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Improving orientation programmes
At NZIEC 2018, a number of breakout sessions talked about the need to reconsider current approaches to orientation and student support in order to improve the student experience and increase their intercultural competence.

Izzie Guo
In the Inspiring global citizens panel discussion: How can we make a difference? Izzie Guo, ChristchurchNZ’s Student Experience Coordinator talked about their Student Ambassador programme, and how positive student experiences are often shaped by the social and extracurricular space, not the academic.
“Student Ambassadors are involved in events and activities around the city, some volunteer, some organise and MC big events like our Student Welcome. It’s a way to improve their interpersonal skills and make new friends. It helps them settle in and build connections,” said Izzie.
Student Ambassadors are also the first connection that new international students make – they run the airport welcome and support orientations at institutions, welcoming and greeting new students in their own language, asking them about their home and breaking the ice.
Education Tauranga has taken a similar approach. In Redefining orientation programmes, Anne Young talked about how Education Tauranga has redefined its orientation programme by holding events throughout the year to mitigate ‘culture shock’ and help students achieve a smooth transition to life and study in Tauranga.

Education Tauranga's international student orientation in February 2018
“For most people, orientation means the first two weeks a student arrives, but that’s really an induction to their education provider and region. Orientation should go well beyond that, because the transition to a new setting takes more than two weeks.
“The key is continual engagement. Throughout the year, you need to build relationships with international students and their families and show you have a continued offer.”
AFS research supports this approach. In her presentation, Global competence development in international education: Tools to make it happen, Marcela Lapertosa, AFS Director of Education and Intercultural Learning, said skilled facilitation and regular reflection is the answer.

