The verdict in three sentences
A Queenstown school serves local families, seasonal workers' families and international students, so the redesign question is less "which design?" than "which languages, for which pages?" Regional agencies typically quote NZD 10,000 to 35,000 in 2026 (about USD 6,000 to 21,000), plus NZD 5,000 to 15,000 for additional languages, while Kolonell offers USD 4,900 (Growth) for a single-language site and USD 8,900 (Premium), the multilingual tier with languages set in the quote, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. Translate the admissions path and key policy summaries first, set up hreflang correctly, and avoid going live at the start of the ski season.
Signs your Queenstown school site needs a redesign
- Families from Frankton, Arrowtown or Wanaka find term dates and transport information only in newsletters.
- Parents who arrive for a ski season email the office in Spanish, Portuguese or Mandarin because the admissions steps exist only in English.
- Translated pages were made with a browser plugin, so search engines never index them and wording is unreliable.
- International student information is mixed with local admissions, which confuses both audiences.
- Policy PDFs are scanned images with no summaries and fail WCAG 2.2 AA.
Which languages should you prioritise?
Do not translate into every language spoken at the school. Score candidates with data you already hold: your enquiry log, enrolment records and the availability of a native reviewer. The example below is illustrative; your figures will differ.
| Language | Share of enquiries (40%) | Enrolled families (30%) | Need to understand policies (20%) | Native reviewer available (10%) | Weighted score /5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.4 |
| Mandarin | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3.2 |
| Portuguese | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2.8 |
| Japanese | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.3 |
| German | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1.9 |
| French | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1.6 |
Calculation for Spanish: 5 x 0.4 + 4 x 0.3 + 4 x 0.2 + 4 x 0.1 = 2.0 + 1.2 + 0.8 + 0.4 = 4.4. In this example, two languages pass a threshold of 3.0, so the site launches in English plus Spanish and Mandarin, and the others are reviewed after a year.
What to translate, and how hreflang should work
| Page | Translate? | Who approves | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admissions steps and enquiry form | Yes, priority 1 | Admissions lead | Form collects only parent contact, year level, start date |
| School day, term dates, transport | Yes, priority 1 | Office manager | Term dates via calendar feed, labels translated |
| Faith and values page | Yes, priority 2 | Principal and board | The school's own wording, translated faithfully |
| Policy summaries (safeguarding, privacy, complaints) | Summary yes, full policy optional | Principal and board | English version stays the reference, translation commissioned and approved by the school |
| International student information | Yes, priority 2 | International coordinator | Reflects the Code of Practice for international learners as the school actually applies it |
| News | No | Communications | Too frequent to translate reliably |
Technical rules: one URL per language (for example /es/ and /zh/), hreflang tags linking each version to the others plus an x-default, a visible language switcher, and no automatic redirect by IP address, which hides pages from search engines and from visitors abroad.
Budget, timeline and what stays on quote
The local figures are a 2026 ballpark from typical quotes by Queenstown, Dunedin, Christchurch and Auckland agencies serving the area, converted to USD approximately.
| Option | Approx. USD | Languages | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional freelancer, NZD 10,000 to 15,000 | 6,000 to 9,000 | English only | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Regional agency, NZD 20,000 to 35,000 | 12,000 to 21,000 | English, extra languages quoted separately | 10 to 16 weeks |
| Kolonell Growth | 4,900 | One language | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Premium | 8,900 | Multilingual tier, languages set in the quote | 3 to 4 weeks |
Both Kolonell tiers include a project manager reachable in New Zealand hours, native English copywriting and 3 months of support; maintenance after that is on quote. Details on the international offer page.
On quote, as separate lines: admissions portal, fee payment, school management system, parent app and calendar feeds, all kept and linked rather than rebuilt.
Timing: go live in the summer holidays or the April term break. Avoid the start of the ski season, open days, the enrolment peak and exam periods in November.
Risks to manage
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- Search traffic: inventory existing URLs, build a 301 map and monitor Search Console for 6 weeks.
- Mistranslated policies: a policy translation is a school document; it is commissioned and approved by the school, not improvised by the web team.
- Children's data: no health, learning support, passport or custody information in open forms in any language; documents go through a secure portal, on quote. The privacy statement reflects the Privacy Act 2020.
- Claims: the Fair Trading Act prohibits misleading claims, so faith, curriculum and registration statements appear only as the school actually holds them.
- Pupil images: documented parental consent, with a removal route explained in each published language.
This is not legal advice.
When a local or regional agency is the better choice
If you need someone on site regularly, filming during winter programmes, or a translation agency managing a large policy library in five or more languages, a regional agency with that network makes sense. Ask any provider how hreflang is tested, who reviews each language and what happens when a policy changes in English.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Remarkables View Christian College (fictional), a faith-based independent school of about 300 pupils. Its enquiry log points to Spanish and Mandarin, as in the scoring table above.
- Kolonell Premium: USD 8,900, English plus Spanish and Mandarin set in the quote, with 12 translated admissions and information pages per language.
- Six policies of about 2,000 words each, translated into two languages by a professional translator commissioned by the school (third-party cost): 6 x 2,000 x 2 = 24,000 words at about USD 0.12 per word = USD 2,880.
- Total: 8,900 + 2,880 = USD 11,780, against a regional agency quote of about NZD 35,000, roughly USD 21,000, before the same translation cost.
Go-live: the second week of the summer holidays, before families plan the next year.
FAQ
How many languages should a Queenstown school website have?
Usually English plus the one or two languages that score above 3.0 in your own data. Adding a sixth language rarely pays off if fewer than 5% of enquiries use it.
Do we have to translate full policies?
Not always. A translated summary of each key policy with the English reference version linked is a common approach, decided by the school with its advisers.
What does hreflang actually do?
It tells search engines which language version to show to which visitor. Without it, a Spanish-speaking parent may land on the English page even when a Spanish one exists.
Can we use automatic translation for news?
You can, but label it clearly and keep it out of admissions and policy pages. In practice most schools keep news in English only.
Let's scope your project. Share your enquiry log by language, your policy list and your preferred go-live window, and we will return a fixed USD scope with a language plan. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
