Search

Showing 10 of 540 results for group registration

Auckland Agency Group progresses student well-being initiatives
AAG Chair Isabel Evans, Director of the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Auckland, says more than 60 per cent of international students currently study in Auckland.
“The AAG group was established to build cross-agency government leadership in the Auckland region,” she says.
“We also wanted to ensure that agencies on the ground in Auckland are collaborating effectively.”
Education members of the AAG include the MOE, Education New Zealand (ENZ), New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and Tertiary Education Commission. Other government agencies include New Zealand Police, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Immigration New Zealand, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Social Development and Office of Ethnic Communities, Waitemata and Auckland District Health Boards and the Human Rights Commission. Auckland economic growth agency ATEED also plays an important role.
Ms Evans said the AAG was involved in stakeholder engagement in August which contributed to a draft International Student Wellbeing Strategy.
“From this engagement, we identified a number of action areas. Since then, group members have been working on ways to improve the overall international student experience in Auckland, with the potential to roll these out nationally if successful.”
Below are some of the initiatives underway.
- ATEED and NZ Police are working on a refresh of a safety video for international students. While it will be filmed in Auckland, its messaging will apply to students nationally, and should be available from early 2017.
- ATEED is developing an International Student Experience programme in partnership with ENZ and industry partners.
- Several agencies are looking at ways to improve the information available to international students and their families. Students are seeking more information on such topics as the true cost of living, insurance and what it covers, employment rights, health services and New Zealand culture.
- Agencies are also looking at ways to provide more volunteer and internship opportunities for international students. ATEED and MBIE will also launch phase two of their job-ready graduate programme working with ICT grads specifically.
- Several agencies are looking at ways to better support international parents, particularly those accompanying children who are studying at primary school here. These parents can be isolated and lonely. This support can also extend to the homestay parents who host international students.
“These initiatives are a start, and the AAG members are enthusiastically collaborating to make sure that opportunities to enhance the international student experience are progressed,” says Ms Evans.
She says the AAG’s work is aimed to enhance the service that international students receive from their education provider, rather than replacing it.
For further information, please contact ENZ Acting Director, Student Experience, Sahinde Pala at Sahinde.pala@enz.govt.nz.
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]
Japan and New Zealand celebrate long education partnership
To acknowledge the 25th anniversary of the first school visits by four Japanese schools, ENZ partnered with Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand to host a reception in January, thanking the schools for their continued support of New Zealand. The event received positive media interest in Japan and resulted in almost 30 articles.
The event was opened by a powerful kapa haka performance by local group Nga Hau E Wha to showcase Māori language and culture.
Nga Hau E Wha performing a kapa haka

Misa Pitt, ENZ’s Senior Market Development Manager – Japan, said Māori language and culture has been a popular subject for school trips to New Zealand.The event was opened by a powerful kapa haka performance by local group Nga Hau E Wha to showcase Māori language and culture.
“I learned that Yokohama Senior High School has its own kapa haka group,” she said.
After the performance, Misa officially welcomed the guests before Stephen Payton, New Zealand Ambassador to Japan, and awarded the school representatives a certificate of appreciation, signed by ENZ CE Grant McPherson. They also received plaques and airline tickets from Clovis Peryer, General Manager of Air New Zealand Japan.
Both Ambassador Payton and Clovis emphasised that New Zealand is a safe and welcoming environment for international students, with Misa adding that support starts from a government level.
“I explained our code of practice for the care of international students, assuring them that New Zealand has a robust support system for the well-being of students,” said Misa.
Ambassador Payton also noted that both the upcoming Rugby World Cup and 2020 Tokyo Olympics are opportunities to further promote an education exchange between the two countries.
“We look forward to continue working closely with the awarded schools to promote New Zealand as a study destination,” said Misa.
Ambassador Payton awarding representatives of the Japanese schools.

