FAQ's

From:   Auckland International Airport To: Auckland Domestic Terminal
A free terminal transfer bus service operates every 15 minutes between the international and domestic terminals. The bus operates from 5am - 10.30pm daily. Airport maps are available to show you where to find the transfer buses. Alternatively, follow the sign posted walkway for a 10-minute walk.

Domestic transfer
Before booking a domestic flight please allow around three hours to cover procedures for entry into New Zealand, as well as any unexpected flight or processing delays. Please ensure you leave sufficient time to travel between terminals.

Transferring to an Air New Zealand Domestic Flight
If you are transferring to an Air New Zealand domestic flight within New Zealand you need to collect your luggage and clear Customs and Biosecurity. If you have more than 60 minutes before your scheduled departure time then go to the Air New Zealand domestic transfer desk on the ground floor of the international terminal.

If you are within 60 minutes of your scheduled check in time then go directly to the domestic terminal using the free terminal transfer bus which comes every 15 minutes or follow the sign-posted walkway.

If youíre checked in luggage weighs more than 20kg, or carry-on luggage is more than 7kg, an excessive luggage charge may apply.

Shuttle - Look for the Scottís Airport Shuttle at the Airport entrance.  The trip from the airport to PIHMS is less than 10 minutes.  The fee is taken care of by PIHMS.

Taxi - All taxi drivers at the airport will know the way to PIHMS.  The trip from the airport to PIHMS is less than 10 minutes and will cost approximately $15. Keep the receipt and PIHMS will reimburse you if you have missed your pre-booked shuttle.

Commonly used bus companies to New Plymouth are Intercity and the Naked Bus.

If arriving from the North, please book your bus trip to BELL BLOCK, not New Plymouth. Remind the bus driver that you wish to be dropped off in Bell Block as PIHMS is adjacent to the Bell Block bus stop.

If arriving from the South, the bus will take you to New Plymouth.

Yes. Please advise us of your arrival details so that we can arrange your pick up from the New Plymouth airport or New Plymouth bus stop and organise your room for you.

Upon arrival, check in at front office where you will be shown to your room. The duty manager will show you where the restaurants are and where and when enrolment will be.
If you arrive outside business hours and reception is unattended, please call the contact numbers provided in reception.

Enrolment day is when you enrol into your course before you can attend classes. Present yourself at the PIHMS reception desk at 10am on your dedicated enrolment day.

You are allowed to wear casual wear to enrolment day.

At enrolment:

• We check that all documents have been received.
• We check and apply for visas and insurance (International students only)
• We discuss payments for the course
• We do uniform fittings
• We action your student ID Card
• You will meet our Pastoral Care Coordinator

Please bring to enrolment:

• Any documents that are required but have not previouslybeen sent to us.
  • Application Form
  • Conditions of Acceptance
  • Enrolment Form
  • Student Records
• 2 passport size photos (all students)
• Proof of NZPR/Citizen Evidence (Domestic Students)
• Passport (International Students)
• Payment/arrangement's for payment of fees

Yes, Orientation week is compulsory. This is an important part of your introduction to PIHMS and the course you will be attending.

Orientation week will include a:

• Welcome and initial facts
• Tour of the campus and a city bus tour ñ Time for setting up bank accounts and NZ tax number
• Curriculum overview
• Introduction to Operations
• Information Technology
• Pastoral care / Student services / Contracts / Rules
• Industry Placement
• Time to get to know students from your cohort

Accommodation is on a twin share basis. All rooms have ensuite toilet and shower facilities and a mini bar fridge. The school provides all of your linen and towels and your room will be serviced at least once a week.

FURNITURE
In your accommodation you will have the following:

• 1 mirror
• 2 chairs (one each)
• 1 coffee station ñ 1 electric kettle, 2 cups, 2 spoons
• 1 single bed with pillow, linen and bed coverings

Please ensure that you do not bring additional furniture items (such as drawers, chairs and desks). You may bring your own electronic devices. If you choose to bring your own devices, please be aware that this is at your own risk and the school does not accept any liability for these. We advise that you arrange for insurance cover on these items.

Please be advised that there are no cooking facilities in the student rooms. For fire safety reasons, students are not permitted to use any heating or cooking devices other than the ones installed by the school.

There are washing and drying facilities available to launder personal items, at student cost. The machines take $2 coins.

There is a student lounge with a satellite television and DVD for your use. SKY TV with sports and movie channels.

We have Wi-Fi for your convenience.

Our facilities on campus include a heated swimming pool, tennis court, beach volleyball, cricket pitch, gymnasium and squash court. We are also adjacent to a golf club so remember to bring your bathing suit and golf clubs!

Single room accommodation is subject to availability, at an additional cost.
Please apply for this during the application process

If you wish to bring your vehicle to the campus, you must advise us of your car registration number. Each room comes with two car park spaces.
Please note: A full New Zealand drivers licence is recommended and is also an advantage to your industry placement opportunities.

PIHMS Business Attire

You are now entering an industry which places a high emphasis on grooming and personal appearance. You will be provided with 2 business suits with shirts and tie. This is included in your course related costs.

Here is a list of the clothes you will need:

For Males:

• Black socks
• Black polishable, lace up shoes (no suede or buckles)

For Females:

• Stockings - should be sheer black or skin tone
• Black polishable dress shoes with a small heel

Suit fittings:
As part of enrolment day, you will be fitted for your uniform, which you purchase from the school and is yours to keep.

