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• Strengthening ties with Chilean education agents 

  The event brought together a group of Chilean education agents for an opportunity to connect with ENZ Director of Engagement Javiera Visedo and Whitecliffe Regional Manager Lorena Mendes.  

  The attending agents learned about study options for Chilean students at Whitecliffe and had the chance to ask questions in an open, interactive setting designed to support learning and strengthen relationships. 

  Agents highlighted an increasing interest in studying in New Zealand amongst students, noting a significant increase in meetings and enquiries.  

  

  Whitecliffe College Regional Manager Lorena Mendes presenting to local education agents.

  ENZ Director of Engagement Javiera Visedo said strengthening relationships with agents and capability building is key to increasing awareness of New Zealand and its diverse study options.  

  “Nothing compares to a face-to-face training session, where agents can raise day-to-day questions from students and have them answered on the spot,” she said. 

  Whitecliffe College Regional Manager, Lorena Mendes, said Chile is a market with enormous potential and a key partner for international student growth in New Zealand.  

  “Here, we find professionalism, warmth, and a genuine interest in continually offering students the best opportunities for them,” she said.  

• Winners of KIWI Challenge announced

  This year was the first where university students were able to enter a new category alongside the schools' challenge.  

  The winning teams from Petra Christian University and USG Education headed off strong competition from eight other finalists, drawing praise from the judges for their solutions to support youth-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).  

  Finalists presented to a panel of judges from University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka and Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), who were cohosting the initiative.  

  Both winning teams received a voucher valued at 10,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah (approximately 1,000NZD) as well as virtual internships from the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka commencing in semester one, 2025. 

  Tech-led solutions 

  A team from Petra Christian University developed an app ‘Partify’ which connects emerging small businesses and keen part-time workers. Businesses post part-time jobs, and workers swipe to find flexible gigs nearby, with AI matching candidates based on skills, location, and availability. 

  

  Partify university winner – ENZ market manager Naluri Bella and University of Otago Regional Market Manager Sarah Ewing present the award for First Place in the University category to team members from Petra Christian University for their app ‘Partify’.

  In the high school category, a team from USG Education took the top prize with ‘LAW4MSME’, a platform allowing small businesses to access legal information and advice.  

  

  LAW4MSME High school winner - ENZ market manager Naluri Bella and University of Otago Regional Market Manager Sarah Ewing present the award for First Place in the University category to team members from USG Education for their platform “LAW4MSME’.

  Explaining the group’s business idea, team leader for LAW4MSME, David Francis said the students found that Indonesian youth-led SMEs lack knowledge of the laws and regulations needed to run their businesses. 

  “To address this, we developed an AI bot that educates SME owners on these regulations, helping them navigate legal requirements more effectively,” David said. 

  The KIWI Challenge competition aims to inspire youth across Indonesia to engage in entrepreneurial activities and help resolve societal issues. Over the five years the competition has run, 1000 Indonesian youth have participated. This year, Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) partnered with University of Otago to co-host the initiative.  

  This year’s competition included 49 teams with a total of 221 student participants.  

  Mentorship key 

  Mentorship is a key element of the competition. The finalists attended a workshop run by Associate Professor Dr Conor O’Kane, Head of the Bachelor of Entrepreneurship programme at Otago Business School. This assisted entrants to develop their ideas and refine business plans.  

  ENZ Acting General Manager International Ben Burrowes said he’s delighted to see the continued development of the KIWI Challenge.  

  “Inviting university students for the first time has given us the opportunity to include a whole new cohort of talented young entrepreneurs, and we have been very impressed with the quality and creativity of their submissions,” Ben said. 

  “The competition has also benefitted from the enthusiasm and expertise of our colleagues at the University of Otago, and we are grateful for their willingness to partner with us for the KIWI challenge’s fifth year.” 

  Dr O’Kane said it was inspiring to witness the quality of entrepreneurial thinking among Indonesian students. 

  “These students have very bright futures. The concepts and programmes the finalists presented were remarkable and captured the impressive ability of the teams to identify tangible business problems and visualise and communicate a solution to these challenges,” Dr O’Kane said. 

• Introducing the AgentLab WeChat mini programme

  As AgentLab is a web-based platform with English content, it needed a separate programme for Chinese audiences. The new mini programme not only uses Chinese language, but it also offers a localised user experience more suitable for this group.

  “Education agents continue to have a crucial role in ensuring that international students and their parents have accurate information about what New Zealand, as a study destination can offer. Especially in China, agents are the main interface between education providers, students, and students’ parents,” ENZ Director – Greater China, Miranda Herbert says.

