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New ECA signed with US institution
Increased opportunities for students and researchers from diverse backgrounds to study and carry out research in New Zealand, and more international opportunities for Māori will result from the new agreement between the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation-National Science Foundation International Center of Excellence (LSAMP-NICE) and Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ).

Attendees outside the Embassy of New Zealand in Washington DC, where the meeting was held

The Embassy of New Zealand in Washington DC was the venue for the annual general meeting and conference of LSAMP-NICE on 29-30 September 2022. Representatives of 60 LSAMP institutions across the US attended, as well as international partners including the University of Toulouse, the French Embassy, a Te Kāhui Amokura delegation, and ENZ. The role of Te Kāhui Amokura is to advance and promote the collective interests of New Zealand’s universities to improve outcomes for Māori, and the delegation comprised:
- Rawinia Higgins, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Māori, at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW)
- Meegan Hall, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Mātauranga Māori, VUW
- Fiona Johnson-Bell, Senior Manager, Education and Māori, Universities New Zealand
- Tim Manukau, Mātauranga Co-Director, University of Waikato Environmental Research Institute
- Megan Ranapia, PhD student, University of Waikato
- Kirita-Rose Escott, PhD student, VUW.
ENZ Manukura Chief Advisor Māori, Ed Tuari, welcomed attendees with a mihi whakatau, and Lance Fisher (Northern Cheyenne) responded with a traditional Northern Cheyenne song. The meeting ended with the signing of the new agreement by Steve Dupuis, LSAMP-NICE Project Principal Investigator, Salish Kootenai College, and Ed Tuari on behalf of ENZ.

Ed Tuari and Steve Dupuis signed the education cooperation arrangement

“We are working to build people’s understanding of New Zealand as a country with a unique bicultural heritage and strong social justice values,” DuBois Jennings, ENZ’s Director of Engagement, North America said.
“The new agreement reflects that New Zealand is an ideal education destination for students from historically marginalised backgrounds, and it opens up exchange possibilities for Māori and Pasifika students from New Zealand to experience education on US campuses.
“We have been developing these relationships over several years, including at NAFSA earlier this year. Future possibilities include agreements between LSAMP-NICE and individual New Zealand providers.”
In late 2021 the National Science Foundation, Te Kāhui Amokura and ENZ worked together on a series of virtual information exchange sessions, which covered indigenous language research, indigenous data sovereignty, and the impacts of climate change on indigenous communities. More than 150 experts took part, including Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and Māori scholars.

LSAMP-NICE is funded by the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) programme, an alliance-based programme which aims to diversify the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) workforce in the US by increasing the number of STEM degrees awarded to historically underrepresented populations, specifically African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. Salish Kootenai College, a Tribal College based in Montana serving the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, is LSAMP’s lead institution.
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.
November update from Immigration New Zealand
Update on Student Visa processing* 
Since New Zealand’s international borders reopened in August 2022, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has received 12,259 student visa applications from international students outside New Zealand. We have decided 7,731 of these applications, with more than half of our decisions made in under four weeks and almost all decisions (95%) made within eight weeks.  
*Figures current as at 10pm on 19 November 2022. 
Help us process student visa applications quickly
There are common mistakes which can slow down student visa processing. Please make sure applicants supply all required documents when they submit their online visa applications. Checklists on the INZ website the INZ website can help students gather all the information they need for their application.
All documents should be:
- clear scans (not blurry or missing text)
- uploaded separately and under the correct category.
Also, a reminder that overseas applicants do not need to use the Approval in Principle process. Their applications are processed faster if they pay their tuition fees upfront and include the provider’s receipt with their applications.
Contacting us
Our immigration officers are processing visa applications as quickly as possible. Students and their representatives should only contact individual immigration officers when their application is being assessed and pending a decision.
For any questions not about a specific in progress application, there are other ways to find the information you are looking for. Check the INZ website first as it has a lot of useful information, including the student checklists. Education providers and licensed immigration advisors can also contact INZ through their established email channels.
