Yes! We are proud to offer several scholarships and discounts for DTS students. They are available for select times of year or for students in certain situations, and the amount depends on the school/stream you choose, so be sure to contact us or follow the link below for more info. Check back often, as we run seasonal promotions!
Yes, there are a few requirements for attending a YWAM DTS. Here are 6 fundamental requirements for attending any YWAM DTS:
- Must have a genuine desire to grow in your relationship with Jesus
- Must have a willingness to learn and be discipled
- Must be prepared to be uncomfortable
- Must provide a character reference
- Must be an adult (at least 18 years old)
- Must have a valid passport
If you’d like a breakdown on these topics, feel free to check out our blog post about this!
As the University of the Nations (U of N) is not an accredited university, you may or may not be able to receive College credits for completing a DTS. This depends entirely on the College/University in question. We encourage you to talk with your College/University about receiving credits for your DTS.
Additionally, Marine Reach has a loose articulation arrangement with the U of N to transfer credits received from completing a DTS with Marine Reach.
This means that you will be able to opt-in to receive U of N accreditation for completing a DTS with us. If a student opts in to receive U of N credits from their DTS, they can then request those credits to be transferred from the U of N to their College/University of choice.
Yes we do! See our Top 10 Fundraising Tips to get the ball rolling. Some are clever, others classic and simple, but all are surefire ways to start seeing those funds come in!
For Example: Bonfire is a third-party fundraising site that allows you to design clothing to sell online, and they send you a portion of the proceeds from every sale! Have a look for yourself!
For your convenience, we are happy to offer multiple options to receive your payments. The most convenient is our totally secure Online Payments page, where you can use your credit card through PayStation. Alternatively, we accept money transfers, cheques, and direct bank deposits. On site, you can pay on our EFT/POS machine, or with cash.
The DTS Lecture Phase at Marine Reach YWAM is 3 a month course at our Training Centre in Tauranga, New Zealand. The next 2 months are spent on DTS Outreach Phase, with one final week back at our Training Centre to celebrate, graduate and commission the students! See the “What is DTS?” for more info on what the DTS involves, and the individual Stream Pages for what your Outreach could look like!
Great question! Typically, we have around 40-60 full-time, volunteer staff working on base at any given time. Depending on the time of year and what program we have running, we may have a few less or a few more. None of our staff receive a salary as they all volunteer their time and trust God as the source of their finances.
We’ve actually written a really handy blog post to answer this very question!
Depending on which DTS Stream you choose, the all-inclusive fee will be either $10,990 NZD, or $11,490 NZD. The variation in costs has to do with the activities and training involved in the stream. Medical Compassion, Wild Heart, Pilgrimage, and Classic DTSs all fall into the $11,490 category. Prayer and Passion, Kingdom Come, Justice Movement, Go, Leadership & Pioneering, and the Cover to Cover DTSs all fall into the $10,990 category.
Your fees cover tuition, accommodation, food, stream activities, and all school-related transportation costs for the 12 weeks of Lecture Phase, including a school field trip to experience first hand New Zealand’s beauty and wildlife. Your fees also include all your meals, flights, accommodation, transport, field supplies and visas required during your 8 weeks of Outreach.
*Does not include travel costs to and from Tauranga, health insurance, immunisations and visas to enter New Zealand (if applicable).
When compared to a semester at College or University, particularly in the United States, a DTS is quite affordable!
New Zealand is a modern western nation, with a fairly high standard of living. Your fees do not cover the cost of laundry, internet, toiletries, personal trips into town, outreach vaccinations, and any personal items you may need for outreach (sleeping bag, torch/flashlight, sleeping mat, etc.).
Additionally, there will be plenty of opportunities to take a trip into the city to enjoy the sights and sounds of Tauranga. You may want to bring enough funds with you to be able to visit coffee shops, send postage, purchase snacks, go out for a meal or two, and maybe even visit Hobbiton!
For the most part, we accept applications from people aged 18-35. However, we have made some exceptions to this guideline for individuals both older and younger than this. We encourage you to contact us to see if you qualify for our program, regardless of your age.
We’re glad you asked! For the most part, the accommodation is dorm-style, with some exceptions, especially for married couples and families. We do our best to make it feel like home away from home for our students.
We’ve actually written a blog post to answer this very question, so have a look and you’ll get a feel for what a typical day on DTS is like.
The daily schedule for DTS varies from day to day, and from school to school. When you arrive for your DTS, we will give you your daily and weekly schedule for your specific school.
We also have here a sample schedule for a student enrolled in the Cover to Cover Bible DTS. While your DTS Stream of choice may differ, your general schedule will be very similar.
