With applications from all over New Zealand, and messages of support from as far away as Austria, Stewart Island's Rakiura Rugrats centre looks set to get a teacher for 2010.
Board of trustees secretary and parent Jo Learmonth said the island's only early childhood education centre had received 15 expressions of interest and six applications since its struggle to find a teacher was made public last week.
The hunt for a teacher began in October but no-one had applied by early January.
She believed the cost of moving to the island had put people off.
It was hoped the Ministry of Education would assist by providing a relocation grant, but it was not able to.
However, nationwide media coverage resulted in "the most applications we've ever had", Mrs Learmonth said.
"We are stoked."
Interviews would begin next week and she was "pretty confident" a teacher would be appointed for the first term.
From the whole process, the thing which amazed the board was "the amount of support we've had from random people".
Along with messages of support from all over the country, some arrived from expatriates in Austria and Britain.