Pathway visas
An increasing number of people are incorrectly applying for Pathway Student Visas, which can cause processing delays.
A Pathway Student Visa is for international students who want to study up to three consecutive programmes of study with pathway visa approved education providers on a single visa, or they wish to study a multi-year programme with a pathway visa approved education provider.
Students should only apply for a Pathway Visa if they:
- have a letter of support from a Pathway education provider (or joint letter if their study is with more than one provider) stating they support the student’s pathway application
- have an offer of place for each programme of study, and
- can demonstrate they have sufficient and readily available maintenance funds for their first year on the intended pathway and that they can fund any further years of study as per their intended study path; and
- have paid (or have sufficient funds to pay) for a minimum of the first year or first programme tuition fees, whichever is applicable.
Applicants should only answer ‘Yes’ to the online student visa application form question “Are you applying for a Pathway Student Visa?” if they meet the criteria for a Pathway Student Visa. If they are unsure whether a course meets these requirements, they should talk to their education provider(s).
A screenshot of the student visa application form Pathway Student Visa question

If students apply for a Pathway Student Visa incorrectly, their applications will take longer to process as there will be additional tasks for the immigration officer assessing their application.
Pathway visas | Immigration New Zealand
Family travelling with a student
If family members (such as parents) intend to visit New Zealand briefly to help a student settle into their life and study here, they may need to apply for an NZeTA (if from a visa waiver country) or a General Visitor Visa (if they are from a visa required country).
Currently there is high demand for General Visitor Visas to travel to New Zealand. If a General Visitor Visa is needed for travel in early 2023, we encourage people to apply for this as soon as possible. Applicants should state in the “Purpose of visit” section of their application that they wish to travel with the student to New Zealand and include the name of the student.
Visit New Zealand | Immigration New Zealand

Our next E-News update from INZ will be in 2023, we wish everyone a happy holiday season.
ENZ calls for funding proposals for New Zealand-China research partnerships
The New Zealand-China Tripartite Partnership Fund 2023 offers funding of up to NZD 20,000-30,000 for each partnership project, with the call for proposals open until 1 March 2023.
Funding proposals are due by 1 March 2023. Download the New Zealand-China Tripartite Partnership Fund 2023 Guidance and Call for Proposals and the Proposal Form. Send your completed proposal as a PDF, and any questions, to china@enz.govt.nz.
The fund supports new or existing research partnerships between New Zealand and Chinese universities. There are usually three universities involved – two from China and one from New Zealand.
The Tripartite Partnership Fund, administered by ENZ, has a pool of up to NZD 100,000 in 2023 for research partnerships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences and applied sciences. Designed to encourage strategic academic relationships, it supports the creation or development of the partnership rather than funding the research itself.
With the global Covid-19 pandemic restricting some international travel, the fund welcomes innovative ideas. Current investments include digital technology services, communications platforms, translation costs and journal access.
At the recent New Zealand-China 10th Joint Working Group held on 22 November, senior officials at the meeting noted the value of Tripartite research relationships and the impact of having funding from both governments to establish new partnerships or nurture established research collaboration. Li Qing, Deputy Secretary General China Scholarship Council, remarked on the benefits of both student mobility through scholarships and closer research links such as the Tripartite Partnership Programme. The co-chair of the Joint Working Group, Vice Minister Tian Xuejun, stated in his closing remarks that China and New Zealand should continue to strengthen existing cooperation activities, listing the Tripartite Partnership Programme as one of the initiatives.
Lisa Futschek, General Manager International, reinforced ENZ’s commitment to administering the fund.
“We remain committed to the Tripartite Partnership Programme and its valuable contribution toward stronger global connections, research links and partnerships – key goals under the revised New Zealand International Education Strategy, launched by Minister Hipkins in August this year. We look forward to many more partnerships under this programme.”
Established in 2005, the Tripartite Research Partnership is a valued part of the New Zealand – China bilateral education relationship and we welcome proposals from researchers to join the growing list of funding recipients.
