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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

Indigenous Malyasian students learn about Te Ao Māori
Scholastica Philip, who is of Kadazan descent, together with Diana Bah Said and Norazah Din, both of Semai ethnicity, have been studying the Te Ao Māori and Sustainability course on the Mission New Zealand online platform.
All three say they gained a great deal from the short course, which included an introduction to biculturalism, and the five stages of the design thinking process.
“Biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand is fascinating,” Norazah said. “We learned about Māori settling in New Zealand, and I really want to experience their culture and daily life if I have the chance in the future.”
Scholastica noticed some common themes around sustainability in Te Ao Māori, and the importance of nature and food in her Kadazan culture, which is from East Malaysia.
“We take care of nature as we take care of humans - we need to take care of all living things.
“There is an ancient story for Kadazan people about Huminodun, a very beautiful woman who sacrificed herself to create food and bring rain to stop the cursed drought season for her people. This story is about how closely we are connected with nature.
“We learned on the course that Māori and non-Māori are working together in New Zealand to achieve a sustainable ecological system – I love the concept,” Scholastica said.
Norazah and Diana also noted how important trees and rivers are in their distinctive Semai culture, which is based in North Malaysia.
“We have a very strong connection with nature - as much as we respect each other,” Diana said.

Norazah with a friend at the Festival of Langauge

Scholastica and Diana at university in Kuala Lumpur

Norazah and Diana are in their second year of study at Universiti Malaya, and Scholastica is in her third year.
Scholastica has also completed an introductory course in te Reo Māori, and you can hear her pepeha here.

Ben Burrowes, Regional Director Asia for Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) says the Whakatipu Scholarships are funded by ENZ and Universiti Malaya.
“We are aiming to empower talented young indigenous students, support them with learning and exchange opportunities, and encourage knowledge sharing.

Scholastica at the Sabah Fiesta with a group of Thai buddies

“This is the first year of the scholarship, and it’s great to see these students making the most of this opportunity.”
Read more about the Whakatipu Scholarships on the ENZ website here.
Read more about Mission New Zealand on ENZ’s New Products and Services website here
Reconnecting in Malaysia
Six of our eight universities participated, along with Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao, connecting with more than 5,200 Malaysian students and parents. This was the first in-person fair we have attended in Malaysia for two years. It was a good opportunity to meet students face-to-face, to discuss a high-quality New Zealand education and what it’s like to live here.
New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Pam Dunn, spoke at the opening ceremony and highlighted that many Malaysians who studied in New Zealand have returned home to use their skills and knowledge as experts in their fields – students such as Tan Sri Dr Mazlan Othman.
"She was the first Malaysian woman to gain a PhD at Otago University. She then returned home as Malaysia’s first astrophysicist and later pioneered this country’s space programme.
“An education in New Zealand empowers Malaysian students with the life skills and confidence to succeed.”

Patrick Holden, ENZ’s Director International Market Strategies, was interviewed by the STAR Media Group – see the video here.
AUT international students connect with senior citizens

A uniquely engaging initiative supported by New Zealand Police and AUT recently brought together international students and local senior citizens to connect in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

The initiative was an outcome of a meeting of the Auckland Agency Group, of which Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao is a member and enabled international students to understand and start to integrate into local culture guided by senior residents and members of the wider Auckland community.

As the last 12 months have seen the welcome return of international students to our campuses and communities, New Zealand Police Ethnic Services teams around the country, including in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, have been busy engaging with international students in a number of ways.

Around 18 students met with 10 senior citizens at the Northbridge Residential Village.

The event helped international students engage with their local community, establishing intergenerational bonds, helped them access support networks, engage in cultural exchange, and actively participating in community affairs.

The event included a panel discussion involving members of Northbridge Residential Village, AUT international students, and New Zealand Police. The panel discussion unfolded in two key segments: the initial part addressed the dynamics of culture shock, while the subsequent portion revolved around the overarching themes of diversity and inclusion.

AUT Students Association, International Affairs Officer, Yun Ke, said that the AUT international student interaction with local senior citizens event was a great success.