Marcela Lapertosa
“It is not enough to make one phone call to a student each month asking yes or no questions, “do you like your homestay,” “do you like your school” – there needs to be an attempt to unpack differences, challenges and perceptions.”
AFS has undertaken research in this area to develop the AFS Student Learning Journey Curriculum, which includes a variety of one-on-one and group activities to help students reflect and understand their new surroundings and how best to navigate it.
“For example, you could ask the student and their host family to draw a picture of the floorplan of their home and use questions to learn more about each other: Where does your family spend the most time? What does a closed door mean? Does it mean someone is mad at you, or that they want privacy?” This kind of exercise shows how different cultural values are reflected in a building and can help students and their host family understand one another,” said Marcela.
“It can also make it easier for students to open up who are not natural reflectors, especially when done in a group with their homestay family or school peers.”
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Around the world in five
Asia
The rapid increase in educational agencies in China, up 242.48% since 2021, has fragmented the market, requiring universities to intensify their efforts in vetting agencies. Despite the challenges, this diversification could lead to improved services and lower costs for students and families.
North America
Canada will cap international student permits at 360,000 for two years, a 35% cut from 2023, with exclusions for master's and PhD students. This move aims to manage the rapid growth of international students, with a review of permit applications in 2025 and changes to post-graduation work permits.
South America
Argentine agencies saw a surge in students traveling abroad in 2022, primarily to the UK, Canada, and the USA. Language courses remained dominant, with rising interest in secondary and higher education sectors and more bookings for junior programs, indicating a recovery in group travel for young learners.
Europe
British students not being ‘squeezed out’ by overseas applicants, say universities
UK universities deny disadvantaging domestic students in favour of international applicants, highlighting that different entry requirements for foundation programs are not indicative of unfair practices. Data shows increased enrolment of UK students at Russell Group universities, with a balanced intake of international students, emphasizing the importance of global students for financial sustainability amidst fixed domestic tuition fees.Africa
Africa's job skills gap is widening due to tertiary education not aligning with economic needs, with most countries below the global average for higher education enrolment. Curriculum reforms are needed to include digital and entrepreneurial skills to address unemployment and enhance competitiveness.
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New Future Proof campaign to showcase Kiwi teachers
The eight-week Future Proof campaign earlier this year achieved incredible results, including reaching over 33 million potential international students and achieving more than 14 million social media engagements.
To continue the conversation, ENZ will evolve the campaign to focus on the role that high-quality teachers play in New Zealand’s ranking as best in the world for educating students for the future. We will share inspiring stories about our teaching talent with the world through videos and other web content.
Patrick Holden, ENZ’s Digital Media Project Manager, says the upcoming campaign aims to raise awareness of the quality of our education, which research suggests isn’t fully appreciated in many of our markets.
“In line with the newly-launched International Education Strategy 2018 – 2030, we’re aiming to reach students interested in studying high-value programmes in New Zealand by showcasing the world-leading Kiwi teachers and academics that will be available to them.
“This second Future Proof campaign will run across October – November which is a key decision-making period for international students.”
Students who engage with the campaign will be “nurtured through” to My StudyNZ to connect with New Zealand institutions and agents. Institutions can make sure they’re getting the most out of this recruitment opportunity by updating their profile on the Study in New Zealand website.
“We’ll be putting a briefing pack together to help institutions leverage the campaign in their own recruitment activities. Keep an eye on future editions of E-News for this and further updates,” said Patrick.
Share your story
Do you have a great story idea about a world-leading academic or inspiring teacher? If so, please email philippa.brown@enz.govt.nz and tell us why you think they’d be perfect for this campaign.
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ENZ connects with industry
Led by ENZ, Connect attracted 250 participants to seven sessions around the country to discuss the key strategic priorities for the sector over the coming year.
Hosted by ENZ Chief Executive, Grant McPherson, and General Manager Industry Development, Greg Scott, the series covered what’s happening globally and nationally in international education and ENZ’s strategic direction for the year.
“Part of ENZ’s role is to be a thought leader for international education, and it’s important we take the time to discuss the future direction of the industry for New Zealand within the global context,” said Grant.
Greg added that the series was an important opportunity for government agencies to hear from industry.
“Working collaboratively with the sector is vital to the success of international education in New Zealand,” said Greg.
“The most valuable part of these sessions is for us at ENZ to hear from the sector about challenges they are currently facing, and any opportunities and questions they wish to raise.”
The sessions included consultation with ENZ and the Ministry of Education on the draft International Education Strategy. Immigration New Zealand attended each session to discuss the proposed changes to post-study work rights. NZQA representatives also attended some sessions.
Participants said they valued the chance to have free and frank discussions with industry colleagues and government, and are keen for similar opportunities in the future.
A presentation by Grant was recorded and will be available online for industry representatives to view. Keep an eye out in E-News for when this is uploaded.
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Confidence in Christchurch
Murray Strong, Chair of the Canterbury Leadership Accord, joined Christchurch Educated Chair, Mike Hadley, in opening the day with a reminder of the Strategy vision and 2025 targets to lift student enrolments to 25,000 and economic value to $937 million. Murray noted that good progress is being made in a range of product and market development projects.
The Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce, Peter Townsend, indicated that, with $100 million additional investment each week, the Christchurch rebuild will maintain its momentum for some time to come. Drawing on material produced by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, Peter emphasised the bright future for the city as a place to learn, live and work.
Peter noted that; “The future of this region depends on the way we apply technology to our natural capital on a platform of product and service integrity”.
He challenged our industry to ensure that “service integrity” is central to all we provide for our customers.
Carl Everett, International Director, Christchurch Boys’ High School, commented; “There was a lot of talk about innovation, being flexible and thinking of new ways to approach the market, and then sharing all of that information together – especially here in Christchurch, where we are particularly good at sharing.”
Deanne Gath, International Director, Kaiapoi High School, particularly liked the definition of collaboration suggested by keynote speaker, Education Consultant, Chris Clay; “I like the idea that collaboration is working together to an end goal, but not necessary all doing the same thing. It’s about not putting all our eggs in one basket, but trialling different things to see what works – with the end goal being that we all want to increase international student numbers in the Canterbury region,” she said.
The Conference was closed by Christchurch City Councillor Jimmy Chen, representing Mayor Lianne Dalziel, who emphasised the contribution of international education to the region and the commitment of local government to support future growth aspirations.
Above: Conference attendees -
Tribute to a longtime friend of New Zealand
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) would like to share a tribute to the memory of KC Yong, Chairman of SELSET Education, Malaysia, particularly to his tremendous contribution over a lifetime to growing the education relationship between New Zealand and Malaysia.
KC – as he was fondly known – first connected with New Zealand as an international student studying engineering at the University of Auckland. His experience studying and living in the country left him with a deep, lifelong appreciation for New Zealand education.
It was likely this close connection to New Zealand that led KC to set up SELSET Education, a pioneer New Zealand specialist education consultancy in 2002. Over the past 21 years, KC’s efforts have seen SELSET grow to become the largest Malaysia-based education agency recruiting international students for New Zealand.
ENZ’s Regional Director – Asia, Ben Burrowes, said it was a real privilege to have known and worked with KC, who was so passionate about New Zealand education.
“KC and his son Rick – as well as their extended family who work for SELSET – have held close working relationships with our international education sector for decades. KC’s passing is a huge loss. I would like to personally acknowledge his immense contribution to the education relationship between New Zealand and Malaysia over the last few decades.”
ENZ’s Acting Market Manager – Malaysia and Indonesia, Naluri Bella, also recalls her association with KC Yong and SELSET Education.
“KC was a pioneer in the international education space for Malaysia and will certainly be missed. His legacy lives on in his family and team at SELSET Education.”
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Thinking regionally, acting globally, at ANZA
Education New Zealand (ENZ) extended its presence this year by creating a New Zealand pavilion, featuring 11 regional international education organisations hosted by regional representatives. The Immigration New Zealand team, lead by Celia Coombes, joined the pavilion along with the ENZ team.
In addition to the pavilion, ENZ organised additional wrap-around events to both create a spirit of collaboration amongst the regional representatives, and maximise the networking with agents, New Zealand education providers and the team from ICEF.
ENZ’s Regional Project Managers, Jo Keane and Sarah Gauthier, believe the regional approach boosted the profile of New Zealand education as a whole, with Sarah commenting, “Each New Zealand region has its own distinctive characteristics and it’s important to raise awareness of these to agents so they can, in turn, promote them to international students.
“ANZA was a great forum to showcase the diversity of our study options and the regional learning, living and working opportunities, and share the New Zealand Story with our agent audience” said Greg Scott, Programme Manager for the Regional Partnership Programme.
This year’s innovative approach to ANZA was regarded as a great success by the regional representatives, with Learning Hawke’s Bay’s Business Development Manager, Stephanie Kennard, commenting, “The Pavilion made a huge impact and was a talking point amongst many of the agents. The stand, the ENZ presentation on the Wednesday afternoon and the networking event on Friday night were all brilliant!”
Susanna Leisten, an ANZA attendee from Thames High School, says, “I felt so proud to be a Kiwi and am very grateful and appreciative of all your efforts and really enjoyed the ENZ Friday evening networking event. I have made some very useful contacts and am positive that the event you hosted made a big difference.”
“We think that these types of collaborative platforms are essential – to strengthen the New Zealand education story with regional input and opportunities. We hope to do more of this in the future,” said Greg Scott.
ENZ is now considering ways to incorporate regional international education organisations into other events and activities, demonstrating so effectively the learning, living and working opportunities for international students across all of New Zealand.
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NZIEC 2018 nearing capacity
New Zealand International Education Conference and Expo (NZIEC) are selling like hotcakes and a sell-out crowd is expected.
We also have a broad array of partners joining us for this year’s event.
ENZ is pleased to announce that Southern Cross Travel Insurance and Vodafone New Zealand / OKNZ will be joining NZIEC as our Premium Partners.
Vodafone is offering connectivity packages for international students that includes bonus data and calling offers as well as a greeting and translation service.
Meanwhile, Southern Cross Travel Insurance will showcase its affordable travel insurance options for international students and their families, including for students moving into the local workforce.
Other partners joining us at conference are:
- IDP IELTS Australia offers IELTS testing in New Zealand and around the world. IDP has more than 80 offices in over 25 countries to assist the placement of international students in education institutions.
- QS Intelligence Unit appears at NZIEC to showcase its expertise as a trusted source of global higher education intelligence to inform institutional decision-making. QS provides high-quality intelligence, distinctive evaluation tools and transformational insight.
“We thank our Premium Partners and Partners for their support of our industry’s annual hui,” says Grant McPherson, ENZ Chief Executive.
“We encourage conference delegates to connect with them in the Expo Hall during conference.”
Be sure to book your accommodation and confirm your registration today at www.nziec.co.nz
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International students get work ready in Welly
Several times a year, Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA) offers a free Work Ready in Wellington programme to help prepare international students and graduates for work in New Zealand.
Since 2016, some 600 students have completed the course, which covers CV preparation, job search strategies, interview techniques, employee rights and more. Specialist tutors teach a range of topics such as the importance of communicating in the New Zealand workplace including small talk.
WREDA’s Talent, Skills and Education Manager Brook Pannell said the programme gives international students a clear picture of what is appropriate in the Kiwi workforce.
“That sounds intuitive to New Zealanders but there are a wide range of norms in business behaviour and expectations around the world. We want to show students the Kiwi way to kickstart their careers in Wellington,” he said.
Course coordinator Nicky Riddiford said engaging in small talk in a new workplace is an important element of fitting in.

