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Noteworthy education programme featured during Prime Minister’s Trade Mission to Japan
Hot on the heels of the Prime Minister’s Trade Mission to Southeast Asia in April, relationships with our partner countries in the region continued to be strengthened for the benefit of the education sector during New Zealand’s most recent trade mission to Japan. This mission supported export sectors, including education, to engage with the Japan market and leverage emerging opportunities while advancing the New Zealand brand. The inclusion of education in the high-level visit acknowledges its contribution to the government’s ambition to lift the value of exports.
The strong people-to-people links between New Zealand and Japan are noteworthy with high student mobility in both directions. Japan is the third largest source of international students for New Zealand according to 2023 international student enrolment data with the school sector making up the largest proportion of enrolments. Japan is also a top destination for New Zealand scholars with many joining the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme and in the most recent Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia group announcement, three groups were awarded scholarships for programmes in Japan.
The international education sector was represented by two delegates nominated by ENZ to participate in the full business delegation. Cheryl de la Rey, Vice-Chancellor University of Canterbury, attended as Chair of the Vice-Chancellor’s Committee on behalf of the wider university sector and John van der Zwan, Executive Director, Schools International Education Business Association (SIEBA). Unfortunately, John had to withdraw due to illness.
The education programme elements woven into the high-level visit included a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing, a visit by Mrs Amanda Luxon to a local Japanese school, and scholarship students participating in the New Zealand Sports and Business Leadership luncheon.
MoU between Massey University and a group of all-girls secondary schools
The Prime Minister promoted awareness of New Zealand’s world-leading universities among high schools in Japan through witnessing the signing of an MoU between Massey University and six all-girls secondary schools in Japan.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon witnessed the signing of the MoU between Massey University and six all-girls secondary schools in Japan.
The memorandum signing ceremony was held at the New Zealand Embassy in Japan on 18 June. The MoU will develop a special admission system, enabling Massey University’s foundation or bachelor’s programmes to accept outstanding students recommended by the principals of the Japanese high schools. Through this agreement, students who meet Massey University's English and academic requirements and receive a recommendation from their schools will be able to enrol in Massey University's bachelor's programmes. Students can graduate with a degree in three years from the time they start their studies.
Shelly Turner, Deputy Vice Chancellor represented Massey University in Tokyo at the MoU signing and said at the signing “Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University has a long-standing relationship with Japan, reflecting our commitment to fostering international education and cultural exchange, and more recently we have seen a growing interest in our full degree programmes.
“We are dedicated to providing comprehensive support to ensure our Japanese students thrive academically and personally. We recognise the crucial role of women and girls in tertiary education and are committed to empowering them to achieve their full potential during their studies, and transition to successful careers,” said Shelly.
The Japanese school Principals, including Japan Women’s University Senior High School Principal, Yumi Susuki also welcomed the new partnership.
“For the past 30 years, our school has deepened its understanding of New Zealand culture and society through language training programs in New Zealand. With the 2022 agreement between Education New Zealand and our school, and now the new special admission system with Massey University, we hope to build even richer relationships and empower our students to shape their future,” said Yumi.
The Japanese schools that signed the agreement participated in the 'New Zealand Education Familiarisation Tour,' co-hosted by ENZ and Air New Zealand in March 2024. During the tour, they found a high level of compatibility with Massey’s educational philosophy, wide range of academic options, future-oriented learning environment, and extensive support for international students.
Homei Elementary School
Mrs Luxon with teachers and students at Homei Elementary School.
International education opportunities were also highlighted in a well-received visit Mrs Luxon made to Homei Elementary School on 19 June (affiliated to Japan Women’s University). It was Mrs Luxon's first trip to Japan and her school visit enhanced New Zealand's presence and reputation among all-girls' schools and universities in Japan.
In 2022, an Education Cooperation Arrangement between ENZ and Japan Women's University (JWU) and its affiliated schools including the Homei Elementary School was concluded to promote student and teacher exchange as well as gender equality and women’s empowerment.
From 2025, Homei Elementary School will send its first cohort of six graders (11-12 years old) to St. Margaret’s College for a short-term study and homestay experience.
