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  • Meet the Team: Matt Penney

    Could you please outline your own role and the role of the Corporate Services team?

    I head up our Finance and IT teams and sit on the leadership team. I am a member of the Audit & Risk committee and chair the Digital Steering group.

    Finance is responsible for paying our invoices, keeping accounting records, business partnering, helping to set budgets and reforecasting those as things change. We do a lot of reporting and work with tax people, auditors and do other forms of compliance. Audit NZ has awarded us their highest rating for the past three years.

    IT provides many of the essential tools, technology, and training for us to be able to do our job. ENZ is putting in place one of the most, if not the most, advanced IT-managed cloud computing solution within the public sector. 

    We operate in many different jurisdictions around the world, so we face many different challenges at a local level. We are also part of the NZ Inc government sector and there is a lot of knowledge and services that we can and do share with each other.

    How has COVID-19 impacted your team’s work, and what work do you have ahead of you with the recovery?

    In the current environment, we have helped to reconfigure ENZ’s work programme. We have supported the identification of new activities that support the international education sector, connect with the international students in New Zealand, and gather intelligence about the markets for New Zealand providers. I think we have all gone through a reboot the last few months and as is often said, “we should never let a good crisis go to waste” and miss the chance to make positive change.

    In terms of my team’s work programme, that’s actually full steam ahead. We have nearly completed our IT-managed cloud computing solution, desk phones have been replaced with soft phone telephony, we are trialling updated Zoom hardware, and putting in new, improved global managed internet connections. We are also go-live shortly with a new finance system to ensure ENZ staff can spend less time on administration and more time on value-add activities.

    Can you tell me a bit about your professional background?

    I belong to the New Zealand professional bodies for Directors and Chartered Accountants. and have 25 years of business experience in a mixture of private and public sector roles. Six years of that experience was gained in the UK and Ireland. I really enjoyed my time working overseas.

    I joined ENZ in 2014; this is my first government agency role.

    Accounting is a transferable skill, so I have had an interesting journey across many different sectors. I have toured around power stations, air traffic control towers, coal mines – who says accounting is boring!

     Matt (about to receive a hand up) competing in an adventure race in China. 

    What do you like to do in your spare time?

    My interests are built around my family; I am married with 11 and 8-year-old boys. I like my travel – one of the benefits of COVID is that my leave balance is now positive again!

    Once upon a time we backpacked our way around Asia and Europe and did a truck tour across southern Africa. I have been to something like 60 countries, but these days we do more family-friendly things like go to Ohope, Rarotonga and the South Island ski fields.

    I have done the annual Coast to Coast race across the South Island four times and Ironman NZ once. In the past couple of years I’ve tried adventure racing in China where we’ve won enough prize money to cover the costs of getting there. We raced in Wulong and I could not go all that way without popping in to see Felix in our nearest ENZ office in Guangzhou.

  • Future Focus Programme seeds innovation

    The Future Focus Programme is a new initiative which will provide $200,000 per sector in funding to help peak bodies seed innovation projects.

    The school, university, private training establishment (PTE), polytechnic (ITP), English language, and education products and services sectors are all being supported through this programme.

    The funding is to be used by peak bodies to develop an innovation plan for their sector, and to initiate innovation projects. Innovation projects are to focus in the areas of product development, online delivery, new business models and the development of innovation capability.

    Through this support, ENZ wishes to encourage sectors to adopt new ways of working to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 or similarly unprecedented events.

    “The Future Focus Programme is a tangible way in which ENZ can help support sectors to shape their future in the ‘new normal’ post COVID-19,” ENZ General Manager – Partnerships & Marketing, Paul Irwin, says.

    “The programme is additional to our normal activities and is designed with a clear focus on innovation – part of Goal 2 of the New Zealand International Education Strategy. With all the uncertainty we are currently facing, this programme is an opportunity to take stock of what COVID-19 means for how international education can operate in the future and develop new products, services, behaviours and models to help us be more resilient to change.” 

    “We’re pleased to be working alongside peak bodies to help shape their future focus plans and we look forward to seeing the launch of a number of innovative projects.”

    ENZ is working alongside peak bodies as they develop their innovation plans and identify prospective innovation projects. These plans and projects will be agreed over the coming weeks. ​

    Delivery timeframes will vary according to the peak body and the scale and nature of the projects they initiate, but projects are expected to be implemented over the coming 12 to 18 months. ​

  • English New Zealand announces new chair

    Darren, who is the managing director and co-owner of Languages International, previously served as English New Zealand’s chair from June 2012 to 2015.

    English New Zealand chair Darren Conway.

    “I was planning for something much more relaxing than stepping back into the chair’s role at English New Zealand,” he said.

    “But these are unprecedented times and I’m happy to take up the challenge. I hope that my experience and advocacy can help English New Zealand lead the sector out of the current crisis. We can make a useful contribution to the recovery of the New Zealand economy, but we need both judicious and timely support and clear communication from the government, and that’s where our initial focus will be.”

    English New Zealand say they greatly appreciate the contributions that Wayne, also the group principal for ICL Education, has made during his tenure.