“It’s important to engage in small talk but it is often more challenging for newcomers because they are not sure which topics are suitable, and who they should do small talk with,” she said.
Chinese international student Allen (Feng) Zhu graduated from Massey University before completing a Work Ready course in 2017. He then worked as an intern at WREDA’s head office for a month before starting his current role at the Ministry of Health.
“Being able to quickly fit into a new workplace is something employers look for and having the confidence to chat with colleagues about everyday things is important.
“Small talk was a good thing to learn about as part of the Work Ready programme.”
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South and South East Asia fair season off to flying start!
More Malaysian students studying in New Zealand this year
After a two-year hiatus ENZ successfully reintroduced the New Zealand Education Fair in to Malaysia to boost New Zealand’s profile in the market. Attracting almost 800 visitors, the fair was a marked success on the 2013 event which hosted around 100 visitors. With an overwhelming number of prospective students quickly filling the room, the ENZ team managed the influx by spontaneously hosting two “Studying in New Zealand” seminars outside the main function room.
The fair was well supported by New Zealand education institutions and had a strong NZ Inc flavour, being opened by New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Dr John Subritzky.
“Education is a critical part of our ever-growing relationship with Malaysia, and we are proud of our long history of providing education opportunities for Malaysians. It’s great to see more Malaysian students choosing New Zealand as their education destination, especially as this creates life-long connections between our two countries,” said Dr Subritzky.
A prize-giving ceremony for the winners of ENZ’s ‘Think New’ Essay Writing competition and the New Zealand Marketing Strategy competition was also held. As part of his prize, the winner of the marketing strategy competition, UCSI University student Eric Kong, arrived in New Zealand recently to start his four-week internship with the Choose New Zealand alliance. We’ll bring you an update on how Eric and the other competition winners are going in the next issue of E-News.

