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Strong interest in Prime Minister’s Scholarships, now supported by new website
More than 30 group applications were received for the PMSA, and ten for the PMSLA, before applications closed on Monday 16 May 2022 after a two-week deadline extension. The total value of applications was $8.7 million. Decisions will be announced before the end of June 2022, with travel expected to take place in the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023.
The Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme supports educational experiences in Asia and Latin America for New Zealanders, and the latest round was open for group applications only. Universities, wānanga, institutes of technology and polytechnics, private training establishments, iwi and other educational organisations were able to apply for a programme on behalf of a group of people.
To ensure that a wider range of New Zealanders have access to the benefits of this programme, a new website was launched this month: http://scholarships.enz.govt.nz. The new website aims to help develop broader awareness and understanding of the scholarship for potential individual applicants, breakdown any barriers to participation, encourage diversity of applicants, particularly for rangatahi Māori, and improve people’s experience of participating in the scholarship.
The new website includes a ‘refer a future scholar’ feature. The addition is the result of the mahi of our Kāhui Kaupapa who wanted to acknowledge that often ‘Kāore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka’ – the kūmara doesn't speak of its own sweetness. We can now offer an alternative for rangatahi, so they know that people in their community saw them as worthy recipients of the scholarship. The website also offers the opportunity for prospective applicants to subscribe to updates and announcements of upcoming rounds.
Since 2013, the PMSA and PMSLA have enabled more than 2,400 New Zealanders to broaden their horizons through life-changing learning experiences in Asia and Latin America. The scholarships are flexible and offer funding to support short or long-term programmes including study abroad / exchange, internships, postgraduate study, and language programmes.
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Education delegation to Asia
One of the real highlights of the trip for the Minister was meeting New Zealand alumni, compelling ambassadors for a New Zealand education. Vikra Ijas is a former University of Auckland student and co-founder of Kitabisa, a crowd-funding platform in Indonesia. His story of schooling and tertiary study in New Zealand leading to the establishment of his fundraising platform for social good in Indonesia was truly inspiring.
South Korea
The programme in South Korea included the Minister’s speech to the Korean International Education and Career Fair. This is the largest international education fair in South Korea, with an estimated 25,000 attendees. More than 40 New Zealand providers were present, many exhibiting on the Education New Zealand country pavilion.
The Minister also witnessed the signing of the Education New Zealand-Incheon Education Cooperation Arrangement (ECA). The formal partnership, based on the ECA, has been designed to establish and strengthen communication ties between ENZ and the Incheon East Asia Global Education Institute, to identify creative areas of potential collaboration and to open up more learning possibilities for our institutions and students.
Minister Hipkins also attended an event with New Zealand education agents, alumni and institutions to celebrate the 60th diplomatic anniversary between South Korea and New Zealand.
One of the highlights of the Minister’s visit to South Korea was on 24 October 2022, when the education delegation visited Kyodong Elementary School, the oldest school in South Korea (established in 1894). The delegation toured the school and interacted with the students who are participating with Raumati Beach School in the New Zealand - Korea digital cultural exchange programme supported by Education New Zealand and facilitated by Learn English Live.
Indonesia
The programme in Indonesia included bilateral meetings with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, the Minister for National Development Planning and the ASEAN Secretary-General. The Minister also met with the President Director of Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP), the key Indonesian government scholarship agency, to discuss opportunities to promote New Zealand as a destination for the awardees while further expanding the number of New Zealand institutions eligible to receive the scholarship students.
As well as the visit to Kitabisa, the Minister also had the opportunity to meet a group of Kiwi students interning at WIR Group (Metaverse) in Jakarta under the Prime Ministers Scholarship for Asia. The students were thriving on the unique opportunity and wringing every bit of experience from their internship at WIR. He also launched KIWI Challenge 2022, the annual entrepreneurship competition for Indonesian high school students organised by Education New Zealand.
As with South Korea there was a reception in Jakarta with agents, alumni, PMSA students and key stakeholders.
Singapore Visit
The focus of the Singapore leg of the visit was signing the refreshed Education Cooperation Arrangement with the Minister of Education from Singapore. The arrangement, first signed in 2018, confirms New Zealand’s commitment to engaging with Singapore on education cooperation initiatives in key policy areas including early childhood education, digital classrooms/blended learning, vocational and lifelong learning, sports and physical education, STEM uptake, and the development of mental health support programmes for the sector.
