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Hawke’s Bay groups collaborate for growth
The group of education providers and partner agencies are making sure their “shop front” is as attractive and welcoming as possible. E-News caught up with Education Hawke’s Bay Business Development Manager, Steph Kennard, on the approach.
Who makes up Education Hawke’s Bay?
Education Hawke’s Bay is a voluntary member organisation made up of local government, schools, our ITP and PTEs. We were formed approximately two years ago with the common goal of doubling the value of international students to the region by 2025.
What was the motivation behind the re-brand and new website?
We wanted to create an identity for Education Hawke’s Bay that served multiple purposes, with a brand that would give our members a sense of belonging. We wanted to showcase Hawke’s Bay as a study destination at the same time as promoting the special characteristics of each education provider. By developing a website, and removing the dependence upon printed brochures, we have reduced our overall costs.
Based on this brief, we developed a new brand called ‘Learning Hawke’s Bay’ and new website www.learninghawkesbay.nz. The use of the word ‘Learning’ represents both the study and leisure experience – students come here to study in a classroom, but they will also gain experience – learn – outside of it, through our culture and local tourism.
Our logo operates on several levels – acting as a pointer to direct the viewer, resembling an open book and also an open laptop. This works well with our ‘Learning’ brand.
The website works as a stand-alone site, but can also be incorporated within individual members’ marketing collateral. Our website uses large format imagery to “paint a picture” of Hawke’s Bay as pictures require little, or no, translation! These images have been chosen to appeal to both students and parents alike, and regardless of country of origin.
Our website ensures we can respond quickly to queries and can be updated within moments.
What part does the rebrand and new website play in your overall strategy?
The website and brand are an integral component of our strategy and give us the tools to promote Hawke’s Bay to students overseas. Building the website has meant we can work more smartly on our international promotions. The next steps are to incorporate a social media presence and build on our communication plan.
Are there any particular successes or learnings you’d like to share from the rebranding exercise?
It was important to ensure that our design, including colour and brand, represented our members and was functional. We also required the website to be built with an easy content management system so that we could make changes quickly in-house, without incurring extra costs. The framework also needed to be flexible enough to enable us to develop the website and make additions to pages without the need for a full re-design.
You recently took part in a regional cluster pilot with Hastings District Council. How has this gone?
The Agent tour was our first real taste of regional clustering in practice. It certainly had its challenges as each member had a different view of which country we should be targeting. In the end we settled on Japan, which meant that not all members participated.
The other project in the pilot, is to develop a revenue monitoring framework. This is still in the planning, as it requires data which the Education Hawke’s Bay team can’t yet access. Our stakeholders are keen to know just what revenue is generated by our international students, so we want to ensure accuracy.
What part has ENZ’s Regional Partnership Programme played in the development and operationalisation of your strategy?
The support and advice from the ENZ Business Development team has been hugely appreciated, as it can be quite isolating being based in a region and trying to please each of the members. Of course, the financial support has enabled us to employ someone to help us deliver on our regional strategic goals for growth.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Our region has just taken part in a poll which proposed that all five councils amalgamate. The proposal was turned down by the community. Although this has been challenging for our region in general terms, the regional education cluster we have established is a great example of how collaboration among members from both Hastings and Napier can work!
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Meet the team: John Goulter
Could you please outline your own role and the role of the Stakeholders and Communications team?
The Stakeholders and Communications team looks after the part of ENZ’s work that intersects with key external groups – such as other government departments, Ministers, Parliament and, through our various channels, the people of New Zealand.
We try to get all those influences lined up in support of international education. Right now, thanks to COVID-19, there is more external focus on international education than there has been for years. We try to ensure it’s well-informed.
How has COVID-19 impacted your team’s work, and what work do you have ahead of you with the recovery?
Sometimes it seems like we have done nothing else since COVID-19 appeared on the horizon way back in January.
It has brought to the surface some long-running issues about international education. It’s an opportunity for us to show leadership in outlining the future role of the sector, and developing interesting new approaches.