  The agent landscape in China is extensive. The biggest agencies have around 50 branches in the mainland, with different agencies having particular regional strengths. Because agents run their own events – both B2B and with students – ENZ supports their activities rather than running our own ENZ Recognised Agency fairs.

  AgentLab is ENZ’s dedicated communications portal for education agents, providing them with the training and resources they need to best promote New Zealand as an international study destination.

  It has proven to be a very effective way to support agents during these uncertain, fast-changing times. There are now close to 5,000 users on the platform, which is a 60 percent increase since March 2020. This year alone ENZ conducted almost 50 webinars (some region-specific) through AgentLab, and shared regular updates via news feeds, direct messages, and the COVID-19 FAQs page.

  Access 新西兰留学顾问计划 on WeChat, or use the QR code below:

  

• 11 million engagements across channels

  Patrick Holden, ENZ’s Digital Media Project Manager, said this makes it ENZ's single largest marketing campaign yet.

  “We are really pleased with how ENZ’s ‘Future Proof’ campaign has been tracking since its launch on 19 March,” he said.

   New Zealand was ranked the #1 country in the world for educating students for the future, according to a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released late last year.

  On 19 March, ENZ launched an eight-week global campaign to promote the ranking and encourage international students to sign-up to ENZ’s database marketing programme.

  The first ‘dream’ phase of the campaign focused on awareness.

  “We reached over 30 million people and have had 11,757,000 engagements across our digital and social ecosystem.

  “This is the largest qualified audience ENZ has ever achieved in a single campaign.”

  The second phase of the campaign started on 1 April and is focussed on converting the audience into enquiries to institutions. Ten days in, 11,600 referrals have been made.

  The ‘Future proof’ campaign integrates ENZ’s social communities and digital channels via ENZ’s student attraction engine and is the first campaign integrated with the database marketing platform.

  The third ‘decide’ phase will introduce the My StudyNZ member centre tool for which we received excellent feedback from the pilot prospective student group.

• Successful agent engagement and student recruitment drive in Malaysia

  The events aimed to gauge student interest in studying in New Zealand and deepen collaboration with education agents and schools.  

  To kick off the series, in early March, ENZ and representatives from New Zealand universities co-hosted a morning tea information session and focus group for Malaysian education agents in Kuala Lumpur.  

  The session promoted the ENZ resources available to support agents, and representatives from University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, Massey University, University of Otago, and University of Waikato led a discussion exploring key messages that resonate with Malaysian students and parents, understanding the factors influencing destination choice and brainstorming strategies to strengthen New Zealand’s brand visibility.  

  The event brought together 11 agencies from across Kuala Lumpur.   

  

  Co-funded agent activity 

  ENZ supported three key education agencies from across Malaysia to undertake co-funded student recruitment activity.  

  In Selangor, AECC Global Malaysia and ENZ hosted a mini-booth fair at HELP International School – giving students the opportunity to interact directly with representatives from Auckland University of Technology, the University of Auckland, the University of Canterbury, University of Otago, and the University of Waikato.  

  

  The mini-booth fair at HELP International School.

  

  The mini-booth fair at HELP International School.

  Over to Shah Alam, SELSET Education partnered with INTEC College to host an information session showcasing eight of New Zealand’s tertiary institutions.  

  INTEC College students heard from the Auckland University of Technology, the University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, University of Otago, University of Waikato, Southern Institute of Technology, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology and pathway provider, University of Canterbury International College.  

  Around 100 students were in attendance, and the session was followed by an opportunity for students to chat further with the study providers on show.    

  

  Students at INTEC College exploring New Zealand tertiary education study options.

  To close out the co-funded activity, ENZ made its first official visit to East Malaysia since before the pandemic. 

  ENZ and JM Education partnered to lead a series of school visits in late April Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.  

  Around 400 students attended information sessions across three schools. The events were led by the University of Auckland and University of Otago at Kota Kinabalu High School, Sekolah Menengah Sains Sabah, and Maktab Nasional. 

  

  Attendees of one of the information sessions.

  ENZ Market Manager for Indonesia and Malaysia, Naluri Bella, said that partnering with agents for co-funding targeted activities helps enhance both agents and students’ awareness and understanding of New Zealand’s unique education offering.  

  “These collaborations not only build trust and commitment among agents but also positions New Zealand as a competitive and credible choice for Malaysian students,” she said.   

   

• Growing offshore interest in NZ through onshore ‘Famils’

  ‘Famil’, short for ‘Familiarisation’, are visits organised to literally familiarise invited groups of people with a product, or in our case, New Zealand as an international education destination. The intended purpose is that those who attend famils will become valuable advocates for a New Zealand education and therefore drive preference for New Zealand in market.  

