New Zealand has a consulate-general available in Santa Monica, CA which is headed by the consul-general Hon Leon Grice. This consulate-general is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am - 4:30pm to receive general questions. In the same area (Santa Monica) there are separate offices for the visa acceptance centre, trade and enterprise, and tourism. There is also a consulate located in San Francisco, CA as well. The nearest New Zealand embassy is located in Washington DC. Although they are not local resources, there are information centers within New Zealand itself. These centers, called i-SITES, number as many as 80 over the nation which is quite numerous considering New Zealand’s modest size. They provide free maps, weather and safety information, local information, and can handle bookings nationwide as well. These centers may prove especially useful to those who come to New Zealand with sightseeing as the main focus or those who didn’t do their own research thoroughly before coming.
For students who wish to study in New Zealand, a student visa is not required to take courses for up to three months every year. However, they must obtain a temporary visa. Students studying for longer must obtain a student visa which has various prerequisites for applying such as: an offer from an approved educational institution, health and character requirements, proof you can leave (such as airplane tickets outbound from New Zealand), proof you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay, and a passport that is valid at least three months after the date you plan to leave. The process for applying for a student visa and a temporary visa is the same, an online application. The fee for applying for a student visa for someone living in the USA would be $235.
Sources
http://www.newzealand.com/us/visitor-information-centre/
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/study/canistudyinnewzealand/whatisrequired/
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/templates/Custom/OfficesAndFeesPopup.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7bE80D128F-35AF-46C3-AC53-66D21F6A8A48%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fmigrant%2fstream%2flive%2fpartner%2fLinkAdministration%2fToolboxLinks%2fofficeandfeescalculator%2ehtm%3flevel%3d2&NRCACHEHINT=Guest&level=2
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/study/application/
https://new-zealand.visahq.com/embassy/united-states/
http://www.nzembassy.com/usa-los-angeles/about-the-consulate-general/who-is-in-the-consulate-general
For students who wish to study in New Zealand, a student visa is not required to take courses for up to three months every year. However, they must obtain a temporary visa. Students studying for longer must obtain a student visa which has various prerequisites for applying such as: an offer from an approved educational institution, health and character requirements, proof you can leave (such as airplane tickets outbound from New Zealand), proof you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay, and a passport that is valid at least three months after the date you plan to leave. The process for applying for a student visa and a temporary visa is the same, an online application. The fee for applying for a student visa for someone living in the USA would be $235.
Sources
http://www.newzealand.com/us/visitor-information-centre/
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/study/canistudyinnewzealand/whatisrequired/
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/templates/Custom/OfficesAndFeesPopup.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7bE80D128F-35AF-46C3-AC53-66D21F6A8A48%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fmigrant%2fstream%2flive%2fpartner%2fLinkAdministration%2fToolboxLinks%2fofficeandfeescalculator%2ehtm%3flevel%3d2&NRCACHEHINT=Guest&level=2
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/study/application/
https://new-zealand.visahq.com/embassy/united-states/
http://www.nzembassy.com/usa-los-angeles/about-the-consulate-general/who-is-in-the-consulate-general