Weekend and Evening Short Courses in Auckland

Selwyn Community Education

Welcome to our affordable and easily accessible evening, weekend and daytime short courses with experienced tutors in a friendly environment.

General Information

About Us

We offer short courses to educate, inspire, up-skill, entertain, and exercise. Our 200+ tutors are experienced, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and friendly. Most have teaching qualifications and many are experts in their fields. Our language teachers are all native speakers.

We schedule more than 600 adult education courses each year and offer a series of evening lectures called ‘Think Talks’ which are held approximately once every four weeks (suggested donation $5). The majority of our courses are run on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings but we also have a smaller number of day-time classes, and we run weekend programmes about ten times per year. We also offer a number of children’s after-school and holiday courses.

We welcome you to our programme and look forward to meeting you at a course.

Mission statement

Our mission is to provide quality, affordable and accessible lifelong learning opportunities for our community.

Finding The Office

We are located at the front of Selwyn College in the main administration building (203-243 Kohimarama Road, Kohimarama). Our office is to the left of the red wall with the sign “Selwyn College”. Refer to the Map.

Finding Your Classroom

On the first day or evening of your course, please arrive 10-15 minutes early and come to the foyer of the Community Education Office (at the front of the school). You will be given directions.

Office Personnel

Director: Anne Cave
Office Administrators: Clare Brooks, Alison Farrelly, Joanne Luker and Amanda Howley-Rouse
Night Supervisors: Clare Brooks, Alison Farrelly and Joanne Luker

Term Dates 2025

Term 1: 10 February 2025
Term 2: 28 April 2025
Term 3: 21 July 2025
Term 4: 06 October 2025

Click here to see all information about start dates and opening hours.

Refunds, Transfers and Credits

If a class has insufficient registrations to proceed, we will advise you and a full refund will be given or a transfer to another class may be suggested.

If you are unable to attend a course and provide at least five working days notice before the course starts, the following options are available:

* Refund your course fee, less a $25 administration charge.
* Transfer your course fee towards a different course, less a $25 administration charge.
* Hold a credit, as requested, less a $25 administration charge.

Refunds or transfers or credits will not be given for withdrawals within five working days of the class start date, or once a class has started. This is because we decide whether courses can start, based on the number of registrations for all courses in that period.

This policy applies if unexpected circumstances impact on your attendance, in which case you are welcome to send someone in your place as long as you notify us prior to the course.

Because of the extra administration required, for English (ESOL) courses, course fees are payable three weeks before the course starts. Course fees are non-refundable and non-transferable after this time. Where an English student has registered for a course that does not match their English level, we will make reasonable efforts to find a different course within our programme that suits the student.

Changes to Programme

In the case of unforeseen circumstances we reserve the right to change the advertised programme and/or tutor. Every effort will be made to advertise such changes and we always endeavour to be fair.

Emergency Evacuation and First Aid

The continuous ringing of bells signals is an emergency. A voice recording over the public address system will remind everyone to evacuate. In an emergency during the day, English students should leave the building by the quickest and safest escape route and assemble at the REAF carpark. In an emergency during the night students should leave the building by the quickest and safest escape route and assemble in front of the Community Education office in the carpark. Please wait for your tutor to check the register before leaving the school grounds so that emergency workers are not searching for you within the building.

A first aid box is available at the Community Education Office. Please ask for assistance from a staff member. We must complete a report for any accidents or injuries so please assist us with this.

A defibrillator is positioned in the front reception area of the school under the front window. The Barfoot and Thompson stadium also have a defibrillator.

Adults – Admission to Secondary School Classes

A range of school subjects is available. Please telephone Selwyn College directly on (09) 521 9610 for further details, current availability and conditions.

Cars and Parking

Parking is available in the main carpark on weekends and evenings only, although this can be limited. Some parking spaces are also available at the back of the school (accessed near Gate 2) in evenings and weekends.

We regret there is no parking available for Monday to Friday day-time course participants other than school holidays. On-street parking is available nearby in Sprott Rd and Southern Cross Rd. Allow an additional 5-10 minutes for walking to class.

Parking is not permitted in gateways, paths or on grassed areas. Vehicles that block access or are incorrectly parked may be towed away. The carpark is locked from 9.15pm.

Please note that the Barfoot and Thompson Stadium next door is a separate organisation and they may lock their gate earlier in the evening. Most of their carparks are towaway carparks during the day. We strongly advise that you do not park at the Barfoot and Thompson stadium during the day.

Please note that we cannot accept any liability for cars that are locked in or towed.

Disabled Parking

A disabled car park is labelled and available beside the Selwyn Community Education office. Users of the disabled parks must display a permit.

Disability Access

We encourage and make every effort to accommodate learners with disabilities. It is helpful if you can let us know, when you register, if you have any special requirements. For wheelchair access, please contact us prior to registration so that suitable arrangements can be made. This is because occasionally we hold classes in upstairs rooms, so we may need to rearrange courses to accommodate you or to ensure elevator access is available.

