Over 24 Years of Getting Kiwis to Camp
Long before "gap year" was a buzzword, an Auckland-based team was already helping New Zealanders find their way to summer camps across America.
That team is still here.
Still local.
Still answering the phone and replying on What’s App.
How It Started
International Working Holidays (IWH) started in Auckland with a simple idea: New Zealanders wanted real overseas experience - not just a holiday, but a chance to work, earn, and come home with a story worth telling.
From 1996 to 2001 we were placing young Kiwis as au pairs, living and working with families all over the world.
It's where we learned what a life-changing stint overseas could do for someone in their early twenties - and where we learned how to handle visas, logistics, and homesick phone calls properly.
But not every Kiwi wanted a full year living with a family.
A lot of the young people coming through our doors were sporty, outdoorsy and skilled - sailors, coaches, lifeguards, musicians - and wanted something shorter, more active and built around what they were already good at.
Three months, not twelve. Camp, not childcare.
So in 2001, we introduced a US summer camp programme for Kiwis.
Since then, a lot has changed. Camps have changed. Visas have changed. Technology has definitely changed. But one thing hasn't.
Since 2001, IWH has been the team on the ground in New Zealand, helping Kiwis get to summer camp in the USA.
We've helped more than 9,000 New Zealanders through applications, camp placements, visas, pre-departure nerves and that slightly terrifying moment when getting on the plane suddenly becomes very real.
Today, that same Auckland team is behind AmeriCamp NZ, the New Zealand arm of AmeriCamp. It's the next chapter in a story we've been part of for more than 24 years, bringing our local experience together with the wider AmeriCamp programme and Intrax.
New name on the camp programme. Same Kiwi team behind you.
Where We Are Now
We've been helping Kiwis get to US summer camps since 2001. In that time, more than 9,000 New Zealanders have headed off as sailors, coaches, lifeguards, musicians, outdoor instructors and counsellors.But our favourite part has always been seeing who comes home.
We've watched shy Kiwis leave New Zealand a little nervous, then come back standing taller, speaking up, leading a room and somehow knowing far too many American camp songs.
There's something about camp culture that brings people out of their shell. You're encouraged to get involved, have a go, lead from the front and be loudly enthusiastic about things we'd normally give a quiet Kiwi nod to.
And it sticks. Some come home with a new career direction. Most come home with friends they'll keep for life. But again and again, we see them come home more confident in who they are and what they're capable of.
That's the bit we're most proud of.
Backed By Something Bigger
Going to summer camp in America is a big adventure. You want to know the people helping you get there know what they're doing.
AmeriCamp is part of Intrax, a US Department of State-designated J-1 Visa Sponsor that's been running international exchange programmes since 1980. Intrax has supported more than 500,000 young people across 100+ countries.
International Working Holidays (IWH), the New Zealand-founded company behind AmeriCamp NZ, is also part of Intrax.
That means you get the best of both worlds: the international backing and camp network of AmeriCamp and Intrax, plus an Auckland team with more than 24 years of experience helping over 9,000 Kiwis get to summer camps across the USA.
And while we're backed by something much bigger, your experience stays personal.
You'll deal with our local Auckland team, get straight answers from real people, and have support from your application through to camp.
Big backing. Local team. Your American summer.
