Hockey, hash browns, and extension Maths WORDS | MARTINE CUSACK
W hen you ask Year 9 Thai student Neh Rajtborirak what he loves most about Christ’s College, he quickly replies “every subject – and playing hockey”, along
“I am also happy that my English is improving. When I first moved to New Zealand, I found it difficult to understand people speaking English and it took me a long time to translate from English into Thai in my head. However, now I can do this quickly and only struggle with some difficult words from time to time.” He adds that he also loves the colder weather after the heat of his home country. When asked to name his three favourite things at Christ’s College, Neh lists “study – because I find it fun here”; playing sport and having PE classes; and “staying in the boarding house to hang out with my friends and sometimes visit town together”. And what advice would he give a new international student coming to Christ’s College? “I would tell him that everyone is really nice, and there is no need to feel nervous. However, also listen to your teachers and do the right thing because you want to do your parents proud back home.” International Student Manager and Round Square Representative Sarah Davidson points out that Neh is the latest in a long list of Thai students who have made Christ’s College home. “We have welcomed a steady flow of Thai students to College, starting with Kamolnai Chaixanien in the mid- 1970s,” she says. “I have caught up with many of our Old Boys during recent trips to Thailand, including Wynn Arunrugstichai, an architect and lecturer in Bangkok. It was Wynn who connected Neh’s father with Christ’s College, showing the power of our strong alumni relationships. And now Neh is in Richards House, following in the footsteps of Wynn and his older brother, Sunh. “For me, it is great to see Neh surrounded by friends and already making his mark at Christ’s College.”
with the “hash browns we get at breakfast”. He also favours L&P, but that’s outside school.
When not in class or surrounded by his band of brothers in Richards House, Neh is ever-ready for a trip to Hanmer Springs with the boarding programme or a “visit to the Marlborough Sounds with my friend, Fitz”. Neh has certainly embraced College life, revelling in the boarding environment and supported by his housemates. “I enjoy all of the people in Richards House and they are all very friendly to me,” he says. “Now I have made a lot of friends”. Neh adds that “since coming into Richards House, I have needed to do more things for myself, which I think is good”. “This is teaching me discipline and I have to think ahead and organise myself.” When his father had asked Neh if he wanted to be educated overseas, he was very happy as his then school “was all about study”. Today, he loves the mix of study and activities, seizing the many opportunities, including making the most of an extension Mathematics class that “gives me more of a challenge but in a fun way”. Neh explains that his father “had decided to look for a good school in New Zealand, and because one of his friends had recommended Christ’s College, my Dad visited the website and was impressed with the range of activities and subjects”. Neh’s father, Akarawoot Rajtborirak, adds that “Christ’s College is excellent in traditional academics, sports, culture, and pastoral care – and that’s why my son decided to become a part of this school’s history”. While Neh misses his family, “all the things I enjoy here help me to cope”.
COLLEGE 2026
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