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• WeChat – THE Chinese social media

  WeChat has become a default social networking tool for Chinese users.

  WeChat is China’s version of WhatsApp or Viber but with many additional social networking features. Released in January 2011 it is the largest standalone messaging app with more than 500 million monthly active users of which 15% are based outside of China.

  WeChat provides text messaging, hold-to-talk voice messaging, broadcast (one-to-many) messaging, sharing of photographs and videos, and location sharing. It is well integrated with other social networking services. Photographs can be enhanced with filters and captions, and an automated translation service is available.

  To understand the scale of WeChat’s growth, the following statistics are interesting:

  25% of users check WeChat more than 30 times a day Subscribers spent US$15.3B on mobile data using WeChat last year 86.2% of WeChat users are aged 18 to 36 WeChat users consume more content on WeChat than any other app.

  When it comes to marketing, WeChat has a number of advantages;

  Relationship building - WeChat acts like a customer relationship management (CRM) tool due its one to one communication, allowing a personal conversation between brands and followers.

  Customer Feedback - Customers also use WeChat for collecting information, opinions and comments about products. It is a great platform to gauge consumer satisfaction and to collect followers’ feedback.

  Education New Zealand’s WeChat platform was launched last August and has more than 2,500 followers. It is designed to enhance the awareness and understanding of New Zealand education among Chinese students and parents.

  Alexandra Grace, Education Counsellor of the New Zealand Embassy Beijing said, “Through the New Zealand’s official Weibo and WeChat, we hope to engage more stakeholders in China about New Zealand’s quality education, encourage exchanges and interactions, promote and enhance cooperation in early, secondary, higher education, and vocational education between the two countries.”

  If you are on WeChat, follow Education New Zealand and let us know how this new marketing tool is helping to grow awareness for your business.

• Engaging agents

  Workshops of this nature are a highly efficient mechanism for New Zealand schools and tertiary institutions to establish new, and strengthen existing, relationships with agents in a relatively cost effective way. The energy and buzz in the room clearly demonstrated the enthusiasm agents and New Zealand providers had for the opportunity to meet and engage with one another.

  Institution representatives commented how encouraging it was to see that so many of the agents at ANZA – approximately a quarter – were first time attendees. From an ENZ business development perspective it was great to see New Zealand regions take the opportunity to promote themselves at the workshop, with many regions arranging agent familiarisation visits following the workshop.

  The ENZ booth was well patronised, with agents who were new to New Zealand keen to know about how to work more closely with our education providers, and others with more experience in New Zealand commenting that awareness of New Zealand as a quality education destination is increasing. Others enquired about how to access the wonders of the Brand Lab and had queries about the agent training programme.

  ICEF reported that a total of 86 education institutions from Australia and New Zealand, 12 work and travel organisations, 35 service providers and 147 ICEF-screened agents from 37 countries, gathered for the three days, participating in over 3,400 pre-scheduled meetings.

  The 2016 ANZA Workshop will be held April 13 – 15 in Melbourne, Australia at the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park.

• Learning on the land – Semillero Rural students arrive

  Semillero Rural, the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture's scholarship scheme for vocational students from the regions of Chile, enables students from agricultural schools to learn new skills, develop their English language capabilities and apply their new knowledge by working on a New Zealand dairy farm or in fruit production.

  Students then return to apply their new skills at home.

  This year 18 students are enrolled in programmes at the National Trade Academy (NTA) and 14 students are studying at Otago Polytechnic in Cromwell.

  “The 18 students enrolled with NTA are participating in an English plus Agriculture Programme,” says Craig.  “The programme consists of six weeks of learning English, including agriculture terminology, and developing knowledge of health and safety, milk production, fencing, animal husbandry, pasture management and more.

  “The students enjoy visiting local farms, learning to ride motorbikes and quad bikes, and learning new fencing skills. The biggest difference between farms in Chile and here in Canterbury is the scale of farming. In spite of New Zealand being a much smaller country, our farms are much bigger in terms of land area, the number of cows milked and the use of technology to improve production.”

  During trips to recruit students and build the programme, Craig’s learnt to build relationships first and to be flexible.

  “You can’t just take a programme over to Chile and say this is it. We need to be flexible and ask what would work for them,” he advises.

  “The other point is to be patient. Nothing happens overnight as there is a process that has to occur. However, once you get final approval it will happen quickly so, as a business, you have to be ready to act. Feedback is also important and you will need to visit the market more than once to build relationships and trust.”

  “In my view it is better to look for partner organisations, such as institutions with similar courses, who can promote NZ study opportunities to their graduates, who can then follow up with agents as to enrolments. Chilean parents are fully involved with the whole process and they like to be able to know who they are dealing with,” he adds.