Service Uniforms for Males and Females

• For service classes in the restaurants, your PIHMS uniform is utilised. You will be briefed on this at your first service class.
• Your kitchen uniform will be issued to you prior to commencing kitchen classes. You will however, have to supply your own shoes (see below).

Casual clothing
Please bring personal clothing items to suit the New Zealand climate. Summer is 20-30 degrees Celsius, Winter is 10-15 degrees Celsius.

For Males:  Black, rubber soled, lace up business shoes, with black eyelets only. Please note the additional point below.

For Females:  Black rubber soled shoes, heels to be no higher than 6cm, no buckles or decorations. Please note the additional point below.

Food & Beverage Service Shoes for Males and Females
For kitchen and service you will need polishable, lace up shoes with non-slip (rubber) soles. No shiny buckles or eyelets are acceptable. Shoes must be completely black.

Ladies your shoes must NOT have a heel. If you have a pair of shoes with heels that you intend wearing with the PIHMS uniform, you will need to have an additional pair of non-slip (rubber) soled shoes, as detailed for service classes.

Casual Shoes
Sports and outdoor activities are popular at PIHMS so bring your own casual shoes.

The grooming standards set at PIHMS are the standards that will be expected from future employers.

Hospitality standards are very particular with regard to tidy grooming, therefore:

Males: Hair must be cut and worn off the collar. It must be conservatively styled, clean and well groomed and of the studentís natural, or conservative, colouring.

Females: If hair is worn short, it must be conservatively styled, clean and well groomed and of the studentís natural, or conservative, colouring. If long, it must be tied back and worn up. It must never hang in the face. Ribbons, combs or clips must be conservative in colour and appearance. Black is the preferred colour for accessories.

Students need to be clean shaven, unless for religious reasons.

A unique element of PIHMS education is our paid Industry placement, where students are required to complete a period of employment within a hospitality organisation within New Zealand or abroad. You will put into practice the skills, attitudes and knowledge acquired at PIHMS.

It is important to remember that this is still part of your study here at PIHMS. Full details of Industry placement and the requirements for this part of the course will be provided during the induction process.

It is up to you to find your own accommodation while on Industry Placement.

Our Industry placement team can help you with suggestions:

• Travel to and from interviews, if required, is at the studentís expense.
• Travel to and from Industry placement is also at the studentís expense.
• Any associated costs with Industry Placement will be at the studentís expense.

You will not automatically be given a supervisors position for industry placement. Any promotion is at the discretion of the Hotel and is typically based on performance.

We have a dedicated visa/insurance officer on site that will help with any visa and/or insurance issues. PIHMS process student visas online.

Your attendance must be 100%, at all times, unless you have a genuine reason for your absence.  If you are absent due to medical reasons you will need a signed form from your doctor to put on your file to prove why you have not attended classes.  

You must pass at least 80% of your course.

If you do not pass 80% of your course OR have high unexplained absences, you will need to apply for your student visa manually. (You will not be eligible to apply through our Immigration on-line facility). Manual visas cost more and take longer for immigration to action.

You must have insurance at all times while you are on a student visa.

If you are extending your visa and you live off site, you need to prove to immigration that you have enough funds to support yourself. Immigration set the amount needed per month plus you need enough funds for outward travel. If you have transfers in to your bank, you must prove that these have come from overseas.

Student fees MUST be paid before a visa extension can be applied for. So organise your fee payment well in advance of your visa expiry date!

Medical insurance is compulsory when you are on a New Zealand student visa.

f you have insurance through PIHMS and you go to the doctors, you need to pay for your doctorís visit and ask for a receipt. If you visit a doctor soon after you arrive in New Zealand, you must also get your doctorís notes to prove that your claim is not for a problem you had before arriving in New Zealand.

Bring your receipt and bank details to the marketing office to complete a claim form.

The claim will be paid into your bank account.

It normally takes around 10 working days for the insurance company to process your medical claim once they have received it. It takes longer for other claims, such as missing belongings, etc.

If you are admitted to hospital or have a large amount to pay, you need to contact the insurance company to arrange for them to pay the provider directly.

The emergency assistance number is 0800 105 338.

If you were unable to contact them at the time of treatment, contact should be made at the earliest opportunity once you are able to make contact.

If you did not contact the emergency assistance team, then you will need to complete forms at the hospital to request your patient details and then bring these to the marketing office to complete the claim form.

It is a requirement that all students bring their own personal computer. Windows XP professional or windows 7 are the minimum operating platform.

Upon arrival you will need to meet with our IT personnel to be configured to the PIHMS network.

Please refer to the PIHMS website for updated text book lists. These can be purchased before you come to PIHMS or can be purchased online when you arrive at PIHMS. It is highly recommended that the latest edition of the text book is purchased.

Please be aware that there will be charges for any repeat papers.

International students - Repeating papers may require you to extend your visa and insurance and this will incur additional costs. You may also be required to show extra funding for the additional months it will take you to complete your course.

Here is a link to information about New Plymouth. New Plymouth city centre is about 10 minutesí drive from PIHMS.

http://www.visitnewplymouth.co.nz/Home.aspx

The weather in New Plymouth can be quite warm in the summer months so you may want to bring your swimwear. There is a heated swimming pool on campus and the beaches in New Plymouth are fantastic! However, in winter it is quite cold as we are close to Mount Taranaki so you may want to bring warm clothing for those colder days.

We look forward to welcoming you to PIHMS and the exciting world of hospitality!