  During Covid-19 these visits were stopped due to border closures. Now that borders have been fully open for some time and our international education sector is recovering, this summer provided the perfect opportunity to show off New Zealand, including our regions and unique culture, and the wide range of educational and experiential offerings to representatives from various international markets.  

  The summer of showcasing New Zealand started in November with two media famil groups from India and Viet Nam. This was followed by three groups of education agents from Brazil, Germany and South Korea visiting in March and most recently, a famil co-hosted by ENZ and Air NZ bringing Japanese school teachers to regions in the North Island. ENZ subsidises these programmes with other costs covered by participants, regional economic development agencies, and education providers.  

  

  The University of Otago provided a campus tour with a Korean student and didn't miss the opportunity for a classic picture with its famous Clock Tower.

  ENZ’s General Manager International, Lisa Futschek said that careful planning goes into facilitating these visits to ensure the famil groups are exposed to a range of subsectors that are relevant to the visiting country while also leveraging the visits to benefit as many providers as possible.    

  “While we’d love to showcase every New Zealand provider, this is obviously not possible. Much consideration is given to the source market and to the subsectors that we know are popular with that country.  

  “This ensures we are targeted in our approach and our visitors go back to their countries equipped with the most relevant information that helps build that pipeline of future students," said Lisa.  

  

  The Brazilian agents attended a networking event hosted by AIS for Auckland-based English Language providers.

  “We also look for opportunities in which we can make introductions to several providers in one go. For example, a networking function was held at Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS) with Auckland-based English Language Schools invited to meet the agents from Brazil, cultivating many new connections while strengthening existing ones,” added Lisa.  

  As well as showcasing the various subsectors, promoting the destination is also hugely important and famil itineraries also include time spent seeing what the regions have to offer international students. This is often organised with the help of the regional economic development agencies.  

  A perfect example of cross sector collaboration was seen in Ōtautahi Christchurch where Christchurch Educated, an international education organisation based in the region, hosted a networking dinner with the regional economic development agency, ChristchurchNZ. They hosted the Brazilian and German agent famil groups and education providers from various sectors in the Canterbury region.   

   

  

  The German agents are pictured here at the Christchurch Educated networking event with a group of Christchurch based education providers (mainly high schools). The event was hosted at Ara’s Visions on campus restaurant with the Brazilian agents in attendance too.

   

  Stefi Porter, International Education Partnership Manager for Christchurch Educated said that bringing everyone together to mutually share the benefits of studying in Ōtautahi Christchurch was a wonderful thing.  

  “There is certainly strength in numbers and a perfect example of where collaboration between providers and regional economic development agencies can really deliver greater bang.  

  “Instead of competing against one another, we are sharing resources, time and energy to show the best of our region and the breadth of study options we can offer international students.” 

  A key outcome of the various famil groups visiting New Zealand is that they become advocates for New Zealand as a place to study, ensuring a steady pipeline of students for years to come. In the post-famil survey, all attendees reported they were either much more likely (87.5%) or somewhat more likely (12.5%) to recommend New Zealand as a place to study for prospective students.  

  Other positive outcomes, include the positive media articles and social media posts produced by visiting journalists and individuals to their networks in their home countries. This positive coverage not only showcases the quality of New Zealand's education system but also shares the New Zealand education experience with prospective students in their home countries through stories featuring students and alumni.   

  The India media famil has achieved five in-depth stories to date in Education Times, India's largest newspaper supplement (circulation 500,000). The stories showcase the research prowess at New Zealand universities, including in biotechnology, managing climate change related disruptions, and feature the New Zealand education experiences of a range of students from India. 

  In Viet Nam 10 articles and four social media posts have been published so far, reaching an audience of 557,000, with more coverage expected in the coming months. Of note is HHT, the top teen magazine in Viet Nam has created a column “letters to New Zealand”, which shares weekly articles about New Zealand written about alumni.   

  

  An example of some of the coverage these visits receive. Featured is a compilation of posts that Brazilian agent, Juliana Viana Silveira, owner of CI Intercambio in Juiz de Fora, made on Instagram to her followers during March while in New Zealand. The role of agents in Brazil in international student recruitment is becoming increasingly more important as reported by StudyTravelNetwork here -https://studytravel.network/magazine/news/0/30492

  ENZ would like to extend a huge thanks to the education providers and regional representatives for hosting our international visitors and leaving them with a strong sense of New Zealand’s education offerings. The way in which ENZ is able to work collectively with providers and the regional economic development agencies to collaboratively plan the famil is ideal to ensure a good mix of experiences and a balance of activities.  This approach helps regions feature strongly in any future famil plans and also helps develop the regional international education ecosystem.  

