About Bridge South

Bridge South was created to help students experience New Zealand with purpose.

We design custom faculty-led programs that combine academic learning, cultural immersion, company visits, and structured travel throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Our goal is to make New Zealand feel less out of reach for universities and students, while giving each program enough structure, meaning, and local insight to make the experience genuine and worthwhile.

At its core, Bridge South exists to connect students with a part of the world they may not have otherwise considered - and to help them see New Zealand as a place to learn, reflect, explore, and grow.

Why New Zealand?

New Zealand is often seen as far away, difficult to get to, or something students only visit if it has been a lifelong dream. We see it differently.

To us, New Zealand is a hidden gem filled with hidden gems - a place where students can experience world-class natural landscapes, Māori culture, global business, sustainability, tourism, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and local community in a setting that is both unfamiliar and approachable.

For many students, New Zealand offers the perfect balance. It pushes them outside their comfort zone, but it does not throw them completely into the deep end. English is one of three official languages and is widely spoken, the country is welcoming, and the environment feels safe and accessible. At the same time, students are stepping into a new culture, a new economy, and a new way of seeing the world.

Bridge South exists to make that opportunity more realistic for universities and more meaningful for students. Through structured faculty-led programs, we help students travel with purpose, connect their classroom learning to real experiences, and return home with a broader perspective than they had before.

What We Believe

Bridge South is built on the belief that travel should be more than movement from one place to another. It should have a strong reason behind it.

  • We believe in purposeful travel, where each experience connects back to student learning.

  • We believe in local insight, where students experience New Zealand through real people, places, businesses, and communities.

  • We believe in student growth, where travel helps students become more confident, curious, independent, and globally aware.

  • We believe in faculty partnership, where programs are built around academic goals rather than forced into a fixed ‘cookie-cutter’ itinerary.

Meet the Founder

Bridge South was founded by James Slessor, originally from Auckland, New Zealand.

James studied at Youngstown State University in Ohio, where he earned a degree in Supply Chain Management with minors in International Business and Professional Selling. During his time at YSU, he competed as an NCAA Division I swimmer, served as a team captain, and worked with the Ohio Small Business Development Center, Export Assistance Network, and APEX Accelerator.

Those experiences gave him a strong appreciation for international business, student leadership, cross-cultural learning, and practical education outside the classroom.

After experiencing a faculty-led international business field study in Japan, James saw an opportunity to create similar high-impact programs in his home country. Bridge South combines his New Zealand background, U.S. university experience, and passion for international education into one focused mission to help students discover New Zealand through purposeful, well-designed academic travel.

Young man in a graduation cap and gown pointing at his diploma, standing outdoors on a sidewalk with trees and streetlights in the background.

“At the end of my junior year, I joined an international business field study to Japan, where our group visited Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo. The trip was so much fun, and it opened my eyes to a part of the world I’d always wanted to visit. The trip was genuinely one of the most valuable learning experiences I had in college.

During this trip, we learnt how business, culture, industry, and society connect in a completely different part of the world. We explored key cultural and industrial trends, including Japan’s healthcare system, aging population, manufacturing excellence, and approach to innovation.

One of the highlights was visiting Nissan’s facility in Yokohama, where we learnt about the craftsmanship behind the GT-R engine. Only a small number of master craftspeople, known as Takumi, are qualified to hand-build those engines. Seeing that level of precision and pride up close made the business concepts we studied make so much more sense.

That trip changed the way I through about international education. It showed me how powerful a well-designed study abroad experience can be when travel, learning, culture, and reflection are all connected.

Bridge South was built from that idea.”

The Trip That Started the Idea

Group of tourists standing in front of a large red torii gate at a traditional Japanese shrine on a partly cloudy day, with multiple buildings and trees in the background.
A group of people gathered around a white Nissan sports car with its hood open, displaying the engine. The setting appears to be an indoor showroom or exhibition space, with some people wearing masks and others taking notes or looking at the car.
A scenic view of Mount Fuji with snow-capped peak, a park in the foreground with people playing tennis, walking, and relaxing, and a bridge crossing a valley beneath the mountain under a partly cloudy sky.
A young man with a backpack and crutches standing near a small animal, possibly a baby goat, by a pond in a park with lush greenery and trees.

Interested in building a New Zealand program for your students?

Whether you already have a course in mind or are just exploring what a faculty-led program could look like, Bridge South can help you shape a customised program around your students, academic goals, and travel priorities.

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