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  • NZ-Japan Education ties stronger following digital ceremony

    Together in an online ceremony with the Hokkaido Board of Education, ENZ strengthened the existing partnership between Hokkaido and New Zealand this week.

    The agreement promotes collaborative opportunities in education through shared interests, including indigenous culture, primary industries and rugby. Areas of collaboration outlined in the agreement are student exchanges between high schools in New Zealand and Hokkaido, and the exchange of information on efforts to develop human resources which improves the educational environment and teaching methodology.

    Continuing to build our international government-to-government relationships with agreements like this one is a current focus of ENZ, as part of the second stream of the Recovery Plan for international education.

    The signing brought together Superintendent of the Hokkaido Board of Education, Toshihiro Kodama, and ENZ’s Chief Executive, Grant McPherson, and was witnessed by New Zealand’s Ambassador to Japan, Hamish Cooper.

    ENZ Senior Market Manager – Japan, Misa Kitaoka, was online to facilitate, translating between parties. “Despite the ongoing challenges of COVID, this online signing still managed to convey a celebratory atmosphere with ENZ’s waiata and the Hokkaido students’ taiko performance. The timing of the partnership could not be better after Japan’s successful hosting of the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and the Japanese Government’s official recognition of Ainu as the indigenous people of Japan, all of which will open new doors for education cooperation with Hokkaido and Japan.”

    “While we wait for the border to reopen, we look forward to starting with online activities connecting Hokkaido and New Zealand schools,” she said.

    Grant McPherson was delighted for ENZ to be hosting the signing ceremony that further strengthens the existing partnership between New Zealand and the Hokkaido Board of Education.

    “I am especially appreciative of how committed New Zealand and Japan both remain to building our education relationship given the exceptionally challenging year that we have had.”

    McPherson said that as everyone adapts to a new environment amid the global pandemic, it was important to think differently about the future being created. “It’s in this new context that we look forward to working together on our education cooperation arrangement. It is a significant milestone for Education New Zealand and one that will strengthen the partnership agreement between our governments.”

    Since 2014, ENZ has facilitated opportunities for Hokkaido’s students and farmers to study in New Zealand on dairy scholarships, giving them the opportunity to experience one of our primary industry sectors first-hand.

  • From the CE: The outlook for the future

    Many of you are wondering – and fielding a lot of questions – about the outlook for the future as COVID-19 continues to disrupt the world.

    It’s very important to acknowledge that COVID-19 is an unprecedented event in our lifetime. While there have been crises, disasters, wars and terrorist attacks, none have had the scale, impact or complexity of this global pandemic. There is little certainty as the world navigates its way through this and looks to the development of effective vaccines to counter its impact.

    As New Zealand’s Director-General of Health advises, COVID-19 is a very tricky virus and we have to be very vigilant. The Government is continuing to take a balanced approach to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone in New Zealand and to carefully manage demand on the country’s quarantine facilities. We aren’t out of the woods yet and can’t be complacent.

    Like many other countries, New Zealand’s border restrictions remain in place. The Government is granting entry to small, targeted cohorts by exception only, and only these visas are being processed. Students are not able to apply for a student visa from outside New Zealand, unless a border exception applies. This decision will be reviewed in February 2021.

    Last month we saw the Government recognise the vital role international education will play in the recovery and rebuild of New Zealand and the need to continue the fight against the pandemic. The Minister of Education announced that the Government would allow a small cohort of up to 250 postgraduate (mostly PhD) students into New Zealand. These are students whose study has been interrupted by COVID-19 and who have a practical research component to their study that requires them to be here. Providers are currently selecting these students and they are expected to enter New Zealand earlier next year.

    We acknowledge that this exception applies to a fraction of the number of students we normally welcome to the country. Some students and providers may be disappointed not to have been a part of this first border exception group.

    The Government says it will review further possible border exceptions to enable more cohorts to enter the country, as and when the time is right, and to then build up numbers when it’s safe for all to do so. But no further decisions around cohorts have been made at this stage.