  We look forward to hearing about more connections with education representatives at the ICEF ANZA conference in Christchurch. 

  Check out our image gallery of the famils which shares further details of each of the groups including who attended, where they went and who they met with.

  

  The Japanese All Girls School Teachers participated in a kapa haka class at New Plymouth Girls High School in New Plymouth. Here they are pictured playing the Tītī tōrea Māori Stick game, a traditional New Zealand game which has been played for generations.

   

    

• ENZ Agent Seminars in China make a strong impact for rebuilding connections

  China is the largest source of international students for New Zealand with agents being the leading channel for student recruitment in this market. Building strong connections between providers and agents in China is critical to recovering student mobility, improving awareness of New Zealand as a study destination and strengthening New Zealand's market position. ENZ's Agent Seminars in China are a well-recognised and impactful way of building relationships with a range of key agents.  

  

  Education Counsellor and ENZ’s Regional Director Greater China, Michael Zhang, (far left) at the Beijing Agent Seminar with representatives from New Oriental Education Agency and H.E. Grahame Morton, New Zealand Ambassador to People’s Republic of China.

  In addition, Agent Seminars also help to keep agents informed with the latest official information and is an important tool that Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) and other NZ Inc agencies use to share such information. According to recent Immigration New Zealand (INZ) data, agents in China have a high approval rate for student visa processing.   

  Currently, ENZ runs its Agent Seminar series twice a year in this region and this latest series of events held in Chengdu, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing were supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and INZ. INZ’s China-based representatives gave in-person presentations, an initiative which was well received with 88% of agents reporting its inclusion as “very or extremely important to their attendance” in a post-event survey. 

  

  Participants at the Hong Kong Agent Seminar discuss New Zealand education offerings.

   

  

  Kevin Wang from the International College of Auckland presenting at the Shanghai Agent Seminar.

   

  To leverage the visibility of New Zealand education providers in the China market, ENZ facilitated media interviews and social media recordings for participants at the Shanghai and Chendgu Seminars. New Zealand providers and ENZ representatives in Chengdu conducted interviews with 13 journalists, the highest response rate for media attending Agent Seminars to date. As a result, three million views were achieved from 58 stories published by 27 local media outlets, with New Zealand university representatives quoted in a media story and an exclusive interview and story for Te Pūkenga on the uniqueness of New Zealand's vocational education in a separate article.    

  

  Joyce Zhang, University of Otago, is interviewed by a journalist from local media in Chengdu at the ENZ Agent Seminar.

  In Shanghai, the ENZ Shanghai team delivered a China marketing insights session for sector representatives. The presentation titled “Unlocking China’s Education Market: Insights and tools for success” covered:  

  • The key drivers of the consumer 

  • China’s media/digital/social media landscape​ 

  • The big four – WeChat, Little Red Book, Douyin and Bilibili (case studies included) 

  • ENZ’s China local marketing plan​. 

  Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the Marketing Presentation can access this here on ENZ’s Intellilab. 

  ENZ collaborated with Shinyway, the largest agent in the eastern region of China to produce short videos for the agency to promote online. The online promotion aimed to leverage brand awareness of a New Zealand education showcasing New Zealand providers attending the Shanghai event.  A big kudos goes to the 18 brave New Zealand representatives who accepted the invitation to participate in the filming. Education Counsellor and Regional Director Greater China, Michael Zhang, was also interviewed to present the advantages of a New Zealand education and our institutions across all sectors. 

  Shinyway has published all the videos on their consumer-facing social media platforms, including WeChat, Little Red Book, and Weibo. The collaboration enhances New Zealand providers’ market exposure by leveraging Shinyway's influence across their digital platforms and reaching prospective audiences in China elevating our brand profile within a highly targeted audience group.  

  

  Mary Nixon, Principal of Takapuna Grammar School participating in the recording for sharing on social media. The first trial video published on Shinyway's WeChat received over 300 engagements including likes, shares, favorites and comments.

  87.5% of New Zealand education providers also said that “attendance at the seminars was either “very valuable” or “valuable” for their organisation.” 

  The dates and locations for the next round of Agent Seminars in China will be announced soon. These details will be posted on the ENZ Events page along with the link for registering. 

   

• Kiwi schools hit the road in the Philippines

  Led by a team of ENZ staff, the group made the journey through Manila and Cebu over one week in September in a (very cosy) ENZ bus.