“We have received immensely positive feedback from students about the event, which is exciting.

“This interaction saw double the participation by international students, as compared to a previously held event in September,” Ke said.

San Winkyi, an international student from Myanmar, was grateful to New Zealand Police for the way they supported the event.

“The police’s presence and assistance contributed significantly to the event's success, and we deeply appreciate their commitment to international student safety and wellbeing,” San said.

For Huabiao Xiao, an international student from China, the interaction was a wonderful opportunity to appreciate cultural differences while enjoying communicating with an open and inclusive local community of senior citizens.

“Spending time with local seniors and police officers was an amazing experience, far beyond anything I could have imagined. These elders are simply the epitome of local cultures and society, and I deeply appreciate their differences and uniqueness. At the same time, I appreciated how New Zealand police officers are committed to promoting a community culture,” Huabiao said.

Education providers with international students who are interested in organising a similar event are welcome to contact Faymie Li, faymieli@enz.govt.nz or Ross Crosson, ross.crosson@enz.govt.nz.
Raising the profile of New Zealand English language offerings in Japan 
To maximise the visit’s opportunity, ENZ organised a New Zealand English Language event at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo. The event brought together over 40 local education agents, schoolteachers, and government partners face-to-face with the New Zealand providers to learn about their study offerings and explore future collaboration opportunities. 

Prospective students and their parents exploring English Language study options at the New Zealand English Language Fair.

The following day, the New Zealand English Language Fair attracted 44 prospective students and families to speak with the English Language schools and gain a better understanding of their study offerings.

Prospective students and their parents exploring English Language study options at the New Zealand English Language Fair.

The wider programme included a series of targeted events, school visits, and stakeholder meetings, all aimed at reconnecting with the market and exploring new partnership opportunities.  

English New Zealand Executive Director, Kim Renner, said they were pleased to be back in Japan, marketing as a group.

“Japan is a key market for the English Language School sector. Our member schools have strong connections formed over many years with Japanese education agencies and institutions, and meeting face-to-face in market is invaluable,” she said.

“The events were a great success profiling both the English language sector and New Zealand as a destination for a high-quality study travel experience,” Kim added.

ENZ Business Development Manager Tomomi Kontani giving an update from ENZ and sharing the benefits of studying in New Zealand.

Feedback from participating English Language Schools was also positive. One event participant said: “Agents and students asked focused questions, it was pleasing to see the high levels of interest studying at a New Zealand English Language School”.

The participating schools included: ABC College of English, Auckland Institute of Studies, Christchurch College of English, Languages International, Mount Maunganui Language Centre and Worldwide School of English.
NZ forges fruitful partnership with Paraná state, Brazil’s education powerhouse

Following a visit to New Zealand universities in September by a delegation of authorities from Paraná state, Brazil, the Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence organised a reciprocal trip for a group of New Zealand educational representatives to go to Curitiba, Paraná’s capital city. The purpose of the visit was for the New Zealand delegation to get a closer look at the research structure of this southern Brazilian state and discuss future pathways for collaboration between Brazilian and New Zealand students and researchers.

The public higher education system of Paraná is made up of seven state universities and three federal institutions spread across several cities, with in-person and distance learning. They are quality research and teaching institutions, with substantial scientific production capacity and academic prestige. Paraná state has a population of roughly 11 million people.

New Zealand delegation meets with representatives of the State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Higher Education of Paraná and deans of state universities.

During the meetings in the capital of Paraná, held in mid-October, there were several discussions with deans and vice-deans of state universities, representatives of the State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Higher Education and the Araucária Foundation, a state-funded institution that focuses on promoting high-level scientific research.

New Zealand delegation at the Araucária Foundation, which funds scientific research

The meetings were attended by Secretary Aldo Nelson Bona and his team; market development manager of Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) in Brazil, Bruna de Natale; Nicole Freeman, from the Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence; as well as representatives from 3 of the 8 New Zealand universities: Frank Bloomfield, from The University of Auckland, Leonel Alvarado, from Massey University and Jannik Haas, from the University of Canterbury.