Public Transport

Bus – Bus Stops 1030 (east bound) and 7842 (west bound) are directly outside the school. Visit Auckland Transport at at.govt.nz for information on bus routes and timetables.

Train – The closest train stations are Orakei and Glen Innes. It takes approximately 41 minutes to walk from Orakei and 34 minutes from Glen Innes to our office.

Personal Property / Liability

The Selwyn College Board of Trustees will in no way be liable for any loss resulting from any damage to, or the theft of any property belonging to an employee or a student. Accordingly, an employee or student must arrange his or her own personal insurance to cover loss or damage to personal property while it is situated at the college. To minimise the risk of damage, employees and students should ensure that their personal property is secured; preferably in alarmed areas and that vehicles are parked in allocated parking spaces.

No Smoking or Vaping

Under the terms of the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act 2020 (in force from November 2020), smoking or vaping is not permitted anywhere in school buildings or within the school grounds at any time of day. We respectfully ask for your cooperation with this.

Fees / GST

Fees are generally payable at the time of registration and are GST inclusive. Registrations will only be confirmed once fees are paid. If you wish to make a special arrangement for paying your fees at a future date, please contact the office to discuss your situation. All fees are listed with the course description. Any additional costs, e.g. text books, are usually indicated in the course description. Some courses include a materials charge and usually this will be explained on our website e.g. This course fee includes $30 ingredients. Please contact the office if you need further clarification. Non-New Zealand residents and citizens are welcome to apply, but will not be eligible for any course fee subsidies.

Additional Financial Support

We have a small fund available to assist NZ citizen and resident learners for whom our course fee is a barrier to accessing a course. If you would like to seek additional financial support to attend a course, please contact our Programme Director, Anne Cave, on 09 5219623 or cavea@selwyn.school.nz

Privacy Statement

We collect personal information from you, including information about your: name; contact information; billing or purchase information. For courses that attract government funding subsidies, we also collect information such as age, ethnicity, level of education and immigration status.

Who can Enrol for Weekend, Daytime or Evening Courses (excluding children’s holiday or after-school courses)

All adults (age 16+) are welcome to register. For youngsters under the age of 16, please see our Children’s Courses category on the website. Please contact the office if you would like us to consider an exception to this policy. Generally, our courses are created for adult learners, so content, delivery and classroom dynamics may not be appropriate for younger learners.

Funding support (course fee subsidies) from the Tertiary Education Commission is not available for students enrolled at a secondary school. However, if you believe your case is exceptional (for a secondary school student aged 16 or over), please contact our office in the first instance and we can explore the possibility of applying for an exemption.

Child and Teen After-School and School Holiday courses:

Children and Teens are welcome to register for the age-appropriate after-school and holidays courses offered in our Children’s Course category.

English for Speakers of Other Languages

Many of these courses are subsidised, with conditions, by the Tertiary Education Commission for NZ Citizens and permanent migrants (Permanent Resident Visa and Resident Visas) and, in some cases, their partners.

Conditions: students should be aged 16 years or older, not attending NZ secondary school, and able to attend at least 80% of classes. You have to provide original ID e.g. a passport, birth certificate, or residence visa/passport so we can meet our TEC funding requirements. If you are unable to supply this evidence, you may be liable for the full fee.

Those who do not qualify for TEC funding are welcome apply for these courses – the unsubsidised course fee will apply. If you have paid a full course fee for a funded-course and gain residency during the duration of that course, please contact the office and we will assess your situation.

Receipts

*When you make a credit card payment online via our website, we will email a receipt immediately to the email address you have provided.
*If you pay via internet banking, we’ll record your payment on the next business day and email a receipt at that time.
*If you pay for a course at our office, we will provide either a cash receipt or EFTPOS terminal receipt at the counter, followed by an email receipt within a few hours.

If you don’t receive your email receipt, please check your spam folder first. If you still can’t locate a receipt, please telephone the office on 09 5219623 or email us on info@selwyncomed.school.nz as this could indicate that we do not have an accurate email address for you or that we haven’t received your payment.

Registration Confirmation

If you have supplied an email address you will receive a reminder for your evening course or weekend workshop at least a couple of days before the start date. If you do not hear from us, please check your spam folder first, then contact us to check. Lists for classes requiring materials will be emailed approximately one week before the class starts.

Spam folder

If you don’t receive expected emails following a booking, please check your spam folder.

Late Registrations

If places are still available in evening courses or weekend workshops, registrations can be taken before class starts. We are happy to accept registrations for some courses, after the starting date, provided space is available on the course. Please contact us to enquire. Some courses are not suitable for late starts due to the course content. Waiting lists operate for full classes. You will be contacted if a place becomes available.

Training Incentive Allowance

WINZ (Work and Income NZ) offer a supplementary allowance for beneficiaries to undertake employment related training. You may be eligible to receive help with weekend or evening course fees, materials, stationery, text books, child care and travel costs. For further information contact WINZ on Telephone: 0800 559 009.