Winners of “Think New” Essay Writing and New Zealand Marketing Strategy competitions receiving their certificates and prizes.

AboveAaaaGuests at the New Zealand Alumni Function and Networking Event in Kuala Lumpur.
ENZ hosted an alumni reception the evening before the fair at the Residence of the New Zealand High Commission. Institutions networked with past students and with new and existing education agents.

H.E. Dr. John Subritzky presented a token of appreciation to the alumni who participated in Alumni Voices project.
The alumni reception presented an opportunity to thank two of the Malaysia alumni who took part in ‘Alumni Voices’, a project celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and ASEAN, by profiling successful alumni who credit their New Zealand education with having a strong and positive impact on their lives.
India’s events campaign leverages the Fleming brand
Fourteen events in 10 days – ENZ’s India team has been running on pure adrenalin to deliver a series of powerful promotional events in India and Sri Lanka, centred around the flagship fairs held across India last month.
As part of ENZ’s wider SSEA team, ENZ India is the second team in the region to hold its New Zealand Education Fairs for the August – October season. Leveraging the profile of New Zealand Education Brand Ambassador and international cricket legend Stephen Fleming has again been a successful approach in extending New Zealand’s reach into the vast student population in India.
ENZ India Country Manager, Jugnu Roy, worked closely with Stephen Fleming to make the most of his strong following.
“Stephen’s brand is New Zealand’s brand – it’s about integrity, about being open and about connecting across borders. Importantly, Stephen has also made it fundamentally about the value of a New Zealand education because he understands both what we are trying to achieve and also how much his New Zealand education helped his career.”
Using the New Zealand education fairs as the centre piece of New Zealand’s key promotional season in South Asia, the India team also delivered a series of related profile-raising activities including networking events, and round table sessions with close to 40 school principals from prominent secondary and international schools. Stephen also visited leading institutions, including top-ranked universities such as Delhi University and SRM University in Chennai where he addressed more than 2000 students. The immediate result of this visit was the flow of quality SRM students to the Chennai New Zealand Education Fair later that week.
The fairs themselves appealed to a good pool of potential quality students, attracting over 1200 students in total. With more than 25 prominent New Zealand institutions meeting prospective students at the fairs, the New Zealand value proposition was positively championed.
Sri Lanka has been an important market in the South Asia region, and ENZ introduced a ‘university only’ school roadshow for the first time to stimulate the market. The university representatives hadan opportunity to interact with secondary school students of two top international schools of this island country.
Overall, New Zealand’s promotional events in India and Sri Lanka in August reached over 7,000 people.
With New Zealand education fairs and associated events still to come in Thailand, Viet Nam and Indonesia, the SSEA team is continuing to ramp up fair fever across the region. They are always well-supported by Immigration New Zealand and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and, of course, the all-important industry providers
“South Asia and South East Asia is an enormous region and it’s an important region for international education. Our team members from Indonesia right up to India are committed to providing first-class events to raise the profile of New Zealand. Fair season is an exceptionally busy time for us and we’re always focused on providing the best events we can for New Zealand’s institutions.” Said Ziena Jalil, ENZ’s Regional Director SSEA.

ENZ Brand Ambassador, Stephen Fleming welcoming students at the Delhi fair

Students at the Delhi fair

AUT University and others at the Chennai fair

ENZ Brand Ambassador Stephen Fleming having a photo moment with students of Somaiya Institutes in Mumbai

Selfies with potential students at the New Delhi fair