Funding proposals are due by 1 March 2023. Download the New Zealand-China Tripartite Partnership Fund 2023 Guidance and Call for Proposals and the Proposal Form. Send your completed proposal as a PDF, and any questions, to china@enz.govt.nz.
International recognition for New Zealand educational robot KaiBot before official launch
The AI-enabled robot, KaiBot, which has won the award two months before its official launch date, is designed to support 5 to 15-year-old children to develop coding skills.
The Smart Toys competition is coordinated by the Dubai Future Foundation in collaboration with the World Economic Forum to highlight the best-emerging AI toys in education. The competition attracts innovators, entrepreneurs, toy developers, and start-ups from 20 countries globally.
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) has been offering wraparound support to Kai’s Education over the last year, including supporting them to participate at EduTech Australia in August, profiling them with a spotlight feature with EdTechNZ, and offering support and insights as they venture into the UAE region.
ENZ’s Business Development Manager Alana Pellow, who has been working with Kai’s Education, said this was a fantastic outcome for New Zealand’s edtech community.
“KaiBot is a great example of how innovative and fun technology can positively impact education outcomes for young learners. It’s wonderful to see the Kai’s Education team achieve international recognition for the transformative impact their edtech has on learners.”
Read more about EdTech company Kai’s Education and KaiBot on this link.
Reminder about education providers’ responsibilities when using education agents
The responsibilities for Code signatories are covered in detail in Section 38 (for tertiary education providers) and Section 58 (for school education providers). Section 38 reads as follows:
38. Process 2: Managing and monitoring education agents
Signatories must have practices for effectively managing and monitoring the performance and conduct of education agents in relation to learner safety and wellbeing under this code, including –
(a) carrying out and recording reference checks on potential education agents to ensure as far as possible that they are not involved in any conduct that is false, misleading, deceptive, or in breach of the law; and
(b) entering into written contracts with each of its education agents; and
(c) during the term of a contract, monitoring the activities and performance of its education agents in relation to –
(i) their obligations as specified in the contract; and
(ii) whether they provide prospective and enrolled international tertiary learners with reliable information and advice about studying, working, and living in New Zealand; and
(iii) whether they act with integrity and professionalism in their dealings with prospective and enrolled international tertiary learners; and
(iv) whether they have engaged in any activity or conduct that, in the opinion of the signatory, is or may be in breach of the law or that jeopardises the signatory’s compliance with this code; and
(d) managing the education agents by –
(i) terminating contracts with an agent if there is evidence which, on balance of probabilities, shows that the education agent –
a. has been involved in any serious, deliberate, or ongoing conduct that is false, misleading, deceptive, or in breach of the law; or
b. has jeopardised the signatory’s compliance with this code; or
(ii) taking appropriate action to address misconduct by act or an omission by an education agent in relation to the other matters described in subclause (c); and
(e) ensuring that its education agents have access to, and maintain, up-to-date information relevant to their duties as specified in the contracts with the signatory.
The full Code is available on the NZQA website here.
Student Ambassadors build global citizenship skills
Since it was set up in 2021, the programme has involved around 85 secondary and 50 tertiary students in six participating regions – Northland, Auckland, Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Whanganui and Wellington. Northland acted as national coordinator.
“International students can sometimes find it difficult to connect with locals, make friends or venture outside their campus,” says Sahinde Pala, GM Sector Services at Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ).
“Language and cultural barriers, hesitation to meet new people, lack of knowledge of opportunities off campus, or budget constraints – many factors can play a part. The emergence of Covid-19 and lockdowns made it even more important to address these challenges, and so we worked with a range of people, including regional partners and Welcoming Communities, to develop the student ambassador programme.”
The programme has developed differently in each region, but with the same shared goals. Another common factor has been the training provided for student ambassadors – the opportunity to complete a New Zealand Global Competence certificate, training in social media, and specially tailored training provided by ISANA NZ.
