English language course in Dunedin parish appreciated

Students from the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Brazil and Sri Lanka have attended the immigrant ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) outreach at St Patrick’s Church in South Dunedin.

The first two weeks of the 2026 course at Mercy Parish started with 29 students.

An automotive company made enquiries about the course hoping to assist two employees whose technical skills are excellent, but whose English misunderstandings had led to safety issues.

The company has arranged for the two employees to have a flexible workday so they could attend class. Two classes in, and the students have been on time and active in trying to speak and listen. One even brought his whole family to the second class.

The company was impressed that the Catholic Church would pay for everything – tutors, lesson books, facilities and childcare. They also stated they could find no other programme for their two employees and were impressed that the St Patrick’s course runs for 10 months of the year. They were clear that there is a big need for this outreach in Dunedin.

Many of the new students who started the course in 2026 were brought along by friends who had attended last year.

“Several families are coming, and the relationships that we built are very meaningful,” stated a Mercy Parish Facebook post.

When a tutor had a medical event, her students supported her outside of class with encouraging texts and offers of food.

In 2025, five students from the course passed the Immigration New Zealand English test.

FULL STORY

Dunedin parish outreach meets need for English language learning (Mercy Parish/Facebook)