Next weekend a contingent of Bay Schools are off to Korea to recruit students.
Priority One acting chief executive Greg Simmonds says international students bring significant social and economic benefits to Tauranga.
Most importantly, he says they enable young New Zealanders to live and learn alongside people from other countries, helping our students to operate more confidently in a global society. I could not agree more.
It is also important for kids to make friends with those from different cultures as it opens up their minds to different ways of life.
When I went to primary school I had one Danish friend. There was no one else from another country in any classroom and we thought she was very exotic.
We are lucky that Tauranga is now a multi cultural city that is home to people from all over the world.
Migrants play a major role in the make-up of our diverse city and when they decide to live here they need support. A lot of this work is done by volunteers who become their anchors. Often they go above and beyond to help them transition and make them feel welcome.
Earlier this month three of these unsung heroes were recognised with services to migrants in our community awards for helping thousands transition into a new life in the Bay.