“Student ambassadors are bridgebuilders and leaders, who create opportunities for students from different cultures to form relationships and learn about each other,” Ms Pala says.
“The ambassadors themselves also gain from the programme, by developing their understanding of cultural differences and learning new skills and strategies that are valued by employers. And regional communities benefit when international students feel valued and connected – they are more likely to remain in the area or recommend it to others.”
The ISANA NZ Student Ambassador Training explores intercultural concepts in an interactive and engaging format that can be run online or in-person. Participants are then able to apply their learning to develop activities and events that help students to connect with the wider community. Debrief sessions towards the close of a programme cycle support students to reflect on what they have learned from being a student ambassador.
“I enjoyed learning about how communication works between different cultures, going over cultural values and how some are visible and invisible and learning top tips to help me improve as an ambassador” – student feedback.
“Our Northland student ambassadors joined the ISANA workshop as a group of excited students interested in global citizenship and finished as a tight knit group of inter-cultural leaders in the school community. They learnt to work together, giving everyone a chance to contribute and respecting each other’s perspectives. The communication and planning skills honed in the workshop, enabled them to run a large-scale ‘Matariki Kai Festival’ event, introducing a range of food from cultures across the school to the students.” – Jo Lees, National Ambassador Coordinator and Project Manager at Study Northland.
Other activities sparked by the programme in different parts of New Zealand have included a Kiwi Cooking Class, an Auckland Weekly video series, international languages week events and Matariki events organised and run by the ambassadors, diplomatic events attended by ambassadors from other countries and an International Students Issues Panel Discussion.
One of the student ambassadors was recently profiled by ENZ: Michael Ren – Award-winning app designer eyes a future in tech | Education New Zealand (enz.govt.nz)
Several regions have indicated they hope to continue their student ambassador programme beyond 2022: Northland, Tauranga and Hawke’s Bay.
“This student ambassador training is much needed, not only for the international education sector but also across wider communities in New Zealand. In fact, I think everyone could benefit from this training if they have not received similar training before in intercultural communications and leadership,” says Wenhua Yang, Regional Manager at Learning Hawkes Bay.
To learn more about the ISANA NZ Student Ambassador Training, please contact: caroline.stevenson@isana.nz
NZGCC for teachers
Specifically designed to support teachers to teach in multicultural settings and deliver on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the NZGCC Educator version was completed by 118 teacher participants from Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam in this cohort.

Since late 2020, around 1,415 participants have benefited from the NZGCC programme – both domestic and international students from high schools and tertiary institutions, as well as domestic and international teachers.
The NZGCC develops self-awareness, empathy, critical thinking, cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution and flexibility—skills that bridge differences and develop true global citizens. The next stage of this initiative is expected to include delivering the NZGCC to Prime Minister’s Scholars before they head off for their international education experience.
Here is a selection of the enthusiastic feedback we received from participants in these last cohorts:
“It has taught me a lot about global issues, my role as an educator and most importantly, I have learnt about myself. This course has forced me to look into who I really am as a person and how I could be a better global citizen.”
“I learnt how to be a global citizen, and the things I can do to make this world a better place, whether as an individual or as an educator.”
“Thanks to the new tools I have received from the course, I’m more confident to inspire more people from all walks of life, to step up their journey to enhance cultural competence and cultural intelligence.”
“The course is not only about how to be a global citizen. I learnt so much practical knowledge which helps to improve my skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Thank you so much ENZ, Massey University, and AFS for such a valuable program.”
“Thank Massey University, Ms. Donna (facilitator) and ENZ for giving me such an honourable scholarship. I can’t imagine that I will have a chance to study with people from different countries with different backgrounds. By studying and doing research on the modules in the course, I not only understand myself but also know how to sympathize with others who are quite different from me. Besides, I can also apply what I have learnt to my teaching at school. I feel so lucky and proud of myself because I can step out of my comfort zone to communicate and share my own experiences with the participants as well as my beloved teacher, Ms. Donna. I love the way she listens to us and conveys her lessons. Wish Massey University, Ms. Donna Bliss and ENZ health and happiness. Hope one day I can have a chance to meet all of you in real life. See you soon. Love from Vietnam.”