The Minister also made several institutional visits. The first was to the Institute of Technical Education Central College to understand where Institutes of Technical Education fit within Singapore’s education ecosystem; and the second was the Public Service Sector and Civil Service College. The purpose of this visit was to understand the role that the Civil Service plays in designing, developing and delivering programmes for the Public Service.
The final visit of the trip was to the Centre for Strategic Focus. The Centre is part of the Strategy Group in the Prime Minister’s Office which was set up to focus on whole of government strategic planning and prioritisation.
“The messages around the strong commitment of the New Zealand government to international education were very well received by our partners,” says ENZ Regional Director Ben Burrowes. “Whether via student mobility, international education partnerships or systems level dialogue, it’s exciting to see the interest generated through New Zealand stepping up its international engagement once again.”
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Join us for the Latin America Study with New Zealand Virtual Fair
“The fair will be a great opportunity for providers to connect with prospective students in the Latin American market, using an interactive digital platform,” says Javiera Visedo, Director of Engagement Latin America for Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ).
“ENZ is seeking expressions of interest in the fair, which we are hosting in collaboration with FPP. If you are interested in participating, please fill out the Expression of Interest form by 9 December 2022.”
Invitations to register will follow in the new year.
Find out more about Latin America
Key areas of focus for ENZ in Latin America include Brazil, Colombia and Chile, and we have staff based in São Paulo and Santiago.
Close to 6,000 international students came to New Zealand from Latin America in 2019, and Brazil is our eighth largest market. Since the pandemic there has been intense activity from our competitors with many of them establishing in-country representatives, which demonstrates the importance of this region in international student recruitment.
Beyond student recruitment, ENZ also values the government and education connections with the region.
ENZ recently hosted a series of Latin America Masterclasses, which saw participants from around Latin America tuning in to watch live lectures delivered by New Zealand academics.
In June this year, Education Minister Chris Hipkins created great buzz with his visit to Brazil and Chile, part of his first international trip since the beginning of the pandemic.
Group recipients of the Prime Ministers’ Scholarships for Latin America have recently started making their way to Brazil, Colombia and Chile to participate in short study exchanges. These include several Māori led groups, supporting connections with indigenous nations in the region.
In September, ENZ attended the FPP Virtual Fair in Colombia. The fair had more than 800 visitors, with over 100 visiting the ENZ booth. There was strong interest in tertiary programmes and language studies. The virtual fair was a great opportunity to promote New Zealand as a study destination within the Latin American market.
A group of 100 high school students from Paraná State in southern Brazil had a three-month study experience this year with schools in Auckland, Rotorua, Hawkes Bay, Palmerston North, Wellington, Canterbury and Invercargill.
Brazil
In 2019, there were 3,324 Brazilian students studying in New Zealand. Being from non-English speaking countries, the majority of Latin American students will start their education experience in New Zealand studying English. Scholarships offered by the local state governments have also contributed to the presence of Brazilian students in New Zealand and in 2022, 100 students from the state of Parana in Brazil travelled to New Zealand on a 3-month exchange. The students were placed at high schools across the country and gave positive feedback about their time here.
Colombia
Colombia is New Zealand’s second largest market in Latin America, second only to Brazil. In 2019, there were 1,360 Colombian students studying in New Zealand.
In 2023, 22 students from Bogotá, Colombia, will travel to New Zealand to study during terms one and two. Most of the students will be based at schools across the North Island, with one group heading down to Nelson.
On 23 November 2022, ENZ launched the I AM NEW campaign in Spanish at an event in Bogotá, to promote a New Zealand education.
Chile
The recent CAPE LatAm ‘Celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations with Chile’ event, hosted at Parliament, was a great example of the rich history of connections between New Zealand and Chile.
Chile is New Zealand’s third largest market in Latin America. In 2019, there were 1,193 Chilean students studying in New Zealand. The majority of Chilean students come to New Zealand to study English Language, but enrolment in schools has also been consistent, with 17% of students studying at New Zealand schools in 2019.
Flights
Latam will be resuming their daily flights to Sydney via Auckland from mid-December and Qantas is flying three times per week from Santiago direct to Sydney. Although the cost of flights is high, in line with worldwide trends, the resumption of regular flights demonstrates the high demand for the Latin America to Oceania route.