    “It has been a privilege to represent the 22 members schools and I have appreciated the opportunity to engage with government and non-government stakeholders, raising the awareness of what we do and advocating on members’ behalf,” Wayne said.

    “We have long argued that our quality and experience be recognised by government agencies in a meaningful way - in the way the export education levy is determined, in the way our sector is quality assured, and in the way our English language courses are categorised.

    “To that end, I was very pleased by the recent cabinet paper proposing legislative changes allowing for recognition of ELT as a separate sub-sector and opening the door to achieving these goals.”

  • Getting started with chatbots

    ENZ is the only country in the world that uses a chatbot to market to prospective international students.

    Tohu is a helpful little bot that sits on Study in New Zealand, NauMai NZ, and the Study in New Zealand Facebook page.

    It answers questions on everything from applying for a visa to what you can do for fun in New Zealand. It gives prospective students an answer to most of their questions immediately, freeing up ENZ’s social media team so they can focus on other projects.

    ENZ’s Director of Planning, Jamie Crump, has developed a whitepaper with ENZ’s chatbot agency partner, Theta, which lays out a framework for developing a chatbot.

    The five-step framework draws on Jamie’s Master of Technological Futures report, and is based on ENZ’s development of Tohu.

    Because ENZ staff can train Tohu on new information at any time, the bot is a versatile tool in our social engagement team’s toolbox. So far, Tohu has been utilised in the Ask New Anything campaign, and has most recently learnt new answers on the COVID-19 situation in New Zealand.

    “Prior to Tohu, with a social media team of two, it could take up to 24 hours for someone to get a response to their question. Now they can get an immediate response, and we know that Tohu can answer more than 80 percent of the most common questions,” ENZ International Social Media Manager, Nicole Baird, says.

    “So the team can spend time answering the specific questions, and doing more of the strategic things for our Facebook channel, rather than answering the same straightforward questions repeatedly.”

    Jamie’s initial research revealed that many people already like engaging with a chatbot, and that more and more consumers are using chatbots as a way of finding out information. For example, 48 percent of people would rather connect with a company via live chat than any other means of contact.

    Tohu is integrated with ENZ’s marketing database and automation software, Marketo. Instead of completing a form, students can sign up to the receive updates from Study In New Zealand or NauMai NZ. This feature also opens up possibilities for Tohu to become a more targeted, useful channel for prospective students.

    “The logical next step is personalisation of the chat experience, and that’s something we’re looking forward to exploring with Theta,” Jamie says.

    Read Get started with chatbots: A proven framework for chatbot implementation

  • LINK Symposium connects academics

    The second iteration of the LINK Symposium was held on 27 and 28 November. It was originally slated to take place in São Paulo, but was moved online in response to COVID-19.

    LINK invited art and design practitioners to be inspired by research methodologies that centre their practice. Presenters demonstrated the potential of their practical frameworks in a range of design topics, including emergent design, design education, and Pacific-Atlantic design.

    AUT Programme Leader for Communication Design, Prof Marcos Mortensen Steagall, said “the LINK symposium promotes opportunities for academics from Brazil and New Zealand not only to expand their knowledge about state-of-the-art practice-oriented methodologies in design research, but also to establish networks of collaboration and partnerships. For instance, Brazil can benefit from the way New Zealand incorporates Māori knowledge in their research practices, acknowledging their native traditions.

    “New Zealand can learn and benefit from top-level production practices and Brazil's over 150 million users in the gaming market. It starts with academic interests that can potentially be expanded into business opportunities.”

    University Anhembi Morumbi Prof Sergio Nesteriuk, who specialises in game design with interests in animation, film and transmedia, said: “The event exceeded all our expectations both for the quantity, quality and diversity of works presented, as well as for the exchange and engagement of all participants.

    “We were also honoured to have Education New Zealand's support on this issue. This allows us to project new growth for the event next year, consolidating it as one of the main ones in this area worldwide.”

    ENZ Director of Education - Brazil, Ana Azevedo, spoke at the opening.

    “This is a significant development for the academic relations between Brazil and New Zealand and it is very positive to see it happening in areas that are so valuable to our cultures like Art and Design.

    “New Zealand and Brazil have many shared research interests, including an affinity for practice-based modes of enquiry and pedagogy. I am very pleased that the LINK Symposiums have carved out a niche for Brazilian and New Zealand academics to connect,” she said. 

    International academic cooperation is aligned with the goals of the IES and can bring mutual benefits to New Zealand and partners around the world, developing better solutions for common challenges. Education New Zealand has supported other international cooperation activities as the Tripartite Partnership Fund with China and the joint call for research mobility with the São Paulo Research Foundation in Brazil (FAPESP).

  • 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:

  • Girls in Tech plugs women into a career with computers

    This year’s lucky recipients – the top 18 out of 436 total applicants – will have the opportunity to participate in fully funded courses with Hacktiv8, an Indonesian coding bootcamp and training provider.

    “We are so glad to be able to offer further learning opportunities to women in Indonesia who are either already in tech or thinking about entering this fast-growing industry,” ENZ Programme Manager, Naluri Bella Wati, said.