    So, given this information, we won’t see normal numbers of students entering the country in time for term one or semester one next year. I suggest that tertiary students consider starting or continuing their New Zealand study online, until there is more certainty on border exceptions. Students and their families are advised to keep in close contact with their agent or study provider.

    But throughout this uncertainty, I can assure you that New Zealand highly values international students and looks forward to their return. Until then, the team at Education New Zealand will continue to tell you as much as we can about the situation here, as soon as we can.

    Ehara taku toa I te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.

    My strength is not that of a single warrior but that of many.

    Ngā mihi,

    Grant McPherson

  • Teaching the teachers

    The School Influencers Workshop series focuses on new ideas in Early Childhood Education, English Language teaching and educational management and leadership. Originally planned to be delivered in-person, this is the first time the course will be held online.

    Members of the UC College of Education, Health and Human Development will deliver the online courses to more than 100 education practitioners and administrators alongside in-market organisations Teach for Indonesia and Teach for the Philippines.

    UC Associate Dean (International), Dr Stuart Wise, said “The College of Education, Health and Development at the University of Canterbury is delighted to support this initiative sponsored by Education New Zealand. We are very keen to support our colleagues at Teach for Indonesia and Teach for Philippines are looking forward to the opportunity to engage with course participants and share some of our expertise with them.”

    The professional development of teachers has been a key part of ENZ’s South East Asia engagement strategy since 2016.

    “The School Influencers Workshop series gives teachers and administrators a taste of New Zealand’s top-quality education by offering an insight into our hands-on teaching methodologies and contact with top academics,” ENZ Market Manager Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines, Desiree Lee, said.

    “Teachers, counsellors and school leaders remain a key group of influencers in a student’s study journey. They are an important group which ENZ will continue to engage as the international education sector recovers from COVID-19.”

    Read the UC story on the Schools Influencers Workshop series

  • A word from the Minister

    It has been, and continues to be, an extremely challenging time for many of New Zealand’s universities, schools, polytechnics and institutes of technology, as well as private providers and English language schools with our border closed.

    But I think we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I anticipate we will have a further 12-18 months of disruption before we see a future where much of that will start to fade. The recent news of promising vaccines against COVID-19 is very encouraging. It’s difficult to share an exact timeline with you all as we need to consider vaccination around the rest of the world and international supply chains.

    Over the next 12 months, I expect to see a series of progressive changes. That could look like a risk tolerance map of the world for countries that we have safe travel zones with, or for countries we have lower isolation requirements for when they arrive, for example.

    While we are looking to move as quickly as possible on the border, it is very unlikely that there will be one magic day where we cut a ribbon at the airport and all travellers will be welcomed in.

    We have made a start and granted an exemption for a cohort of 250 postgraduate (largely PhD) students to enter New Zealand from early next year to continue their study. And we’ll consider further cohorts in the future, based on capacity.

    This government will continue to support the sector through our Recovery Plan for international education.

    The recent New Zealand Global Pathways initiative that New Zealand universities, ENZ and NCUK have entered into is a very welcome development. It’s the first time that ENZ and all the universities have been involved in such a partnership. It’s encouraging and it’s the sort of innovation that we are looking for during this period of difficulty.

    International education has been good for New Zealand – not just economically, but culturally and socially too. I look forward to waving the flag for New Zealand internationally and at home too. New Zealand has such an incredible, high-value education to offer to the rest of the world.

    Meri Kirihimete,

    Chris Hipkins

    Minister of Education

  • ENZ confirms 2021 Recognised Agencies

    Education agents play a crucial role in New Zealand's international education ecosystem, including supporting students and their families during COVID-19.

    ENZ’s recognised agent (ENZRA) programme aims to increase engagement with quality education agencies that have demonstrated a long-term commitment to promoting New Zealand as an international study destination.

    More than ever, ENZ Recognised Agencies contribute to a unique and high-quality student experience and to the positioning, market share and overall achievement of New Zealand within the international education sector.

    To acknowledge the impacts of COVID-19 on agents and their inability to place students with education providers in New Zealand, all current Recognised Agencies were provided an opportunity to extend their time in the programme subject to meeting conduct requirements.