Sports and Business Leadership Luncheon
The Sports and Business Leadership Luncheon held earlier in the programme on 17 June celebrated people-to-people connections and promoted New Zealand as an attractive study destination, including through the “Tobitate” scholarship programme.
The Tobitate programme, managed by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), sends students abroad and New Zealand has welcomed many students as part of this initiative. Ten Tobitate Alumni were invited by ENZ to attend the lunch in support of the New Zealand – Japan sporting ties and to promote education opportunities in New Zealand to the Japanese audience.
The Prime Minister’s remarks during the event celebrated ten years of the Game on English programme (which combines rugby and study in New Zealand for Japanese high school students), highlighted Fonterra’s contribution to its success, and announced Air New Zealand as a new sponsor.
Upcoming Events in Japan for NZ education providers
ENZ’s Acting General Manager International and Regional Director Asia (excluding China), Ben Burrowes accompanied the delegation and said he is looking forward to the upcoming ENZ events in Japan.
“The team is preparing to welcome providers to Japan later this year for the New Zealand Fair and Agent Seminars from 6 to 8 October.
“The timing of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s recent visit to Japan couldn’t have been better. We will look to further leverage this focus by continuing our work with the sector to promote New Zealand’s education offerings with prospective students, families and education stakeholders in Japan.”
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New Zealand PTEs elevate profiles with inaugural Philippines Roadshow
The roadshow, the first of its kind to be held in the Philippines, took place from 10 to 16 June, featuring nine PTEs: ACMI New Zealand, academyEX, Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS), Auckland Pilot Training Group, ICA New Zealand, IPU New Zealand, Kalandra Education Group, UP Education, and New Zealand Skills & Education Group. Golden Summit was tasked with delivering the events in Manila, Bacolod, and Cebu.
The roadshow included an agent seminar and agent-led fairs. During the agent seminar in Manila, PTEs presented their offerings to an engaged audience of 37 Filipino education agents, who showed strong interest in the PTE programmes. The roadshow then continued with agent-led fairs in Bacolod and Cebu, drawing 370 and 150 visitors, respectively.
Standing room only at the agent-led fair in Bacalod.
ENZ’s Market Manager, Chor Pramoolpol, led the roadshow and commented that the agent seminar facilitated in-person interactions between PTEs and education agents interested in promoting New Zealand PTEs in the Philippines,
“The agent-led fairs provided prospective Filipino students and their families the opportunity to gather reliable information about studying at New Zealand PTEs by directly communicating with PTE representatives.
“In the recently released full year 2023 enrolment data, the Philippines comes in as the 8th largest partner country for New Zealand and saw a 131% increase in students enrolling with New Zealand education institutions from 2022 enrolments (1,933 vs 835 students). 51% of these total enrolments were for the PTE subsector which shows just how popular they are amongst Filipino students. Our roadshow was therefore very timely to capitalise on the interest from this market,” added Chortip.
Filipino education agents in Cebu hearing about the creative learning spaces that PTEs in New Zealand provide their students.
Ann Gooco, Senior Marketing Manager at International College of Auckland (ICA) said that she thoroughly enjoyed presenting ICA’s programmes and offerings to education agents in Makati City and to the many students in Bacolod and Cebu.
“I found the experience incredibly rewarding. These gatherings allowed me to bond with the education agents and other PTE representatives, adding to the overall positive experience,” added Ann.
Anyone interested in receiving information about the student market in the Philippines can email our Market Manager for the Philippines, Chortip Pramoolpol – chortip.pramoolpol@enz.govt.nz.
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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.
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Eighteen million views and counting
Yichen is a cartoonist with five million followers on Weibo. (Weibo is one of the most popular social media platforms in China. A mix of Twitter and Facebook, it’s used by more than 30% of Chinese internet users.)
Yichen was accompanied by a team from Sina.Com. A multimedia outlet, Sina.Com owns Sina Weibo (which hosts Yichen’s account). Its education outlet, Sina Education, was the first professional education-focused online media platform in China. An interactive campaign involving Sina Education; Yichen’s dedicated visit Weibo account and her own personal account, and ENZ’s Weibo account, ensured maximum profiling of this visit on these channels.