Frank Bloomfield is deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation at the University of Auckland. During the visit he highlighted the importance of collaborating internationally with other universities to undertake research and how one cannot conduct research in your own country alone.

"I’ve had the pleasure of leading two delegations to Brazil this year. Firstly, in April for the Faubai conference, when we also had the opportunity to talk to some professors from leading Brazilian universities. And now this visit.

“Despite our differing geographic and population sizes, the research priorities of our countries are very similar. We have heard from our colleagues here in Brazil that we have similar priorities but also similar problems,” said Frank.

“An example of this is in agriculture and how we need to think about using new techniques and new technologies such as genomics to improve our productivity in agriculture. This also applies to a whole host of different areas in which our priorities are similar including freshwater and culture, engineering, and chemical sciences, for example,” added Frank.”
Record audience for ECE symposium streamed live from China
Thousands watched the third annual New Zealand – China Early Childhood Education Symposium, as it was livestreamed from Guilin in southern China on 23 September 2022. A further 200 attendees were present at the event in Guilin, and New Zealand presenters and attendees joined via webinar.
Sponsored by Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), the New Zealand Embassy in China, and the China Centre for International People to People Exchange, and co-organised by Guangxi Normal University, the 2022 Symposium’s theme was: Together for a Shared Future: Sustainable Development in Early Childhood Education and Care.
Thought-provoking and inspirational presentations covered a wide range of topics, including education systems, language development and practical examples of play-based learning. You can view the 2022 ECE Symposium programme, including details of the presenters, here.

Miranda Herbert at a media engagement with Chinese news channels

Miranda Herbert, ENZ’s Regional Director for Greater China was invited to an interview with Guilin TV to explain our collaboration with China’s Ministry of Education, to support dialogue around best practice in the early childhood education field. The event was also covered by other key news outlets in China, including Guangming Daily, a national Chinese-language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.
“New Zealand is recognised as one of the first partners with China for early childhood education, as a result of the symposium,” Ms Herbert said.
“Now in its third year, the symposium has grown from strength to strength each year, and is highly valued by the Ministry of Education in China.”

Representatives from Te Rito Maioha presented a talk on the theme 'My language and my culture are my identity'.

Arapera Card, Senior Advisor Māori at Te Rito Maioha, said meeting the organisers both from Beijing and Aotearoa set a sense of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga ahead of the symposium.
“As an organisation Te Rito Maioha found this experience to be overall well executed and amazed at the number of participants across China. That was lovely to see, and should the opportunity come around again, we will be sure to increase the numbers of participants attending from Aotearoa. The line-up of presenters from both countries absolutely showed that the early childhood sector is in good hands,” Ms Card said.
New Zealand and China have been collaborating on early childhood education since 2020 and this is now an item under the mechanism of the Joint Working Group on Education and Training, last held in February 2021.
Want to know more about ENZ initiatives in China? Contact China@enz.govt.nz
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.
High level of interest in vocational education forum
Organised by Skills Consulting Group and Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), together with Te Pūkenga, the forum provided an opportunity to share knowledge and insights on best practice in technical and vocational education and training, in an accessible format.
A key theme was the importance of close relationships with industry, particularly in terms of apprenticeships. For some participants, a longstanding perception that higher education is more important than vocational education remains a challenge. Student panel participants also talked about the confidence and support that their parents provided when they were making decisions about whether to enter vocational education programmes, and having no regrets about the career paths followed.
Topics covered included solving skills shortages, apprenticeships, youth employment, lifelong learning, digital transformation, sustainability, and promoting diversity. Senior government officials, major companies, international organisations, sector leaders and students from around the world spoke at the forum, which was opened with a speech from Education Minister Chris Hipkins.
Text-based chat and discussion tools in the virtual environment were multilingual, providing instant translation to enable communication and networking across 28 different languages.
The China – New Zealand Higher Vocational Education Summit was also part of the APAC TVET Forum and featured a dedicated virtual room for Chinese presenters and audience members. The Summit provided a platform to:
- discuss New Zealand’s recent experience of vocational education reform
- further develop cooperation in vocational education between New Zealand and China, building on the existing joint programmes between Te Pūkenga subsidiaries and vocational institutions in China.
Keynote speakers from China included Chen Dali, Deputy Director, General Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges from the China Ministry of Education, and presenters from industry including Wang Jinsheng from Qingdao Technical College.
ENZ Business Development Manager Richard Kyle says APAC TVET is the only forum of its type in the region.
“It was particularly encouraging to see double the number of registrations this year, building on the success of the first forum in 2021. There’s clearly a high level of interest in this event, and it’s a great opportunity to showcase New Zealand’s strengths in vocational and technical education.”
Positive comments were received from many attendees.
“Brilliant tech. Excellent management…and good content.”
“Amazing numbers... Very informative sessions and I’ve got people more interested in our upcoming activities.”
“It was well organised from the invitation to the closure of the forum – well done job!”
Haere rā to Brazilian students
Farewell events for the students have been held around the country, to demonstrate our appreciation of this opportunity, and contribute to the students’ memories of New Zealand. The events also provided an opportunity for diplomats from both countries, and local government representatives to demonstrate the value of international education in building global connections and long-term relationships.
Events included a sailing trip with Maritime New Zealand, Māori performances, outdoor experiences, and museum tours, organised by Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) alongside regional development agencies.

