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Eastern Bridge Education, founded in 2022, stems from the initiatives of the Eastern Bridge Group, established in 2014 to bolster international and migrant community engagements. A significant milestone was our 2017 Migrant Perceptions Survey, highlighting the barriers migrants and refugees face in New Zealand, especially linguistic challenges. Recognising the urgent need, Eastern Bridge Education was set up to address these gaps, focusing on English proficiency and vocational training. Our objective: to facilitate the effective integration and success of every migrant and refugee in New Zealand.
Eastern Bridge Education strives to empower migrants and refugees in New Zealand with crucial linguistic and vocational skills. Simultaneously, we aim to cultivate strong international educational ties, ensuring a holistic educational approach both locally and abroad.
To be the leading force in facilitating comprehensive domestic training for migrants and driving international educational excellence, making Eastern Bridge Education the definitive hub for bridging New Zealand with the global educational community.
Eastern Bridge Education's evolution is marked by distinct milestones that highlight our commitment to enhancing educational ties:
2019: Before adopting our present identity, Eastern Bridge's parent company initiated sister school ties between New Zealand and China.
2019: Eastern Bridge facilitated a programme allowing Chinese students to experience New Zealand's education system and culture, complete with after-school and weekend explorations.
2019: In a reciprocal initiative, we organised a cultural exchange for New Zealand students to China, exposing them to its educational setting and iconic sites.
2020: The global pandemic didn't deter us. Eastern Bridge actively facilitated online exchanges, maintaining international academic connections.
2022: Eastern Bridge Education officially came into being, introducing its flagship ESOL programme. Aimed at retiree migrants, this class was more than just language learning; it became a communal space, combating isolation through activities like shared cooking and outings.
2022: Through government support, we achieved the capability to offer our courses to migrants and refugees at no cost, provided they held NZ residency or citizenship.
2023: Advancing our educational offerings, we crafted our own course content and expanded our ESOL classes, including the introduction of evening sessions.
2023: A collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development saw us take on work-readiness and hospitality training for our target demographic.
August 2023: A significant leap forward – outgrowing our initial facility, we moved to a dedicated, state-of-the-art classroom space in Napier. This marked a transformative phase for Eastern Bridge Education, amplifying our potential and scope