The Japanese schools awarded were:
Osaka Kunei Senior High School – 25th anniversary
Have sent 3,800 students on an academic study programme
Tama University Hijirigaoka High school and Junior High School – 25th anniversary
Have sent 2,770 students on an academic study programme
Urawa Reimei Senior High School – 20th anniversary
Have sent 5,000 students on a school excursion
Yokohama Senior High School – 25th anniversary
Have sent 690 students on an academic study programme
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.”
Auckland schools build relationships with education agents and schools in Japan

For the first time, a group of 16 Auckland-based high schools collectively visited Japan.

Their aim? Engaging with education agents and local schools to explore building long-term relationships, develop student exchanges and promote study at primary and secondary schools in Auckland.

ENZ supported the delegation by hosting an event at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo for the school’s delegation to make local connections. Over 50 local education agents, schools and the New Zealand delegation were brought together to connect, share and learn from each other.

Representatives from Massey Highschool and Waiuku College speaking to education agents at the New Zealand Embassy event.

Mount Roskill Grammar School International Director, Wendy Reid, said the visit showed what regions can achieve with a joined-up approach.

“It was a privilege to work with so many professional and knowledgeable Auckland schools, and continue to build relationships with our Japanese partners,” Wendy said.

Feedback from partners in Japan was also positive. Ritsumeikan Uji Junior and Senior High School English Head of Department, John Headon, said the regional approach to this engagement showcased New Zealand’s strength in community spirit.

“No matter which school you visit, there’s a strong sense of reassurance that the entire region will come together to support their students,” he said.  

The participating schools were Auckland Grammar, Botany Downs Secondary College, Gulf Harbour School, Howick College, Maraetai Beach School, Massey High School, Mount Albert Grammar, Mount Roskill Grammar School, One Tree Hill College, Rosehill College, Sacred Heart College, St Mary’s College, St Peter’s College, Takapuna Grammar, Waitākere College and Waiuku College.

While in Japan, the Auckland school group maximised the opportunity by independently visiting other key regions, visiting partners and meeting with prospective families. 

Since their return, the group of schools has been busy following up with the new and existing partnerships.
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.
Cullinane College kapa haka group welcoming Whanganui’s international students. Click on the image to view the video.
Ask New Anything: ENZ's next global campaign
Launching in mid-October, ENZ’s global digital campaign 'Ask New Anything' is our most technically sophisticated campaign yet.
The 'Ask New Anything' campaign aims to challenge commonly held perceptions of New Zealand and increase awareness of the country as a high-quality study destination. It does this in a new and innovative way – by inviting audiences in 14 international markets to question what they know about New Zealand.
'Ask New Anything' will be the first time the refreshed 'Think New' brand has been widely used in digital channels. To read more about ‘I AM NEW’, see the E-News story ‘A brand NEW day’.
The campaign brings together ENZ’s digital insights, the refreshed brand and the Study in New Zealand chatbot Tohu, to give prospective students the answers they need to make an informed study decision.
The creative concept
Drawing on Google search data, China-specific insights and data from Tohu, we’ve pulled together a list of the most commonly searched questions about studying in New Zealand.
We put these questions to real international students, a New Zealand student, a teacher, a parent and an employer and recorded their responses in 100 unscripted videos.
As well as being used on YouTube, Facebook and other digital media, the videos will be available on demand in Tohu the chatbot (who can be found on the studyinnewzealand.govt.nz website, the NauMai NZ website and Facebook Messenger).
If asked a question it cannot answer, Tohu will direct prospective students to a new Facebook group or Instagram Live event, where they can ask current international students their questions in real time, delivering on the promise that you can 'Ask New Anything'.
In China, the campaign will use the most relevant questions for the market within WeChat and other local platforms.
ENZ Director Platforms and Campaigns, Euan Howden, says: “Harnessing our award-winning data and marketing platform, we're bringing the refreshed 'Think New' brand to life with a level of technical sophistication that we couldn't have dreamed of a year ago. I'm looking forward to seeing how audiences engage with this campaign, and how this affects their perceptions of New Zealand as their preferred study destination.”
Introducing the new brand
The campaign will be the first global digital showcase of the refreshed 'Think New' brand which positions our international education brand for success and defines quality by the ways we help students make their mark on the world. Additionally, the campaign captures New Zealand’s values of societal openness, transparency and manaakitanga.
ENZ Director Brand and Design, Kaylee Butters, says: “This is the most interactive campaign we’ve run to date. The involvement of our Kiwi Ambassadors and the direct connections enabled by the Facebook group and Instagram Live events really underpins the authenticity of the brand and puts our students right at the heart of the creative concept.”
More information
To find out more about the campaign, and how you can leverage this activity in your own marketing, please click here. This webpage will be updated regularly throughout the campaign as new information and resources become available.
Improving orientation programmes
At NZIEC 2018, a number of breakout sessions talked about the need to reconsider current approaches to orientation and student support in order to improve the student experience and increase their intercultural competence.
Izzie Guo