Final farewells from students and their supporters in New Zealand and Brazil.

The final farewell event was online, and included New Zealand Ambassador to Brazil Richard Prendergast, Henrique Choer Moraes, Minister-Counsellor at the Brazilian Embassy in Wellington, and Mr. Roni Miranda Vieira, Director of Education from the Education Secretariat of Paraná state speaking with the students and hearing about their experiences, alongside others involved with the trip.
‘The people were very welcoming – a wonderful experience.’
‘New Zealand is beautiful, this is the best experience of my life, I’m loving it here!’
‘We got to know so many places.’
‘A lovely country and a lovely experience – thank you so much.’
‘We did a boat cruise in Milford Sound.’
‘We went with the school to a lot of different places.’
‘I had a really great time with my host family. They were very kind to me. I’m very sad to leave them.’
‘I’m getting on very well with my host brother – I think I will miss him when I go back to Brazil.’
‘It has been an amazing experience – I am learning so many things.’
‘My host family owns a coffee shop in Rangiora where I go on weekends and have a chance to know different people, they also own a farm and have taught me how to shear a sheep. Another interesting thing I noticed is that depending on the city, I hear a different accent.’
ENZ’s Market Development Manager in Brazil, Bruna de Natale, says this was the first big group of students to come to New Zealand after our borders reopened.
“We had all been waiting eagerly for New Zealand’s borders to open again so this programme could get underway after almost two years, and I know the Kiwi schools involved were very excited to welcome these students. It was good to hear about the special memories the students will take home from their trip, including how much they learned. For most students, this was their first international experience and for many of them, being in a multi-cultural class in New Zealand was a very different experience from home.
“We hope that the students will stay connected to New Zealand and that this experience will be a good basis and incentive for them to explore further international study options in the future – who knows, we might welcome them back to New Zealand someday, that would be lovely!”
The study programme is fully funded by the Paraná Government, through Paraná’s Secretary of Education and Sport, and is expected to continue next year for around 2,000 students. We hope that some of them will be able to come to New Zealand.

Auckland-based students took part in a sailing trip thanks to Maritime New Zealand and Auckland Unlimited

Students from Freyberg High School saw a presentation on the Iny͂ People of Central Brazil exhibition at Te Manawa Museum in Palmerston North

Visiting Milford Sound was one of the highlights for the Invercargill-based students

Students from Western Heights High School experienced a farewell special day out in Rotorua that included Velocity Valley, ZORB, and the Skyline Rotorua Gondola and Luge, as well as a BBQ lunch.