John with ENZ Field Director - North America Lewis Gibson in Washington DC.
Can you tell me a bit about your professional background?
I was a journalist for a long time, mainly reporting politics from the Press Gallery in Parliament.
I loved that at the time but I moved into public affairs roles because after a while in journalism I wanted to be influencing the way things happen, rather than just writing about them.
Journalism is now changing totally, like many sectors are. Some new models are emerging, but it’s a struggle in a country the size of New Zealand.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I like running and travelling and live music. So I’m not having a great year. Most running events have been cancelled or postponed, and so have all the concerts I had booked for.
I listen to some podcasts, mainly about running and politics in the United States. It is hard for us to fathom the depth of the COVID-19 crisis they are going through.
I actually liked a lot about our lockdown. It was good being a little family unit at home. I loved running on nearly empty roads. I took up Zoom yoga classes with my daughter in Christchurch. I wonder about what the new reality is going to look like for us all.
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South Canterbury welcomes Thai agent
What was the purpose of Pear’s visit to South Canterbury?
Education South Canterbury is working on developing an MOU with Thai schools introduced to us by Pear. She was in South Canterbury specifically to familiarise herself with our schools and to experience the region as the students do. She visited each of Education South Canterbury’s member schools and met with students at each one.
How did Pear’s visit fit in with Education South Canterbury’s goals?
Thailand is a focus market and an important and valuable partner for Education South Canterbury.
In the Education South Canterbury strategic plan we are working to develop capability and support the government goals for 2025.
As we are developing an MOU with schools in Thailand that Pear works with, we felt that the familiarisation visit would give her a strong understanding of the educational experiences offered by institutions and the student lifestyle here in the region.
Education South Canterbury was delighted to give Pear a first-hand experience of the region, so that she can support and promote the special features of the programmes that we offer.
What did Pear see and experience during her visit?
Pear’s visit started with a welcome dinner with the members of Education South Canterbury and included a lunch hosted by the Mayor.
We wanted to give Pear the opportunity to experience the activities that our students take part in while studying in the region – she went to a country cafe complete with farmyard animals, and mini golf and afternoon tea with Thai students currently studying at a local school and Aoraki Polytechnic.
Pear visited the Te Ana Rock Art Centre and was very impressed with the cultural history of the region
Unfortunately, the planned trip to Tekapo for a jet boat ride had to be cancelled due to gale force winds! So, that gave her first-hand experience of New Zealand’s changeable weather patterns.
Pear stayed in Geraldine and Timaru, getting a taste of both town and country lifestyles, and experiencing both homestay and motel accommodation, further strengthening her insights in to the student and parent experience.
What did Pear enjoy most?
Pear really enjoyed the chance to meet all of the Education South Canterbury members and develop relationships with the International Directors at each of the institutions.
She loved meeting the current students and felt their enthusiasm and honest feedback was really valuable.
In Geraldine Pear loved looking at the stars after we had been out for a meal. With no light pollution she had some great views of the Milky Way – the clear night air almost magnifies the vista. This is something Pear just doesn’t get to see in the large cities of Thailand.
What did you learn about Thailand from Pear?
All Education South Canterbury members are familiar with Thailand and have visited regularly, so we were especially pleased to get specific information about the schools we are dealing with and the expectations around our MOU from the Thai schools’ perspective. We really appreciated Pear’s forthrightness in working through the specifics of the process.
How are you maintaining the relationship now that Pear’s gone home?
We have been in regular email contact with Pear since her return to Thailand, and we are planning an Education South Canterbury group delegation visit in early September to see Pear and visit NZ Study.
What do you see as unique about South Canterbury education and culture?
In South Canterbury we don’t just do international education, we internationalise our education.
South Canterbury offers an authentic small town Kiwi experience, where all students are known in the school and warmly embraced by the wider community. Students get an individual and intimate experience – they are all made to feel special and develop lifelong friendships with Kiwi students and homestay families.