Expressions of interest in the Latin America Study with New Zealand Virtual Fair are due by 9 December 2022. You can access the online form here.
If you have any questions about the event, please contact latinamerica@enz.govt.nz
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First marae-led Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia recipients build indigenous connections in Japan
The first marae-led Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia recipients (members of Te Piruru Papakainga, Ngāti Maniapoto) visited Japan for a six-week visit that included a customised internship that connected them with indigenous Ainu organisations and villages in Hokkaido.
ENZ’s Manukura Chief Advisor Māori, Ed Tuari and Director of Education – Japan, Misa Kitaoka, welcomed the scholarship recipients in Tokyo in early January.
This is a great outcome for the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme, which has seen an increase in Māori participation. The latest round of applications for the scholarships saw an increase in Māori participation to 22 percent in 2022 from 5 percent from 2016 to 2019.
ENZ is eager to continue partnering with iwi, marae and whānau groups to raise Māori participation in the Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme, particularly in the current group round that opened for applications in March.
ENZ’s Manukura Chief Advisor Māori, Ed Tuari said it was a privilege to participate in what is an important milestone for building indigenous connections between Māori and the Ainu people of Japan.
“This is a significant achievement for ENZ Manapou ki te Ao. I want to acknowledge this collective achievement as we break new ground with this marae-led group of PMSA recipients.
“It’s hugely encouraging to see the increase of Māori participation in the latest round of the scholarships. This is a demonstration of ENZ ‘walking the talk’ to ensure Māori are better represented in opportunities to share and learn on the global stage, as well as promote indigenous to indigenous exchanges.”
ENZ’s Director Scholarships Carla Rey Vasquez said she was excited to see the growth and learnings that these programmes would bring to the wider whānau and iwi.
“Our scholarship recipients cherished the opportunity to connect with indigenous communities in Japan, and they particularly appreciated the value of reciprocity as well as the importance of generational knowledge being shared along.
“We look forward to continuing to raise Māori participation in the Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme.”
The latest visit by scholarship recipients has also been a good opportunity to enrich the existing education connections between New Zealand and Japan under a Memorandum of Understanding between New Zealand and the Hokkaido Government, which was renewed in 2022.
The customised internship that saw scholarship recipients visit Ainu villages and organisations, was organised by the Hokkaido Government and the Hokkaido Board of Education.
ENZ’s Director of Education – Japan, Misa Kitaoka, said the visit by scholarship recipients was timely as Japan starts to promote Ainu history, language and culture.
“The Ainu people received official recognition as ‘indigenous people of northern Japan’ from the Japanese government in 2019. As the government begins to promote Ainu history, language, and culture in Japan, Ngāti Maniapoto’s visit to Hokkaido was timely and appreciated by the Ainu community to learn about how New Zealand society has embraced Māori language and culture.”
Applications are open for the 2023 group round of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia and Latin America until 23 April 2023. More information on applications is available on ENZ's dedicated scholarship website here.
[updated 18 April 2023]
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Student welcomes continue throughout the country
Timaru
In the Timaru District, a total of 83 students from America, China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong and Laos were officially welcomed by the Mayor at a function at the Caroline Bay Hall on March 20. It was the first time a mayoral welcome of students has been held in Timaru since Feb 2020.
The welcome featured performances from the Roncalli College kapa haka group and Mountainview high School’s jazz band. Guest speakers included district Mayor, Nigel Bowen and MP for Rangitata Jo Luxton.
Whanganui
Earlier this month 27 students from Japan, India, Germany, China, Thailand, and Scotland were treated to a rousing (and musical) welcome from the Cullinane College kapa haka group at the Cooks Gardens event centre in Whanganui.
Whanganui Deputy Mayor Helen Craig welcomed the students to “New Zealand’s only UNESCO City of Design” highlighting the importance of cultural interaction between international students and their New Zealand counterparts.
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Hands-on agribusiness experience for NZ students in Brazil, Chile and Colombia
Despite being located on opposite sides of the world, New Zealand and Latin America have very similar climates, a phenomenon which serves as an opportunity for students in professions connected to agriculture to broaden their knowledge and practical skills. The Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme has supported students travelling to Brazil, Chile and Colombia to study this subject.
In operation since 2013, the Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme has already provided support for around 3,050 New Zealanders studying abroad, covering their travel, meals, accommodation, studies, technical visits, and journeys in different regions.