    The new list of ENZ Recognised Agencies is now available to view online on our StudywithNewZealand website. For queries regarding education agents, please email: agenthelp@enz.govt.nz.

    The next round of applications to the programme will open in early 2022.

  • ENZ invites proposals to establish New Zealand Education Centres globally

    The centres will deliver education programmes for students progressing onto further study with New Zealand education providers, and act as pathways for greater education, cultural and diplomatic engagement between New Zealand and partner countries.

    The centres will receive support from New Zealand universities, ENZ design and marketing packages, and have opportunities to host events, promotions and student mobility activities.

    “In developing New Zealand Education Centres we are extending our support for international students offshore, and providing flexibility in how and where they experience a high-quality New Zealand education” ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson said.

    “The establishment of New Zealand Education Centres will support both the Government’s International Education Recovery Plan and the goals of the New Zealand International Education Strategy aiming for a more globally connected New Zealand.”  

    Interested organisations can contact John Laxon, Director Global Education Partnerships (nzcentres@enz.govt.nz) to receive further information on the establishment process.

    Download the NZ Centre Proposal Summary Information 2021 here.

    Proposals are due by Wednesday 25 May, with centres being established and open for initial student intakes by 2022.

  • Feedback from education agents opens up conversation on how ENZ can better support them

    Over half (57 per cent) of those surveyed are members of the ENZ Recognised Agency (ENZRA) programme.

    The survey, a cross-team ENZ initiative, was a useful opportunity to open up a conversation with agents and to continue to support them while borders remain closed.

    Over 40 per cent of agents surveyed said that that 75 to 100 per cent of their business activities had changed or reduced due to the pandemic. Agents also reported experiencing a reduction of staff, closed branches and transitioning to fully remote operations.

    ENZ-supported webinars, online and hybrid events were most valuable to agents, followed closely by digital collateral and marketing material, support for student-facing activities, B2B events with education providers and training.

    On training needs, 60 per cent of agents surveyed said that they would like to receive training on student visa application processes, 50 per cent were keen on hearing about New Zealand education providers and their offering, while 40 per cent were keen for more professional development training.

    Videos, templates (including banners and PowerPoint presentations), student testimonials and brochures were reported to be the marketing tools that agents find most useful.

    ENZ’s Manager – Education Agents, Geneviève Rousseau Cung, says the survey is a key component of ENZ’s agent engagement plan as part of the Government’s Recovery Plan for International Education.

    “Insights from the survey will allow ENZ to develop activities, tailored communications and training initiatives that are best aligned with agent needs, which in turn, will also inform and result in better outcomes for education providers.

    “Seeing how the agent engagement plan is linked closely to the longer-term recovery of international education, it is crucial that we check in with our agents on a regular basis,” Geneviève says.

    The current plan has three areas of focus – supporting the ENZ Recognised Agencies Activity Fund in New Zealand and offshore with marketing initiatives, driving the agent engagement plan through a range of initiatives, and ongoing recognition of the role of education agents.

    For enquiries:

    Keep an eye out for the full results from the Agent Survey in the next issue of ENZ’s The Insight Story, due out in early May.

  • From the CE: Building Back Better: How we’re balancing our efforts on the road to recovery

    The current COVID-19 surges are a reminder that we face a long road to recovery and rebuild of the international education sector, a point highlighted during ENZ’s recent appearance at the New Zealand Parliamentary select committee.

    ENZ remains strongly focused on the goals of the New Zealand International Strategy 2018-2030: sustainable growth, an excellent education and student experience, and increased global citizenship for New Zealand students. It is important that we rebuild with those goals front of mind.

    At ENZ, we are fully committed to supporting other agencies and the sector in progressing the re-entry of students. ENZ staff have been seconded to other government agencies here and overseas to support these initial steps towards the recovery.

    We have been increasingly asked about the place of ‘transformation’ within our recovery. The simple answer is it complements and reinforces our ability to attract students to New Zealand in the future.