The experience is very much a two-way exchange between the international students and the Kiwi students. The visiting students opened our Kiwi students’ eyes to their lifestyle, culture and life experiences… so becoming the educators of our students!
South Canterbury is “New Zealand at your back door”. We offer beaches, mountains, rivers and diverse landscapes – outdoor excitement with a sense of security. In South Canterbury, you can travel from the Southern Alps to the ocean in two hours or less.
Students in Education South Canterbury schools learn in the environment. Field trips and outdoor pursuits take them out into the real New Zealand and they are immersed in the environment they are learning about.
Students in South Canterbury schools can embrace the arts – music and theatre, orchestras, brass bands and sing in New Zealand award-winning choral groups.
No matter what students want to pursue, South Canterbury offers the opportunity!
L – R: Julie McLean, Pear and Mayor of Timaru, Damon Odey
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Game On English launched in style
New Zealand has teamed up its expertise in rugby and English language teaching to develop a new edu-sport programme for Japan in the lead up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Summer Olympics.
On Monday 7 July Prime Minister John Key and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launched Game On English in Auckland as part of Mr Abe's official visit to New Zealand.
The leaders threw a rugby ball to the programme’s inaugural students – Japan's national sevens female champions from Iwami Chisuikan High School – to kick off a rugby skills training session and officially launch the programme.
The Prime Ministers, current All Black Conrad Smith and Huriana Manuel, captain of the New Zealand women's sevens team and Black Fern, met and shook hands with each of the rugby players before they went through their training paces.
In the lead up to Japan hosting the Rugby World Cup and Summer Olympics Prime Minister Abe has announced a government goal to improve English language skills and increase sporting capacity amongst youth.
"As a country with an envious track record of developing the world’s best rugby players and a top quality education system, New Zealand is well placed to help the Japanese government meet their goal," says Grant McPherson, Chief Executive, Education New Zealand.
The Game On English programme matches English language providers with sports academies to deliver centrally-organised, bespoke courses for young athletes.
"Growing export revenue from international education is a key part of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda. Programmes such as Game On English are aligning New Zealand’s educational expertise with demand in the global market."
Japan is now the third largest source of international students to New Zealand.
"Our success as a country will be determined by our level of connectedness with the rest of the world. Education is one of the best ways to build international linkages.
"These students will act as ambassadors for New Zealand education promoting the quality of our education system when they return to Japan," says Mr McPherson.
The Iwami Chisuikan sevens team are studying English at the English Language Centre of Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS) in the morning and training with Auckland Rugby Academy in the afternoon for the month they are in New Zealand.
"New Zealand is very different from Japan, but the people here made it really easy for me to adapt and feel comfortable. I enjoy being able to communicate freely with people from different backgrounds in class, and the support we get from teachers is invaluable," says Iwami Chisuikan player Aoi Kurokawa.
"Kiwis train differently – they emphasise technique and make training fun. I would like to bring what I learned back to Japan."
Ran Aoki is also enjoying her rugby in New Zealand. "The best part of the programme is the training. Auckland Rugby make it fun and give invaluable comments and feedback."
"Kiwis value the quality of training in a given timeframe over accumulated hours which allows us to get the most out of our short stay in New Zealand.
"I learn English all around – in class, whilst training, and at home with my homestay family!"
In two weeks a second group of Game On English students will arrive from Japan.
Eleven secondary school players from Kanto Super League will be based in Dunedin - studying English at the University of Otago Language Centre and receiving rugby training from Otago Rugby Football Union and local Dunedin high schools.
Both groups of students are in New Zealand at the invitation of the New Zealand government to pilot the programme.
"It is our intention that Game on English will be rolled out nationally and New Zealand will support Japan in achieving their English language and sporting ambitions in the next five to six years and beyond," says Mr McPherson.
We will evaluate the pilot programme over the next month and advise the next step in due course.
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Enhancing diversity in the student experience
A number of education and diversity-related professionals from around the world attended GIIL, including a cohort of 11 visiting US professionals from international education, student affairs, education abroad, faculty development, and diversity and social justice programmes.