In 2022, Brazil was the most popular Latin-American country among group scholarship recipients, receiving visits from three groups. Brazil was also the first country to welcome New Zealand students from the program following the COVID-19 pandemic.
12 members of the Agronomy and Business Faculty of Lincoln University travelled to São Paulo in November last year. Over the course of five weeks, they visited and studied at three Brazilian universities, visiting farms and production centres in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Santa Catarina states.
According to Dr. Hugh Bigsby of Lincoln University, who coordinated the groups of students, their visits were organised so they could learn about the countries and their cultures through their food.
“Our programmes are called ‘agribusiness summer schools’ and the aim is to try to understand the local economy, over a period of five weeks, through processes involved in food production and the textile industry, for example,” Hugh said.
“In each country, we introduce the students to farms, sales chains and supermarkets. At the end of the program, they are required to present a business idea that can contribute to the commercial relations between New Zealand and each country visited, supporting exports and imports,” explained Hugh.
Amongst the places visited in Brazil were the Higher Education School of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo, in Piracicaba; the Faculty of Agrarian Sciences of the Federal University of Paraná, in Curitiba; and the experimental farms operated by the Federal University of Viçosa.
“The partnerships with the local universities of each country are fundamental to the success of our program, since each of them provides us with the local economic context, demonstrates technological advances that are underway, and explains the specific features of the local producers,” Hugh said.
At the same time, a group of 10 students, from the School of Agriculture and Development at Massey University, were in Chile to pursue their studies of agribusiness techniques. The students explored several regions across the country, visiting the Austral University of Chile, the Catholic University of Valparaiso, and Magallanes University in Punta Arenas.
In addition to the universities, the students went to the Santiago Botanic Gardens, dairy cattle farms, vineyards, avocado plantations, and food cooperatives.
Massey University students at Universidad Austral de Chile, in Chile.
Massey University Professor Ignacio López, accompanied students on their visit. He said the trip was an incredible experience.
“The students were impressed with how the farmers are capable of sustainably farming foods in extremely harsh conditions” Ignacio said.
Lincoln University students at Universidad de La Salle, in Colombia.
A group of 20 students from the Agronomy and Business Faculty of Lincoln University travelled to Bogotá, Colombia, in January to study agribusiness. They were in the country for four weeks, studying at the La Salle University, located in the Colombian capital, and at Manizales University.
The students learnt about the wide range of agribusiness activities conducted in the country and in the Mercosur region, including detailed studies of Colombian coffee production techniques, which are considered a benchmark across the world.
The students from the three groups all returned home having recognised the creativity and experience of the Latin-American agricultural producers.
“For our students, the trip opened their minds to new possibilities and different ways of working with agriculture,” said Ignácio Lopez.
“They also realised that what they had experimented with can, indeed, be adjusted and applied in New Zealand” he said.
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New Zealand School Story released
The New Zealand School Story comprises a video, posters and photography available via The Brand Lab. (Head to the ‘Marketing’ tab and scroll down to ‘Sector Stories’.)
Central to all collateral is the theme ‘Proud Parents’. The video itself tells a genuine, heart-felt and emotive story about how children from all around the world can have the opportunity to flourish in our schools.
It shows we understand the importance of choosing the right study destination, especially for young children, and how much is invested in that the decision. Like the New Zealand Education Story, the School Story has a strong emotional connection, while also reinforcing key messages that promote New Zealand schools. Its target audiences are parents, as key decision-makers, as well as students.
Education New Zealand led the development of this story with guidance from an industry working group comprising the SIEBA Establishment Board and the ENZ School Sector Reference Group. Advertising agency Clemenger BBDO produced the material.
The story was launched at ENZ’s seminar series in March at locations around the country. If you haven’t seen it yet, head to The Brand Lab now and have a look.
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NZIDRS scholarship students attend valuable workshop
Apart from being a great opportunity for these students to get to know one another, and see a bit more of New Zealand, it was also a valuable opportunity for us to learn more about what motivated them to come to New Zealand and how the experience has matched up to their expectations. We also were able to provide them with answers to some of their questions, such as work rights and visa queries.
The feedback is being collated and will be available through Universities New Zealand.
ENZ has also unearthed some marketing gold amongst the group and will be keeping in touch with them so that they can tell their great personal stories about our education system in promotional material and at events.