February update from Immigration New Zealand
Update on Student visa processing* 
Since New Zealand’s international borders reopened in August 2022, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has received 25,471 student visa applications from international students outside of New Zealand. We have decided 17,601 of these applications, with more than half of our decisions made in under four weeks.
*Figures current as at 10pm on 30 January 2023. 
We have updated our reporting
INZ is improving the way we publicly report on processing times for different visa categories. We now publish the processing times for applications decided in the previous month, instead of the previous three months.
The website illustrates the median number of days, along with the actual number of days it takes to process 90% of applications. These new metrics give a good indication of what customers can expect, regardless of the complexity of their application.
Check out our updated processing times here: How long it takes to process a visa application | Immigration New Zealand
Apply for visas at least 8 weeks ahead of intended travel date
New Zealand is in the middle of our student processing peak period. You can apply up to three or four months ahead of intended travel if you wish, however please ensure that applications are applied for at a minimum of 8 weeks ahead of intended travel date.
INZ generally processes applications in date order and the course start date is also taken into consideration.
We appreciate that students are keen to have their travel bookings confirmed given the cost of flights and flight route limitations, however INZ recommends that students do not confirm travel bookings until a visa has been granted. If students still wish to book travel ahead of a visa decision, we recommend that they explore flexi travel dates or refundable tickets.
Student visa checklists
The student visa checklist is key to submitting a complete student visa application that has the information we need to make a decision. We update the visa checklists regularly, so be sure to use the web link rather than download the checklist. The first time international students visa checklist was last updated in December 2022.
New Zealand open and ready to welcome Colombian students
More than 80 guests, including university authorities, school directors, government stakeholders, and education agents attended the event, which was opened with a haka performed by ENZ Manukura – Chief Advisor Māori Ed Tuari and Āriana Ngārimu-Goldsmith, Advisor Māori.
One of the highlights of the event was the launch of Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao’s I AM NEW kākahu campaign in Spanish.
The I AM NEW kākahu marketing campaign was launched at NAFSA 2022 in May and features the stories of eight international students from China, Colombia, Germany, India, Japan, Thailand, USA, and Viet Nam. The students worked alongside Māori fashion designer Kiri Nathan to collaborate on the design of a new type of education garment that embodies cultural values that make New Zealand education unique.
Bryann Avendaño is the Colombian student featured in the campaign. His kākahu gown was on display at the event and he narrated the accompanying campaign video in Spanish (you can watch the video here)
“New Zealand has its eye on all things new,” Avendaño told the audience.
“How to think ahead for next generations, and this is the gown for the next generations. The way the gown is made by many hands and with a lot of thought put into it, it’s kind of an analogy of how science is made. It’s a collective effort to create new things, innovate, and make the world a better place.”
ENZ’s Director of Engagement – Latin America, Javiera Visedo, said Bryann’s message was a powerful and impactful.
“The video and the message he shared was so powerful, especially because it was made in Spanish, his native language.
“People were really impressed and proud to see a Colombian student feature in ENZ’s global brand campaign.
“Everyone appreciated how New Zealand’s international education includes and celebrates Colombia. It was perceived as honest, genuine, and authentic in a way that really represents New Zealand’s values and celebrates New Zealand’s culture.”
Some education agents said that it was a great way to promote New Zealand as a study destination, without being too explicit, and that they understood New Zealand’s biculturalism much better now.  
ENZ’s Manukura – Chief Advisor Māori, Ed Tuari said he enjoyed the opportunity to connect with local agents and government officials and provide an opportunity to open a window to te ao Māori. “It was great to be able to support the opening campaign by interweaving aspects of tikanga (protocols) which included performing a haka, which definitely got their attention!
“We all believe in the value of international education nurturing global connections and the power of education to advance dialogues related to engagement of our indigenous people, social justice and climate.”