At the conference, delegates had the chance to network and gain skills and resources to better support diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus.
Hayley Shields, ENZ’s Director Student Experience, said the turnout at GIIL reflected the growing interest in diversity on Kiwi campuses.
“When it comes to the international education industry in New Zealand, we’ve tended to view diversity from a recruitment perspective as meaning market diversification,” said Hayley.
“However, New Zealand – and in particular, Auckland – is a very diverse society and sets a great example of inclusivity and openness to other international educators around the world.”
Hayley spoke at the panel on ‘Multi-sector perspectives on diversity and inclusion in New Zealand,’ alongside panellists from the University of Auckland, Auckland Council, Ministry of Education and Niesh, a student-run, student services enterprise.
Breakout group discussions focussed on diversity in the student experience, local and central government policies, and professional development opportunities for faculty, staff and students.
Hayley said with more than 220 recorded ethnic groups living in Auckland, and with the location of the conference at the University of Auckland’s Fale Pasifika, the setting helped emphasise the importance of diversity and inclusion on New Zealand campuses.
GIIL was co-sponsored by ENZ and the University of Auckland, and coordinated through the Diversity Abroad network.
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Creating a China-first digital ecosystem
Western websites and social media platforms have issues with accessibility, performance and loading speed in China, so ENZ has had to create bespoke digital technology to share the New Zealand education story with Chinese students.
ENZ carried out focus groups with Chinese international students to gather insights while designing the website to ensure it met the needs of a Chinese audience.
Its new website has a China domain name (.cn), has been search engine-optimised and is tracked with Baidu analytics (China’s equivalent of Google).
The site has also been integrated with ENZ’s database marketing system, enabling ENZ to follow up leads and capture marketing data. Having a .cn domain name enables ENZ to run a marketing campaign to boost its search rankings in Baidu.
The site works strategically with ENZ’s account on WeChat, China’s most popular social media app with more than one billion users.
ENZ has had an account on WeChat since 2014, and now has more than 53,000 followers.
In October last year, ENZ brought My StudyNZ to WeChat. My StudyNZ provides personalised study matches for international students exploring study in New Zealand.
Three-quarters of people using My StudyNZ on WeChat browse their study matches for almost two minutes, which is a good level of engagement.
Students using My StudyNZ in China are more likely to fund their own studies than students globally (76% compared to 33%) and more likely to have tuition budgets of more than $30,000 (30% compared to 15%). Ten percent are interested in studying at a school, compared to 3% of students globally, which illustrates the high value of this market.
ENZ’s International Social Engagement Specialist, Nicole Baird, said ENZ has a frequent calendar of social media posts to engage with its WeChat audience.
“We are also increasing our capabilities to segment our WeChat audience to direct content specific to each follower’s needs,” Nicole said.
ENZ’s Digital Programme Manager, Lucia Alarcon, said ENZ’s bigger and more robust ecosystem offers useful insights to help inform its marketing strategy.
“We are able to strengthen and increase our data capabilities and gain insights to inform our marketing decisions.”
Visit the China site here. Read more about My StudyNZ on WeChat here, or take a look at it by searching for its official Chinese name on WeChat (新西兰留学规划) or by scanning this QR code:
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Thank you to NZIEC KI TUA 2024 Partners
This year’s conference was attended by 449 delegates and saw 31 sessions delivered over two days by 96 speakers, including expert panellists.
It was a pleasure to have India as our Country of Honour and the support of the High Commissioner of India to New Zealand, Her Excellency Ms. Neeta Bhushan and the High Commission of India.
To our NZIEC KI TUA 2024 partners; CANIE: Climate Action Network for International Educators, Edified, Education USA, ETS TOEFL, Flywire, Hiremaster, Host Families NZ, ICEF, IDP Education Ltd and IELTS Official, Immigration New Zealand and NZQA, Pearson, Streamliner Productions, Studentsafe (Allianz Partners New Zealand), The PIE, ByteEd, Chasing Time English, JIX Reality and Pipi Learning, Touchprint, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University and Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington - thank you for your support.