  In 2008, NTA contracted a person in Chile to act as their representative, a move that has expanded their network of contacts and proved highly successful.

  “The support of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the early years was critical, as is the more recent support of ENZ as they understand the market and can assist with introductions that we likely couldn’t make ourselves.”

  The ‘Semillero Rural’ scholarship was the pilot for the Primary Sector Training Visa recently approved in New Zealand for Chile.

• A media education

  In late May I had the great pleasure of taking five journalists from South East Asia on a tour of New Zealand. The journalists – two from Thailand, two from Viet Nam and one from the Philippines – all have a special interest in education, and were part of a bigger group who were hosted by NZ Inc as part of a range of events to mark the 40th anniversary of the relationship between New Zealand and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

  While the other journalists went on a trade and tourism circuit, our group travelled on their own education-focused itinerary. Apart from meeting up with the others at a cocktail event held by the Prime Minister at Auckland Museum, we did our own thing.

  

  Above: The journalists were engaged right from the get go!

  Most regrettably, a blizzard interfered with our plans to visit Dunedin and Queenstown, but the hastily-arranged alternative schedule of Canterbury-based events made up, in some measure, for the missed opportunities further south.

  Once we got the basics – such as dressing appropriately for the cold – sorted, we were on a roll and the week raced by in the intense, humour-filled, lost-in-translation way they do with such visits, and with a good measure of sheep shearing, eye-dog marvelling, pie eating and hobbit-home wonderment thrown in.

  

  Above: They saw cakes being iced in Canterbury…and a robotic guitar in Wellington.

  From schools to English language centres, ITPs to universities the journalists were impressed by the range and quality of the programmes and facilities, intrigued by the Intermediate School concept, very interested in our homestay set ups and excited by the many opportunities to hear directly from students currently in New Zealand.

  

  Above: They met with a group of Thai health professionals undergoing executive development in Waikato...and rubbed shoulders with the Prime Minister in Auckland.

  For my part, it was a hugely informative trip – providing me with valuable insights into the three South East Asian countries via the journalists, as well as me to make connections with members of our industry and to become more familiar with what you have to offer. Many thanks to those who took part, and arranged tours and gathered students to talk to the journalists.

  As I bid farewell to them all at Auckland airport, Nirunsak, one of the Thai journalists who had been a bit of lone wolf during the week, but who I discovered was a music-loving, short story-writing romantic, said:  “I will carry New Zealand in my heart with a song.’ Magic.

  

  And yes, we went to Hobbiton!

  The follow up questions are coming through now and we look forward to the stories in their media that the visit will generate.

• Event registrations are open – and with a new whizz bang system!

  There’s something for everyone among the agent seminars, alumni networking events, New Zealand education fairs and commercial fairs in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Korea and Viet Nam.

  Exciting news is that, in line with our new categorisation of Japan as a ‘promote’ market, we are holding our first New Zealand education fair in Japan in October. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to showcase your education offering to this important market. As well, following on from the success of the agent seminars held in Osaka and Tokyo last year we will again be holding seminars in these cities leading up to the fair. 

  More exciting news on the event front is that our new event registration platform makes the whole process smoother, and does away with some of the paperwork. All the information you need regarding venues, locations and hotels, as well as some facts and figures about the market are available on the registration page for that event, all making for easier trip planning.

  Each event will have an app, so that all the event information will be at your fingertips as you travel. 

  Registrations for all events close on Wednesday 15 July so check out the event calendar, select your country or countries, and away you go!

  Phase two of the event registration improvements will include a meeting planner and appointment scheduler that will enable you to make appointments with agents well ahead of time and ensure you don’t miss out on valuable one-to-one meeting opportunities.

• EdTech Exported

  This year saw keynote presentations from Frances Valintine, Chair and Founder of The Mind Lab by Unitec; Allison Baum, Managing Director of Fresco Capital in Tokyo; and Frank Catalano, Principal at Intrinsic Strategy in the United States. All three speakers provided strong global perspectives on the product and service opportunities for New Zealand EdTech providers, the investment opportunities, and current trends and ‘fads’ in the sector.

  There were also a number of panels where some of New Zealand’s most successful EdTech companies shared their experiences and insights in exporting EdTech. There were definitely a few laughs involved, but it was both sobering and inspiring to hear first-hand some of the challenges and opportunities New Zealand EdTech exporters encounter and how they handle them.

  There was a clear appetite for networking and sharing among the 130 or so attendees, and it was inspiring to see and hear about the progress being made in this exciting and promising market for New Zealand ingenuity.