    It’s the sister initiative to ENZ and Girls in Tech Indonesia’s Arisan Digital 2020, a series of workshops delivered to members of Girls in Tech Indonesia and members of the public throughout last year.

    The workshops featured top New Zealand academics and covered a range of topics, including cyber security, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, big data, and more. A total of 1,141 women across 20 cities in Indonesia participated in the hybrid and then virtual sessions.

     “This industry-specific partnership with Girls in Tech allowed us to accomplish two key things: position New Zealand as a world leader in the area of tech education, and second, to showcase New Zealand’s unique teaching style in an innovative, offshore format,” Desiree said.

    Both Arisan 2020 and the Girls in Tech Scholarship are part of the government’s Recovery Plan for International Education, under the internationalisation section of the ‘strengthening the system’ stream.

  • Viet Nam kickstarts 2021 with series of offline student events

    This January, ENZ’s team in Viet Nam sought out a number of opportunities for New Zealand providers to appear at in-person or hybrid events.

    ENZ has also participated in a series of multi-destination education fairs organised by SiPM and ATS at three top high schools in Ha Noi, university admission day in the northern Vĩnh Phúc province, and a New Zealand University Fair co-hosted by ENZ at Nguyen Sieu school (a long-standing partner for several New Zealand institutions).

    As travel restrictions are still in place around the world, these fairs are not necessarily aimed towards immediate student attraction. ENZ is attending these events as part of the marketing and brand protection work that comes under the third workstream of the Recovery Plan for International Education.

    Many attendees expressed a wish to study in New Zealand, especially after learning about our successful COVID-19 response.

    “Students and parents are still concerned about safety and political stability, so New Zealand is currently being viewed as an ideal destination for study when border restrictions are lifted,” ENZ Market Manager – Viet Nam, Van Banh, says.

    Viet Nam’s economy was heavily impacted by COVID, but data still shows that Vietnam recorded net positive GDP growth in 2020, which is considered an impressive achievement in the present global context. As a result, other study destinations have also kept their promotional activities warm in this market.

  • NZ-China education relationship strengthened

    Chief Executive Grant McPherson says the Joint Working Group is a valuable mechanism for maintaining the long-standing education relationship between the countries, which dates back nearly 20 years.

    “Joint initiatives including the innovative Tripartite Partnership, bring together our governments, as well as our researchers, educators and students and leverages New Zealand’s research strengths.”

    The Secretary for Education, Iona Holsted, co-chaired the Joint Working Group meeting and led the New Zealand Delegation, with ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson and NZQA Chief Executive Dr Grant Klinkum. The Chinese delegation was led by the Vice-Minister of Education, Tian Xuejun.

    A key outcome of the meeting was the signing of a Strategic Cooperation Arrangement by the New Zealand Qualification Authority’s (NZQA) Chief Executive, Dr Grant Klinkum, and Director General of the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE), Mr Jiacai Cheng.

    Dr Klinkum commented that: “This refreshed agreement reflects the value both organisations place on mutual cooperation regarding the exchange of information and qualification recognition arrangements.”

    “As part of our future work together, the two agencies have agreed to establish a working group to better understand the opportunities and challenges related to recognising online qualifications.”

    Universities New Zealand representative Rebecca Needham said the Joint Working Group meeting was a timely reminder of the breadth of initiatives that continue to strengthen New Zealand's education links with China during a time of limited international mobility.

    “The meeting was a valuable opportunity to undertake some deeper thinking about areas of longer-term cooperation, while continuing to celebrate the Chinese Scholarship Council students who are able to continue their study in New Zealand following the recent PhD border exceptions,” Needham said.

    Chair of the International Working Group for Te Pūkenga, Tony Gray, said he was pleased to see the “genuine enthusiasm” at the Joint Working Group meeting to further develop tertiary education partnerships.

    “There are many potential opportunities to collaborate with China as it implements its 2019 National Implementation Plan for Vocational Education Reform. There is real interest [from China] in understanding New Zealand's key vocational education and applied higher education practices and pedagogy,” Gray said.

    “The Joint Working Group between China and New Zealand highlights the strength of our strategic education partnership and provides further impetus for key projects that are mutually beneficial,” ENZ Director – Greater China, Miranda Herbert, says. “It is pleasing to see that we’re both heading in the same direction with our internationalisation goals.”

  • Government announcement allows longer stays for visitor visa holders in NZ

    What does this announcement mean for international students currently in New Zealand?

    • This announcement is unlikely to have any impact on international students currently in New Zealand, as most students are likely holding student visas.

    • Visitor visa holders who have not yet studied, may wish to consider undertaking a short course at an approved education provider.

    • Visitor visa holders can study short course/s (or a term at school) of up to three months per 12 month period. The extension of visitor visas does not extend how long visitor visa holders may study for.

    • Family members of students currently studying in New Zealand may benefit from the visitor visa extension if they remain in New Zealand due to COVID-19 restrictions, or otherwise choose to stay longer. Under the announcement they will also be able to apply for further visitor visas as the limit of time spent in New Zealand as a visitor has been temporarily suspended.

    Immigration New Zealand will email affected visa holders to confirm the visa extension by 5 March 2021.

    Where to go for more information:

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