ENZ Manager, Global Events and Agents, Janine Huxford says, 'We are so appreciative for the fantastic support from our suppliers and partners who went above and beyond to help us achieve our vision.”
“The conference wouldn't have been possible without you" Janine added.
The High Commission of India provided the entertainment for the gala dinner, with the Natraj Dance Company and Shivam dance company dance groups delivering dazzling performances to delegates.
To highlight the country of honour’s unique culture, henna artist Saburi Kesharwani adorned delegates with henna tattoos in the Experience Garden.
There were many other engaging activations in our Experience Garden, which was a place delegates could do just that – engage, connect, and experience.
Education USA helped attendees uncover their inner superhero. Teacher Tapahia Heke is New Zealand’s only ‘superhero reader’ and was at the conference to help delegates find their superhero alter-ego – right down to the outfit. Graphic designer and animation professional Pita Mei brought the readings to life, providing delegates with a personalised superhero illustration to take home.
Delicious refreshments were key in the experience garden. Delegates enjoyed locally made ICEF-cream provided by ICEF and barista-made coffee from Student Safe.
Thanks to IDP Education Ltd there was a dedicated breakout space for conference attendees. The IDP IELTS lounge was a space to network, learn about the latest international education insights and catch up on their emails.
Thanks to Touchprint, who created the ‘Touchprint School Yard’, a space for the school sector delegates to connect and share.
The Pearson photography headshots activation was a hit, with just under 100 photos taken by local professional photographer Rebecca McMillan.
Delegates got the opportunity to try out some of the cutting-edge technology that some of our New Zealand EdTech companies offer. Pictured here is Dr Anatole Bogatski, Executive Director of QTI trying out the mixed reality prototype that ENZ is testing as part of its innovation and growth programme. Next to him is JIX Founder Sakthi Ranganathan trying out the tool that he has helped develop. Other New Zealand EdTechs also found in the Experience Garden included Pipi Learning, ByteEd and Chasing Time English.
Much appreciation goes to our partner Flywire as the Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland office now has a new piece of artwork based on insights from attendees for their office wall.
NZIEC KI TUA 2024 was not just about nurturing the relationships within our sector. Thanks to our conference partner Edified, it was about nurturing our whenua (land) too! In our commitment to sustainability; for every delegate registration, Edified planted a native tree, fostering a greener future for generations to come.
449 native trees were planted over the weekend after conference.
We’re grateful for the local hāpu, iwi and community who got stuck in and helped with the planting. Part of the team was international student Momone Akiyoshi, who’s from Japan and is currently studying at Paraparaumu College. Her host sister Marion Daste (left) and host mum Jo Picot (right) brought her along because they thought it would be nice for Momone to be part of regenerating the land and having the opportunity of planting native trees while in New Zealand.
Thanks to all our 2024 partners in making this year’s conference a great one!
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A school trip from Tauranga to Yantai
The group travelled with support from Education New Zealand’s (ENZ) New Zealand China Sister Schools Fund.
Deputy Principal, Kathy Colville, who accompanied the students along with International Student Coordinator, Annemieke Hart, said “very strong bonds were established”.
“Our students met many challenges,” she said, but “they rose to the occasion and took everything in their stride.”
The students attended school and stayed with local families. An exhibition of Tauranga photos was held as part of the sister city celebrations, and the group enjoyed giving their hosts an insight into Tauranga life. The group also spent a day in Shanghai.
Kathy said the students – all of whom learn Mandarin at school – were carefully chosen.
“It was an extremely difficult task but we chose some that had travelled with us [overseas before]. We knew that we could rely on these students to be great ambassadors of our school, city and country.”
There were lots of differences at school in Yantai, the principal one being the long school hours. The school day starts at 7.15am and ends at 5.30pm in China, with students then staying up till 11pm to complete homework.
“The long school hours were a bit daunting,” said Riley Bartosh.
The students also enjoyed learning calligraphy, and doing physical exercise Chinese-style – always carried out in groups.