In the Inspiring global citizens panel discussion: How can we make a difference? Izzie Guo, ChristchurchNZ’s Student Experience Coordinator talked about their Student Ambassador programme, and how positive student experiences are often shaped by the social and extracurricular space, not the academic.
“Student Ambassadors are involved in events and activities around the city, some volunteer, some organise and MC big events like our Student Welcome. It’s a way to improve their interpersonal skills and make new friends. It helps them settle in and build connections,” said Izzie.
Student Ambassadors are also the first connection that new international students make – they run the airport welcome and support orientations at institutions, welcoming and greeting new students in their own language, asking them about their home and breaking the ice.
Education Tauranga has taken a similar approach. In Redefining orientation programmes, Anne Young talked about how Education Tauranga has redefined its orientation programme by holding events throughout the year to mitigate ‘culture shock’ and help students achieve a smooth transition to life and study in Tauranga.
Education Tauranga's international student orientation in February 2018

“For most people, orientation means the first two weeks a student arrives, but that’s really an induction to their education provider and region. Orientation should go well beyond that, because the transition to a new setting takes more than two weeks.
“The key is continual engagement. Throughout the year, you need to build relationships with international students and their families and show you have a continued offer.”
AFS research supports this approach. In her presentation, Global competence development in international education: Tools to make it happen, Marcela Lapertosa, AFS Director of Education and Intercultural Learning, said skilled facilitation and regular reflection is the answer.
Marcela Lapertosa