    This work enables us to connect with education partners and students that we otherwise wouldn’t reach. The work is about growing the pie for all the international education sector and for New Zealand, rather than competing with existing efforts.

    Through this work we will collectively be more competitive in attracting students as student mobility opportunities emerge, and in anticipating the accelerating changes in the delivery of and learner engagement with education globally.

    Although each part of the Government’s Recovery Plan may progress in different ways at different times, we are committed to progressing them collectively and for the benefit of our sector as a whole.

    Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi

    With your food-basket, and my food-basket, the people will be well.

    Ngā mihi,            

    Grant McPherson

    Chief Executive Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao

  • NauMai NZ is 2

    Since launch, NauMai NZ has had half a million page views and just under 300,000 users accessing practical resources on topics such as Visas and immigration, Personal wellbeing, Housing, and Working, not to mention learning about Māori culture, improving English language skills, making friends, living like a local or getting a part time job.

    The platform has a bounce rate of just 15% and 11,500 students have joined the NauMai NZ database.  ENZ’s AI chatbot Tohu sits on the platform, and the NauMai NZ WeChat mini programme launched late last year, ensures resources are delivered to the platform of choice for Chinese students.

    One focus in 2020 was obviously how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. An official COVID-19 page was launched, collating and curating trusted and relevant government information particular to international students. To accompany this page, a ‘Stay Well, Stay Connected’ page was launched, recognising the particular challenges that the pandemic brings around health and wellbeing. These pages have to date received over 90,000 views.

    Throughout 2020, content that wasn’t COVID-19 specific was also developed. Through research, we identified and developed new topics including Managing your money, Sexual healthcare and Dating, relationships and sex.

    As the 2020 academic year ended and borders remained closed, the ‘Summer in NZ’ microsite was launched, remaining live until April this year. The purpose was to inform and support students remaining in New Zealand over summer when they would normally return to their families and home country. The Student Experience team at ENZ was very aware that an unexpected summer in New Zealand may put stress on some students.

    We pulled together information from multiple sources, including from tourism operators and regional development agencies. Summer partnerships with LinkedIn and AFS New Zealand were also promoted to proactively engage students with their skill development resources.  

    NauMai NZ is still growing and as 2021 moves at pace, ongoing content development continues alongside user journey review and improvement.

    “NauMai NZ is a valuable resource enabling ENZ to communicate with and support international students – particularly during the pandemic,” ENZ Director – Student Experience & Global Citizens, Sahinde Pala, says.

    “We look forward to evolving it to better serve students’ needs, both in New Zealand and offshore, in 2021 and beyond.”

    2021 brings a complexity of challenges for students.  The challenge for NauMai NZ is to meet and address those challenges - better supporting the many students who remain studying in New Zealand and the increasing numbers of those studying offshore with a New Zealand provider, and of course being ready to welcome students when they are able to travel here in the future.

    But for now, happy birthday NauMai NZ, and a big thank you from us to everyone who has supported its development and use.

  • Schools sector infrastructure a key focus of renewed ENZ-SIEBA partnership

    Under the agreement, SIEBA will provide resources and support tailored to schools, including webinars, workshops and newsletters, mentoring, good practice templates and advice.

    “We hope that this partnership will help schools retain the infrastructure and expertise they’ve worked so hard to build,” ENZ Business Development Manager Mary Camp says.

    “We’re looking forward to continuing our strategic partnership with SIEBA, working together to offer practical ways to support schools and their staff through the next phase of the pandemic.”

    SIEBA played a key role in supporting hundreds of schools through the early days of COVID. From April to June 2020, ENZ enabled SIEBA to provide triage support and crisis advice services to schools across the country, providing advice to manage issues related to the closure of the border and repatriation of international students.

    “We are very pleased to extend our partnership with ENZ and be involved in the important work of helping the school sector be ‘Ready-to-Go’ when students can once again enrol in New Zealand schools,” SIEBA Executive Director, John van der Zwan, says.

    “Special effort will go to providing professional learning and development and support for new international professionals as they join the sector and to provide opportunities for all international staff to explore and prepare for the challenges of working in a post COVID-19 environment.”

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