars, and $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 notes.

Trading hours - All banks are open from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm from Monday to Friday. Most banks are closed on Saturday and Sunday.

If you wish to open a bank account you need to advise the homestay coordinator on your first day. We can help you with your account. Once an account has been opened at the bank, the account holder may then use the savings bank facilities at any other branch of that particular bank anywhere in New Zealand without making special arrangements. You may decide to open an electronic transaction account; the bank will send your Personal Identification Number (PIN) through the post. You then collect your ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) card from the bank. With a 'card account' you can use EFTPOS to pay at supermarkets and other shops. The money is taken directly from your account. You can also withdraw cash using EFTPOS.

The major Banks operating in New Zealand are the ASB Bank, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), National Bank and Westpac. There are three methods by which you may arrange for money to be sent from overseas; bankdrafts and mail transfers take about ten days (normal posting time) and telegraphic transfers reduce the delay to three or four days. You should contact the local bank to enquire about further details and procedures.