The group visited eight institutions in Dunedin, Otago and Queenstown to raise the profile of the South Island as a study destination.
“Yichen’s followed by millions in China for her quirky and positive cartoons and posts about life. She began sharing her work on Weibo when a student at Tianjin Normal University, and has gone from strength to strength since then. Her work is clever, creative and innovative – all qualities that speak to the way that we seek to position and profile New Zealand education,” says Regional Director – Greater China Alex Grace.
“What better way to grow awareness and build preference for New Zealand than inviting Ding Yichen and Sina.com here to truly experience studying in the South.”
From the trip, Yichen produced posts illustrating her New Zealand experiences, which have been viewed 18 million times to date, and Sina.com are publishing content about New Zealand on a specific mini site.
Alex says giving the group a taste of New Zealand’s course content by doing – rather than just showing or telling – made all the difference.
Yichen took part in an animation taster class, took a cooking class, delved into winemaking, and drew with our students.”
“I encourage providers hosting international guests to think about how they can make their visits stand out by ‘doing’, as well as telling and showing. Kiwi students learn by doing, and our guests are here to understand us and our education system better. Let’s make it memorable!” says Alex.
The trip was part of Education New Zealand’s visiting media programme, which brings international media to New Zealand from targeted print, online and broadcast organisations.
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New Chair for English New Zealand
Ewen is Education Group Director at ICL Business School in Auckland. ENZ congratulates Ewen on his appointment and looks forward to working with him and the members of English NZ over the coming year. Ewen can be contacted at chairman@englishnewzealand.co.nz
Outgoing Chairman, Darren Conway, made a significant contribution to furthering the goals of English NZ and to influencing positive change at all levels for the English language sector. ENZ would like to thank Darren for his tireless work and wish him well in his continuing role as CEO of Languages International.
Together with the appointment of Ewen Mackenzie-Bowie, a new executive committee for English New Zealand was appointed:
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Tim Brown, CEO The Campbell Institute
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Kim Harase, Director of Marketing, Academic Colleges Group
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Maureen Hayes, Principal and Managing Director of Worldwide School of English
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Giuliana Silviera, Principal, Kaplan International Auckland
ENZ looks forward to continuing its work with English NZ to grow the English language sector in New Zealand.
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International students in Dunedin get connected
‘Get Connected’ was a networking evening to launch the Job Ready Programme, which prepares international students for the transition from study to work through improving their skills and confidence in approaching prospective employers.
Job Ready is a free, extracurricular programme designed for any tertiary international student studying in the Dunedin region. The aim of the programme is to give participants an in-depth understanding of working culture and expectations in New Zealand, and to help them develop skills that will aid them in New Zealand workplaces.
“For many International students in New Zealand, networking is a scary and foreign business practice,” says Job Ready Coordinator, Madison Stumbles. “We wanted to create a new cultural norm – for students and businesses – where networking isn’t scary and international students have the confidence to engage with businesses looking to utilise the skills they have to offer.”
The programme has been developed with the support of ENZ’s Regional Partnership Programme, Enterprise Dunedin, Otago Polytechnic, the University of Otago and the Otago Chamber of Commerce.
The event saw 15 international Job Ready ‘graduates’ engage with the potential employers in a positive and enriching atmosphere. The Minister of Immigration, Hon Michael Woodhouse, delivered the keynote speech and was joined by Education New Zealand’s Greg Scott and Enterprise Dunedin’s Export Education Coordinator, Sarah Gauthier and representatives of Dunedin’s international education providers.
A strong turnout at the event demonstrated the level of commitment to international education in the city, and the strong understanding among all attendees of the way in which the Job Ready Programme can support local businesses in globalising their operations by creating links to skilled, international talent.
Job Ready Graduate with PhD student and AD Instruments representative, Pramuk Perera.
About the programme
In the lead up to the event, a pilot group of 15 international students from Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago underwent the six-week intensive Job Ready programme.
Confidence building was the main focus over the six weeks, with a strong emphasis placed on enabling the students to polish their professional networking skills. Several interactive seminars were facilitated by members of the Dunedin business and education community, with one popular session on ‘How to network’ led by Gallaway Cook Allan’s, Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Gorman.