**Please note M.P. stands for Ministry Placements
Since New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere, the four seasons are reverse of what they are in the Northern Hemisphere. The climate in Tauranga is classified as warm and temperate. You may be interested to know that we experience very lovely weather from November right through to March. On average, our warmest month is February; our coolest month is August. See the graph below for more specific details.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
| Avg. Temperature (°C) | 19.1 | 19.2 | 17.9 | 15.2 | 12.3 | 10.4 | 9.6 | 10.4 | 12 | 13.6 | 15.6 | 17.4 |
| Min. Temperature (°C) | 14.3 | 14.5 | 13.3 | 10.6 | 7.7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7.7 | 9.3 | 11.2 | 12.9 |
| Max. Temperature (°C) | 24 | 24 | 22.5 | 19.9 | 17 | 14.8 | 14.2 | 14.9 | 16.4 | 18 | 20.1 | 22 |
| Precipitation / Rainfall (mm) | 95 | 90 | 146 | 107 | 119 | 145 | 131 | 139 | 125 | 103 | 100 | 126 |
They don’t call it the Bay of Plenty for nothing!
All the activities and happenings of the City of Tauranga are within a 15-30 minute drive from the base, and we take regular town-trips. Shopping malls, white-sand beaches, mountain hiking, movie theatres, trendy restaurants and so much more all add up to make Tauranga a great place to call home. Watch this video to see some of the stunning natural beauty Tauranga has to offer.
Several popular, world-famous tourist sites are only a short drive from our Training Centre. These include Hobbiton (Matamata), Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach, Mt. Doom (Tongariro National Park), active geothermal areas (Taupo & Rotorua), and our very own, top-rated, Mount Maunganui beach!
Glad you asked. We use the terms “Schools” and “Streams” interchangeably to refer to the passion-based elective program each of our students join. We believe that the Body of Christ is diverse, and that it adds to the overall DTS experience to journey with people who have similar passions and interests.
Each one of our School/Streams offers an extra element based on the focus of that School/Stream. All of the Streams that begin in the same calendar quarter will participate in the same general program together; lectures, worship, intercession, ministry placements, meal times and more will be shared by all the Streams running in that quarter. However, once a week, each stream will gather together to dive deeper into the heart of their stream, receiving teaching/training, activation, and practice in that area. Please see the individual School Pages for more info on what the Schools offer.
Additionally, when the time comes for choosing outreach teams, they will be made up of individuals from within particular Schools/Streams, leading to more focused outreaches.
THIS PACKING LIST IS ONLY A GUIDELINE, TO GIVE YOU SOME IDEA OF WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
– Sleeping bag/light blanket(for outreach),
– Sleeping mat (for outreach)
– A fitted bed sheet, pillow case and a duvet (comforter) cover for a single (twin) bed (during Lecture Phase, from Week 2)
– Jandals (flip flops), outdoor sports shoes
– Towel and face cloth
– Bible, pen, notebook
– Personal toiletries
– Torch (flashlight for outreach)
– Sunscreen
– Dress clothes for graduation
– Any musical instruments you play; we can store these away if you don’t want to take them on outreach.
– Warm enough clothing for winter weather; seasonal temperatures do fluctuate. Follow the link for more information on the climate patterns of Tauranga.
We also have a Blog Post to address this very question. Enjoy!
Our Training Centre is located 10 minutes outside of the city of Tauranga, on New Zealand’s North Island. We are a rural base, and are surrounded by emerald hills, sheep paddocks, pine forests, and a stunning waterfall!
Due to New Zealand’s strategic location in the Pacific Ocean, and our ongoing commitment to disciple nations, the majority of our teams are sent to nations in Southeast Asia and the island nations of the South Pacific; especially Vanuatu.
However, the school leaders will wait on and listen to the Lord before deciding where each team should be sent. This gives God the chance to speak fresh vision to each team. Outreach teams and locations are usually announced the second or third week of Lecture Phase.
If you fly to New Zealand from overseas, there’s a really good chance your first port of call will be Auckland International Airport. From there, you have a couple options: you can either fly or bus to Tauranga. The choice is up to you. If you fly to Tauranga (TRG), we’ll be happy to pick you up at the Tauranga Airport. If you bus to Tauranga, please choose the “Tauranga Central – Wharf Street” bus stop (next to the Library).
When you get to Tauranga, we will pick you up.
If your home country is either Australia or New Zealand, you will not need a visa.
If you hold a passport from any of the countries on New Zealand’s visa waiver list, you will receive a 90-day Visitor visa upon arrival to NZ; no application necessary. However, you will need to apply for and receive the NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority) before you travel. This will cost roughly $44NZD (click here to download the free app). If you have questions regarding your specific circumstances, don’t hesitate to contact us.
If you are participating in our Medical Compassion DTS PLUS, please contact us for details.