It was a productive and enjoyable day. One of the students surprised everyone with his impromptu viola performance of Bach and then invited all to watch him play in a jazz band in Wellington on Sunday night. Many took the opportunity to stay on for the weekend and some new friendships were made.
ENZ plans to hold similar events every three years or so to ensure each student is contacted once during their tenure in New Zealand.
Above: The group of international PhD students that participated in the NZDRS workshop (absent Justin Horn)
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Rosehill College and Te Hihi primary school partnership thrives
Just ten minutes down the road, Te Hihi School is a full primary school in rural Karaka with around 200 students and 17 staff. Rosehill College has a well-established international student programme and Te Hihi is just starting out.
“In the past we have had the odd Korean student come to our school, but with Anne’s help we have developed an international student business plan, I’ve been to an ENZ fair in Guangzhou and we’ve hosted a study group from Taiwan,” says Kevin Bush, principal at Te Hihi School.
Anne Henwood is the Director of International Students at Rosehill College and she takes Te Hihi’s marketing material with her whenever she goes overseas.
“Our relationship with Te Hihi school is a real pleasure – and it makes good sense,” says Anne.
“As well as offering families a pathway for their child from primary to secondary education, our relationship shows we have strong connection with the local community and a serious commitment to our children.”
With a pathway through to Rosehill College, a Te Hihi School student can stay within the area and possibly with the same homestay family for the full course of their schooling in New Zealand.
Kevin has also noticed the benefit of having international students in the school on his Kiwi students.
“In August we had a year 8 short term study group come from Taiwan for five weeks – our children had their eyes opened as they got to know children from another culture. Asia is an area that they don’t get a lot of exposure to but going forward as a country, Asia is going to be important to them as adults,” says Kevin.
“The children that come to New Zealand on their own show remarkable resilience. The friendships that they make while they are here, especially if they stay on for secondary school, are likely to last a lifetime – providing valuable global connections for our children.”
In June, Anne hosted a visit by an agent from Guangzhou who spent the morning at Rosehill and the afternoon at Te Hihi.
“The agent really enjoyed her visit and it was great to show her both schools in one day, to demonstrate the strength of our working relationship and what we have to offer as a package,” says Anne.
“Back in her office in China she will have a much better understanding of our education system and everything we have to offer when she is talking to parents about sending their child to New Zealand.”
Marketing as a team is a long term proposition that will only bear fruit over time. As principal of a small rural school, Kevin is realistic about their capacity for international students.
“I’m planning for around six international students to come to Te Hihi over the next couple of years which seems like a low target but I am excited by the diversity even a small number of students will bring to our school,” says Kevin.
Anne agrees saying: “International students bring culture and diversity, as well as a willingness to learn, to be part of the whole English environment.”
“Some Rosehill students may never get the opportunity to travel so the experience they get at school with other cultures becomes very important.”
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Manawatu hosts agents
“A successful famil tour provides a holistic experience for the agents, and gives them first-hand knowledge and experience from which to recommend Palmerston North and Manawatu to prospective students and parents,” said Lesley McDonald, Co-Chair of International Education Manawatu (IEM).
“We decided that we would split the agents into two groups – those focussed on the tertiary sector and those on the secondary sector. That way, the agents in each group could focus on their specific sector and spend more time at the relevant institutions,” said Lesley.
The agent visit was timed to coincide with the Massey University graduation ceremony, demonstrating the successful outcome of study.
To give them a taste of the Manawatu student lifestyle, the agents stayed with homestay families in the region.
“We recognised that international education is more than the study experience – it also includes a safe lifestyle, leisure activities, internship and part-time employment opportunities which lead to residency and employment.”
“The agents saw the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform at the Regent Theatre in Palmerston North and had a trip to Wellington. One agent even stayed on an extra day to take part in a tour of Wairarapa wineries!”
For the visiting agents the visit was an immersion in what it’s like to live and study in Palmerston North and the Manawatu region, and for the education providers it was a chance to showcase the best their institution and the region has to offer.
For both, it was an invaluable relationship-building experience.
“We have received very positive feedback from the visiting agents who wish to build on the relationships with the educational providers that they met and interacted with”, said Lesley.
To fund the agent visit a cross-sector group of education providers – all members of IEM – pooled their resources, with some additional funding was provided by Education New Zealand’s Regional Agent Funding programme.