At the end of the six-week programme, students were proactively arranging meetings to talk to professionals with business interests in their field of study, and two had successfully secured employment for the following year.
With more study ahead of them, the remainder of the students credited the Job Ready Programme with boosting their confidence in finding work in New Zealand after graduation.
“I got what I needed out of this programme – confidence, knowledge [and] a better network of potential employers,” said one participant.
“I would like to thank those who made this programme successful as it has given us a good insight into skills and abilities to work on, which are not usually taught in university,” stated another.
Feedback from business participants was also incredibly positive. “I overheard Roger Belton from Southern Clams commenting on how these students were so capable, and on how they could help their businesses grow into new markets,” said Sarah Gauthier, Export Education Coordinator. “He really enjoyed meeting the students and hearing how their international business skills and multiple language abilities would help his business grow into places like Thailand and Malaysia.”
Local Dunedin businesses represented at the event included ADInstruments, Southern Clams, PocketSmith, Mixbit, Myth, Firebrand, ANZ and Cook Wong Accountants. There was also international business representation from the Carraway Group, a Hong Kong-based financial services firm.
Job Ready Coordinator Madison Stumbles with Minister Woodhouse as they presented each student with their frame able Job Ready completion certificate, signed by Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull.
Next steps
Planning for the next phase of the project is underway, with the next six-week programme being open to all international tertiary students in Dunedin and having an even stronger focus on engagement with local businesses.
“I am really looking forward to see what phase two can do for Dunedin’s international students,” said Sarah Gauthier. “Secondary school engagement will be a priority and Job Ready intends to utilise the support received in the first phase to develop comprehensive material that will be applicable to all businesses and international students in New Zealand.”
Think you’d like to do something similar in your region? Sarah, Madison, and the Job Ready Programme partners are only too happy to share their learnings and provide hints and tips from their experience.
Email Sarah in the first instance: sarah.gauthier@dcc.govt.nz
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Japanese teachers visit New Zealand schools
Participating schools had previously indicated their interest in New Zealand through a survey put together by Air New Zealand and ENZ and also attended a seminar prior to embarking on the tour.
Japanese teachers were the focus for this familiarisation visit in recognition of the fact that they are among the key influencers, along with alumni and agents, for Japanese students and their families when considering international study locations. The word-of-mouth promotion of New Zealand as an education destination that comes from these visits is highly effective.
The four-day tour started off with a visit to Rotorua where we visited the agrodome at the Rotorua English Language Academy to see the famous farm show, followed by a wonderful Māori experience at Te Puia. On the second day, despite the heavy rain, we received a warm welcome at Tauranga Boys’ College and Girls’ College, visited Hobbiton and enjoyed the experience of a Kiwi farm stay in Cambridge. The third day saw us visit the Waitomo glow warm cave and Waikato University, where the boys’ rugby team were hosted in July this year as part of the Game on English programme. The final day was dedicated to Auckland, where we visited Northcote College and Language International.
Participants were impressed by the quality of programmes and facilities offered by New Zealand schools and universities. The Cambridge farm stay in was also very well received by the teachers who considered it a uniquely New Zealand experience. Through conversations with teachers and counsellors, the Japanese teachers were also reassured by the level of support offered to international students in New Zealand. The group also had the chance to speak to some Japanese students and saw how well they integrate with New Zealand students in the classroom. A reflection of New Zealand’s emphasis on diversity, I believe.
With the growing demand from the high school sector in Japan, we were pleased to showcase New Zealand’s high-quality of education, along with the Kiwi lifestyle and cultural experiences. Following the trip Yamate Gakuin Junior and Senior High School in Yokohama has made a decision to send a group of students to New Zealand starting August 2016. Takigawa Boys' Junior and Senior High School in Kobe will also start offering a 3 months programme in New Zealand from 2018.
I look forward to facilitating more relationships between New Zealand education providers and institutions and agents in Japan in the coming year.
I would like to sincerely thank all the institutions, local tourism offices and venues, and Air New Zealand for their support in making this programme a success.
Misa Pitt