  If you didn’t make it along, keep an eye out for next year’s conference.  You will find the conference site and business directory at www.edtechforexport.govt.nz  

• And the winners are…

  After three weeks 3,327 students had invited their friends from overseas to enter the competition. Entries flooded in from over 100 countries with the top entries coming from China, USA, India, Philippines, Brazil, Malaysia and Indonesia.

  Then came the very difficult task of compiling a short list of ten pairs, and then narrowing that down further to five finalist pairs: Philippe and Rafael from Brazil, studying oceanography at University of Otago; Cherry and Daisy from China studying journalism and film at Victoria University of Wellington, Aprillia and Mira from Indonesia studying at business and law at the University of Auckland, Morgan and Alyssa from USA, studying marine and earth sciences at University of Canterbury and finally Lina and Thao from Viet Nam studying Resource and Hazard Management at Canterbury also.

  The voting was intense with our USA, Brazilian and Chinese pairs exchanging first, second and third place throughout the process and over 6,000 votes being counted in total.

  In the final days of voting, Cherry and Daisy launched ahead, sealing the number one spot.

  An Education New Zealand film crew surprised Cherry at Victoria University of Wellington giving the good news, and she immediately skyped Daisy in China to share it. You can watch the video here It’s priceless.

  

  What happens next?

  Daisy is preparing to travel to New Zealand to join Cherry in mid-July. At ENZ, we’re planning the study adventure of a lifetime – showing the very best that New Zealand has to offer Cherry and Daisy in their nominated subject areas of interest (creative arts, journalism, film and education).

  We’re also putting together a fantastic tourism schedule, starting with a few days in Wellington and a winter escape to Queenstown, thanks to our supporters at Air New Zealand. Our global social media audience will also help plan the trip – voting for what Daisy and Cherry will do in New Zealand, in exchange for prizes. During their ten day visit and we’ll follow Daisy and Cherry’s adventures – recording video diaries, capturing photos and uploading blog stories along the way.

  While our winners are from China, they are excited to be the eyes and ears for prospective students all over the world and we know that they’ll do a fantastic job raising awareness of the New Zealand study experience. Watch this space! Facebook, Twitter & Weibo.

• ENZ programme review

  Through this, they have access to tools in our Brand Lab, are listed on our website, and we send student leads their way through studyinnewzealand.com. 

  We’re reviewing the way the programme operates and is administered now that it’s been underway for a year. The project to review the programme is currently open for tender on the New Zealand Government Electronic Tenders Service.

  We know there are improvements to make to the programme and challenges to address, and this programme review reflects the points you’ve raised with us. Immigration New Zealand is a key party to this review and will be consulted throughout.

  ENZ staff will continue to manage the programme during the review. We haven’t reappointed a Channel Development Manager at this stage; if you have any queries, please contact us through agenthelp@enz.govt.nz. 

• New website for MOE

  The new website will become the gateway to and go-to source for all government information about education, and replaces the former MOE website (www.minedu.govt.nz), which was decommissioned on 30 June 2015.

  The new website is part of a suite of changes MOE has made to its online presence and visual identity to work better across all channels, including online and with mobile technology.

  In line with the change to www.education.govt.nz MOE is also changing its email address from @minedu.govt.nz to @education.govt.nz.

  Now would be a good time to update the relevant email addresses and any links you have to the old website.

  Don’t worry if you miss some however, as emails sent to @minedu.govt.nz address will continue to work, as an ongoing rule.

  Please share this information with anyone else, including agents, who you think would appreciate receiving this update.

• India communications campaign wins top honours at PRWeek Awards Asia 2015

  The awards, in their 14^th year, are among the most prominent and competitive ones in the region. Organised by Haymarket Media Ltd, they celebrate the most inspired and successful campaigns, companies and individuals in the Asia-Pacific communications industry.

  The integrated campaign developed by ENZ’s India team along with support from industry partners created new ways of engaging with Indian students to study in the country’s institutions. ENZ used a combination of public affairs, public relations, advertising, consumer promotions and digital amplification, to highlight its offerings to the Indian student market. Initiatives introduced by ENZ in India were supported by NZ Inc. agencies and ENZ’s India PR agency partner Genesis B-M.

  Speaking about the awards, Ziena Jalil, Regional Director – South and South East Asia, Education New Zealand said, “We are delighted with this recognition. It is a privilege to be considered for these awards with the likes of the UN Foundation and  USAID and emerge winners.”

  The PR Week Awards complete a hat-trick for the India PR campaign, following its win at the Public Affairs Asia Gold Standard Awards in November last year.

  “Industry recognition is a great validation of what we have tried to achieve in terms of raising New Zealand’s profile as a quality student destination and education business partner in India,” says Ziena.

  To learn more about the India PR campaign email: india@enz.govt.nz