“It is not enough to make one phone call to a student each month asking yes or no questions, “do you like your homestay,” “do you like your school” – there needs to be an attempt to unpack differences, challenges and perceptions.”
AFS has undertaken research in this area to develop the AFS Student Learning Journey Curriculum, which includes a variety of one-on-one and group activities to help students reflect and understand their new surroundings and how best to navigate it.
“For example, you could ask the student and their host family to draw a picture of the floorplan of their home and use questions to learn more about each other: Where does your family spend the most time? What does a closed door mean? Does it mean someone is mad at you, or that they want privacy?” This kind of exercise shows how different cultural values are reflected in a building and can help students and their host family understand one another,” said Marcela.
“It can also make it easier for students to open up who are not natural reflectors, especially when done in a group with their homestay family or school peers.”
From the CE: Building back New Zealand’s international education experience
One of the highlights for me was experiencing a warm Southern welcome in Christchurch and Dunedin, in late August. It was useful to hear from a cross-section of key education providers and other education-related organisations about what’s top of mind for them. There was an opportunity to hear about their plans for the year ahead and discuss what’s being planned at Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), and how we can best support each other.
People expressed cautious optimism about inbound student numbers for 2022, saying they have adequate applications in the pipeline to be comfortable with progress (as much as 50% of pre-pandemic levels for some). They mentioned that the fourth border exception group of international students, Cohort 4, is having a positive impact on student numbers. Many of the recent arrivals had started their studies with New Zealand online in their home countries – a testament to the huge effort made by providers, with support from agents and our international teams, to continue reaching out to students and offering online study options while our borders were closed.
The visit ended with a Christchurch City Council and ChristchurchNZ mayoral welcome for around 140 tertiary international students, from across the wider Christchurch region – a memorable evening.
Another successful welcome for international students took place in September, hosted by the University of Auckland. Both Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins spoke at the event, in a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to international students and international education.
This week I returned from a short visit to London and Barcelona, as part of ENZ’s plans to revisit all our key partner countries now our borders have reopened. The timing coincided with the annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition in Barcelona, which attracted more than 6,300 participants from over 90 countries. EAIE is the largest business-to-business conference and international education event in Europe. It provided a great opportunity to reconnect with key partners and other contacts, and to continue to let them know we are open to welcome students. You can read more about New Zealand’s pavilion at EAIE and the providers who took part in this month’s E-News.
In London, I had a series of meetings with key government and education sector contacts, including Professor Sir Steve Smith, the UK Government International Education Champion. A range of opportunities were discussed during these meetings, and we will follow up on these with the sector in New Zealand. I also met with journalists to promote a New Zealand education, including Times Higher Education and StudyTravel magazine. The final engagement of the London trip before heading off to Barcelona involved presenting an award at the PIEoneer Awards ceremony. The four awards won by New Zealand organisations that evening are covered later in this issue.
Finally, I’d like to thank everyone involved in the Asia Pacific Technical & Vocational Education and Training Forum, which took place from 14-15 September 2022. This online event, which is run in partnership between Te Pūkenga, Skills Consulting Group and ENZ, attracted more than 2,000 delegates from 60 countries, and has resulted in significant positive feedback.
In the spirit of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori I’d like to end with a whakataukī that highlights the importance of language:
Kia kaha, te reo Māori - Let’s make the Māori language strong!
Ngā mihi nui,
Grant McPherson
Talented young Kiwis awarded PM’s Scholarships to Asia and Latin America
This round of scholarships supports 252 recent graduates or current students to undertake study, research or internships at institutions in Latin America and Asia, including Brazil, Mexico, China, India and Japan.
Awardees are in a range of fields including languages, law, business, health, sustainability and the arts. They will attend for periods ranging from four weeks to one year.
The scholarships enable a wide range of educational experiences, including: a cultural exchange and internship programme for Māori and Pasifika graduates in Vietnam; a global business and innovation programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shenzhen, China, for a group of undergraduate business students; an internship with an Indian charity supporting street children and another with the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development in Korea.
‘’These scholarships enable talented young New Zealanders to enrich their education offshore, adding international experience and global perspectives to their qualifications,’’ Chris Hipkins said.
“The quality of the awardees, from all over New Zealand and from a wide range of tertiary institutions, is impressive. I am sure they will serve as excellent ambassadors for our country.
‘’Longer term, the international networks and cross-cultural skills that they bring back home will enhance and strengthen our future workforce. Their experiences benefit New Zealand at a national level and improve our ability to engage and connect with Asia and Latin America.
‘’The Prime Minister’s Scholarships support the Government’s goal of a thriving and globally connected New Zealand through world-class international education,” Chris Hipkins said.
Of the successful applicants in this round, 114 will travel on an individual scholarship and 138 will travel as part of a group. They come from a range of tertiary institutions nationwide, including the University of Auckland (69 awardees); Victoria University of Wellington (41); Massey University (40); Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design (16) and the Southern Institute of Technology (nine). There are also 10 recipients from the education NGO, TupuToa.
Here is the full list of PMSA and PMSLA recipients from this round (2019-2020 Round One).
The total value of the scholarships offered in this round is $1.9m. Information on past PMSA and PMSLA recipients can be found here.