What Is It?
We’re creating a partnership with CCI New Zealand to give you a one-year camp exchange program.
You’ll spend 5-6 months in New Zealand working at a variety of Christian camps, and then we’ll be joined by Kiwis for 5-6 months in Canada working at Muskoka Bible Centre (including our Widjiitiwin program). The partnership begins when you will fly to New Zealand in mid-October, where you’ll be until mid-March. You can spend the month of April traveling around New Zealand, or return home and prepare for your summer at MBC. Once here, you’ll work in a department at MBC, side-by-side with friends from New Zealand. The program finishes at the end of August but you will also have the option to stay on at MBC in the fall if you want to continue serving.
The Experience
Here is a seasonal breakdown of the one-year experience:
- Fall 2023: Just after Canadian Thanksgiving, you’ll fly out to Auckland and meet the CCI New Zealand team. There, you’ll take part in a three-day welcome session (setting up your NZ bank account, visiting a Maori village and more). After this, you’ll fly out to the local camp where you’ll be volunteering (a few of the camp options that are on the table: Highland Home, Waipara Adventure Centre, Narrows Park, Teapot Valley, Bridge Valley, CYC Ngaruarawahia). The camps will be responsible for your training, room and board and making sure that you’re growing in your faith during your time there.
- Winter 2024: Unlike Canada, New Zealand operates in the southern hemisphere, which means that their summer season is during our winter season. You can expect a hot December, January and February while volunteering at your camps. There will be times to get out, explore the country, surrounding cities and more! During this time, we’ll also be connecting with you about your application and 2024 position at MBC.
- Spring/Summer 2024: Your time volunteering in New Zealand will wrap up around mid-March. At that point, you’ll have decided to either return home and take a break in Canada for the month of April, or you may spend time traveling in NZ. Either way, we’ll expect you at our Spring Crew Orientation weekend for your MBC role in the summer of 2024. Your Kiwi teammates will also join us at that point for the summer season. Take a look at our Summer Staff options at MBC to get an idea of what your time spent at MBC will look like. The decision of your preferred department to serve in will have been decided in the winter.
- Fall 2024: At the end of the summer, your program experience will be complete! We’re planning on offering a few Canadian experiences to our Kiwi friends, and there may be an opportunity to participate in that, as well!
The Cost
-On the New Zealand side, you be responsible for paying for your flights and an admin fee (about $2000 CAD), but all room and board is covered while you’re in NZ, and you also get a weekly stipend of about $100 CAD) to spend on whatever you choose. The admin fee covers a three day welcome / country induction including setting up a domestic bank account for tax purposes and an overnight stay in a Marae (Maori village). It also includes internal flights / transport to the camp following the induction, return flights/transport at the end of the volunteer period, and a three day debrief and fun time together before flying home.
As you can see – there is a cost to going, but all in all, you can come out of the year of volunteering and serving at MBC ahead. There are also opportunities to work here at MBC this September / October (as casual hourly fall staff) before you leave for New Zealand, if you are looking for more opportunities to save financially.