  Desiree Lee, ENZ’s Market Manager, Malaysia and Philippines, said it was great to see the camaraderie shared by New Zealand providers and the shared vision of promoting New Zealand education to the world.

  “We had a blast hosting our energetic providers from the university, ITP, PTE and school sectors across the Philippines. We braved the Manila traffic together, met with more than 200 international school students whose interests ranged from medicine to creative writing.”

  The providers had another chance to meet school counsellors, New Zealand alumni and parents at the ENZ Networking Night hosted by Ambassador to the Philippines, David Strachan, at the Official Residence.

  “Most Filipino students considering study abroad are from the private education network and, to attract these students to New Zealand, we have to be prepared to compete against strong brand names like there are in the US,” explains Desiree.

  “The US is the most high-profile study destination for Filipino students, with a very active in-market presence including many Ivy League names such as Stanford University.

  “Targeted activities such as the Schools Roadshow is a chance to get some face time with these students and present our unique offering.”

  The tour of the Philippines was capped off with an oversubscribed agent seminar in Cebu, where Immigration New Zealand gave key market updates.

  “They revealed that Cebu, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Davao del Sur and Cavite are the top five regions where student applicants are coming from.

  “INZ also highly recommends the use of its online application platform which is far more cost and time efficient.”

  New Zealand providers included Carmel College, Rangitoto College, University of Auckland, Massey University, ACG Education, Ara Institute of Canterbury, Southern Institute of Technology, Toi Ohomai, WelTec & Whitireia, Eastern Institute of Technology, Manukau Institute of Technology, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, and more.

  

  Braving traffic in Manila on the ENZ Bus

  

  At the Chinese International School Manila

• Diversification of International Education sees six innovative projects receive funding

  Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) has today announced the recipients of the International Education Product Innovation Fund.

  Just over $1.6 million in funding has been awarded to six organisations, with support ranging from $200,000 to $300,000 for individual projects over the next 12 months.

  The projects that received funding span a wide range of activity. They include a global course for rugby coaches developed in partnership with The Crusaders, an online indigenous eCommerce programme, English language learning based on original, high quality drama content, global enterprise coaching and peer group learning, an evolution of an NZ financial literacy platform for global audiences, and virtual reality online medical training focused on childbirth simulation.

  Initial response to the Product Innovation Fund saw more than 150 organisations express interest. ENZ designed a rigorous process for submitting and assessing applications, working alongside Creative HQ – a specialist innovation agency. The process involved a clear set of criteria that were communicated to all applicants. A shortlist was prepared, and a final assessment was completed by an independent expert panel comprising external innovation and education experts and senior ENZ staff.

  Commenting on the recipients, ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson said the innovation and scope of the applications had been eye-opening.

  “The quality of the entrants was a clear indication of New Zealand ingenuity, market knowledge and cutting-edge innovation,” said Mr McPherson.

  “The sheer variety of fields and technology being utilised shows how advanced the thinking and capability of New Zealand education providers has become. The potential of each of these projects can now be fully explored, and I am confident the lessons learned can be shared for the benefit of our whole education sector, inspiring others to follow their lead.”

  The Product Innovation Fund was launched by ENZ in April to encourage providers to design and develop new education products and services for international learners. It is part of the broader refreshed international education strategy and is intended to fund programmes that deliver new, meaningful, and unique learning experiences from New Zealand with education products and services that set New Zealand apart from other countries.

  Providers will create new products and services aimed at transforming the way international learning is developed, promoted, and delivered. Funding and support from ENZ will help providers fast-track the exploration and development of new ideas, conduct market research, build prototypes, and advance their global market strategy. Lessons learnt from the programme will assist in developing future education products and services for the benefit of the entire international education sector.

  Details of the successful applicants and their projects can be seen here.

   

  Recipient	Funding Amount
  Banqer	$300,000
  BOMA New Zealand	$300,000
  Chasing Time English	$250,000
  Te Kaihau Education	$200,000
  Te Whare Hukahuka	$255,000
  Virtual Medical Coaching	$300,000

  ENDS

• International students get behind Super Saturday vaccine drive

  A group of students showed their concern and social responsibility by telling their stories to The New Zealand Herald ahead of the Super Saturday vaccination drive on 16 October 2021.

  Education New Zealand Chief Executive Grant McPherson said it was great to see international students getting involved in the vaccination effort.

  “New Zealand reaching its 90% vaccination target will aid in our recovery and bring us one step closer to welcoming more international students to Aotearoa,” he says.

  “These are people who bring an array of benefits to community wellbeing, our global relationships, a productive workforce, a strong education system and enabling trade and diplomacy.”