The students said the experience had made them more independent and opened up their minds to further travel in the future.
“Now I’m more open to different cultures and how others live,” says Riley Bartosh.
“I am interested in pursuing a career that involves communication with other countries. China has opened up opportunities that would never have been available otherwise,” says Stephanie Austin.
“I’ve been on school trips to Portugal, Amsterdam and Turkey since I’ve been at this school,” says Ngawaka Ririnui. “It’s inspired me to travel more and experience how others live.”
“I am going to continue learning Mandarin at our school so that I can speak three languages – English, Maori and Mandarin,” says Te Wairere Te Moana.
Annemieke said Tauranga Intermediate School has offered biannual overseas school trips to its students since 2000. The school reinvests some of the revenue it receives from international students to fund these trips.
She said that in Term three, a group from Yantai Number two Middle School was making a reciprocal visit to Tauranga.
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PM’s Scholarships for Asia announced
The Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia cover overseas study, research or internships ranging from six week to two years at undergraduate or postgraduate level at top Asian institutions.
At an event to mark the programme’s first year, Prime Minister John Key and Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce congratulated recipients.
Successful recipients include a student from Otago University, who will study chemistry and pharmacology at the National University of Singapore, and a group from the New Zealand Institute of Fashion Technology who will deepen their design and manufacturing knowledge working on a collaborative project with Indian students at a partner institution in Tamil Nadu.
The inaugural awards were made in December 2013, with many recipients still completing their studies throughout Asia. This next round of scholarships will enable 103 people to study overseas.
Peter Bull, Education New Zealand’s General Manager International, says the scholarship programme was established to give New Zealanders the opportunity to experience what it's like to operate in a different country and culture, and build all important people-to-people networks with our trading partners.
“Listening to returned students talk about their experiences; it’s clear it’s an opportunity that’s had a significant impact on those involved. One recipient got in touch recently to report her experience studying in Hong Kong had an immediate impact – helping her to secure a job with a top law firm who were very interested in her overseas experience.”
“I’m delighted at how quickly people have leaped at this opportunity to develop their international outlook and act as ambassadors for New Zealand education in parts of the world where there’s generally very low awareness about our country, let alone our way of thinking, learning or teaching.”
Mr Bull says the scholarships demonstrate reciprocity in New Zealand’s education relationships, something that’s very important as ENZ works to intensify education recruitment, business development and government relations activity throughout the region.
Applications are open for the next round of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia and close 28 September 2014. Applications can be made by individuals or groups.
Mr Bull says overall, the quantity and quality of applications greatly exceeded expectations; a fantastic outcome for a programme that’s only just begun.
“I encourage future applications to take the time to prepare high quality applications – the bar is only going to go up.”
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Students around the globe join New Zealand summit
Kicking off this week with seminars on the space economy and mechanisms for social change, and the human cost of climate change, the online global workshop connects a diverse group of potential international students to help them connect, collaborate and shape their future.
ENZ’s Deanna Anderson, Business Development Manager says the project offers ENZ a great opportunity to learn more about the motivations of learners from new markets while offering the students involved a unique digital engagement with New Zealand.
“It’s a two-way learning experience that explores the futures of our next generation of learners while offering them a window into New Zealand’s unique way of problem solving.
“The aim is to create an inspiring initiative that engages hundreds of students and allows us to use their insights to better understand the future of our next generation of learners.
“Each student has the ability to offer insight that could help shape a more personalised, meaningful, relevant and uniquely New Zealand education experience.”
The summit involves 12 expert speakers who are presenting six online seminars on topics ranging from sustainable design to social entrepreneurship to climate change.
“After the seminar series, the students will be involved in a co-creation weekend where they will work as part of 65 online challenge groups to discuss solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing issues such as energy production, waste as a resource and the future of human survival.”
Deanna says this pilot research project will provide invaluable insights for New Zealand’s international education sector that will inform the direction of future industry innovation.
For more information or to join the webinars, visit https://www.emergingfutures.co.nz/
