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• Student-led business sets out to break down barriers

  InterStudentsNZ, a platform which will host resources and courses to meet the needs of international students, is a regional winner in the Company of the Year category in the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme. It also scooped the Excellence in Promotion Award and Paying it Forward Award.

  InterStudentsNZ is the brainchild of budding entrepreneurs Mackenzie Roskruge (CEO), KimSreng Keo (Production Manager), and Russle La Morena (Finance Director), who met through the college’s international student buddy scheme. They bonded over a shared interest in education and curiosity about their cultural differences.

  Mackenzie and Russle are both domestic students, but Kim arrived in New Zealand in 2018 as an international student from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, knowing no-one and understanding little of what seemed to be a strange, new culture.

  He believes that international students enrich New Zealand communities and have much to offer, but that many don’t make the most of their time here because they face challenges integrating into the community and planning a future beyond school.

  “Understanding how people think and how to communicate is important,” he says. “When we first arrive many of us have a big language barrier. There are even subtle cultural differences which we don’t understand, and which need explanation.”

  Platform driven by students, for students

  Sharing his insights of the challenges that international students can face, the friends determined that more support was needed and that a platform driven by students, for students, was the answer.

  The opportunity to enter the Young Enterprise Scheme through their Year 13 Business Studies course, gave the students a chance to turn their ideas into reality.

  InterStudentsNZ has big plans. The team want to create a one-stop shop for resources tailored for students to better understand New Zealand’s education system, work environment, and culture.

  “For example, if a student came to us and wanted to learn about New Zealand slang, we could direct them to a one-hour course with video tutorials, quizzes and written explanations to help them master slang,” says Mackenzie.

  “Or a student might want to learn about social innovation in New Zealand. We could potentially provide a one-two hour course each week for a month with case studies, opportunities for mentorship, and tools for how they could move into social innovation themselves.

  Empowering international students in New Zealand
  
  "We hope students will feel empowered to learn new subjects and inspired to remain studying and working in New Zealand."

  And it’s not only international students who stand to benefit. Surveys of domestic students at Waitakere College showed that they were also interested to explore topics which would likely make them more engaged and invested in their education.

  The InterStudentsNZ team all plan to study at the University of Auckland next year and hope to continue developing their business. With more funding, they would like to add workplace mentorship opportunities for international students, courses in te ao Maori, New Zealand history, and New Zealand industry pathways. They also plan a blog space and a social media presence. “We’re creating a digital Aotearoa for rangatahi all around the world to explore.”

  Giving international students a sense of belonging

  Kim is proud of how much he has achieved since arriving in Auckland as a shy 14-year-old, and grateful for the support he has received from his New Zealand friends. “Working alongside them has been amazing and allowed me to gain so much more confidence. Now we’ve come up with this idea on how to help international students, it’s really strengthened our relationship as a team. “Our business motto is ‘Encouraging Connections’ and that sums up our goals,” says Mackenzie. “It’s about building bridges and supporting international students, giving them a sense of belonging and a great future in New Zealand.”

• Applying for visas online

  The new system, Immigration ONLINE (also known by its project name as the Immigration Global Management System or IGMS), enables a student to first create a profile and an account that’s unique to them, and then answer questions or provide information to make a visa application in the following tabs: Identity > Contact Details > Study Details > Financial Support > Health Details > Character Details > Education & Work History > Other details.

  A student is then able to upload documents relevant to their application, pay online, declare what they have provided is accurate and true and then submit their application.

  Behind the scenes, the online application process is ‘situationally aware’, only serving up questions relevant to the user. For example male applicants won’t be asked any health questions relating to pregnancy.

  There’s also the ability to answer questions via drop-down lists; populate qualifications-related fields with information driven by New Zealand Qualifications Authority data; and auto save as you go - so you can come back and finish the application later.

  Further functionality includes contextual ‘help’ information if users need more information about a specific question, and alerts to prompt the user to complete any missed mandatory information.

  Applicants can upload their photo which will be run through the new face biometric matching engine in Immigration ONLINE.

  The online application will result in more complete applications being submitted, removing some of the issues experienced with paper based forms, such as unanswered questions or missing supporting documents.

  From the INZ side, Immigration Officers will be able to see the online application and supporting documents on AMS and the new Document Management System. If further information is required, the Immigration Officer can email the applicant and request the information. The applicant then returns to their account and uploads what’s been requested.

  People who are unable to apply online will still be able to apply via a Visa Application Centre or by mail onshore.

  INZ’s next step will be to demonstrate the student visa online application to a representative set of end users building on feedback already received.  The goal for these sessions will be to verify usability and seek feedback on surrounding business processes.

  While the online student visa application service was scheduled to go live in late-2013, it will now be rolled out in 2014 (exact timing to be confirmed) so the system can be further tested and refined to ensure the end product is highly secure, robust and effective.

  For further information, please read the frequently asked questions for education providers here.

• Student voice 2014

  Twenty six current and former international students came together from all around New Zealand to share their personal education experience about their time studying here.

  The first afternoon was all about fun and getting to know each other - a Matariki-themed scavenger hunt around Te Papa followed by a burger-making masterclass on a classic Kiwi BBQ and rounded off with a delicious pavlova decorating competition.

  The second day focused on workshops where students shared their New Zealand education stories. We wanted to find out what went well, and not so well, and where improvements could be made to increase satisfaction of international students experiences while in New Zealand.

  The workshops provided a platform for participants to provide advice to other international students, to hear their take on common statements and beliefs that are associated with education in New Zealand, and to network with international students from across the country.

  “I got to meet new people from all parts of the world and make new friends. I also felt the ENZ values our opinions and reviews by giving us importance. I would like to thank ENZ for giving us this platform,” said one student after Student Voice.

  This year we involved our 160k Facebook followers in Student Voice with followers getting amongst the event by interacting with the students and making comments. You can find photos and comments on our Facebook page or search Facebook for #NZstudentvoice2014.

  “It was a great experience. And I learned a lot from other students’ experience. And now I understand that I wasn’t the only one to experience difficulties initially in New Zealand.”

• Rosehill College and Te Hihi primary school partnership thrives

  Just ten minutes down the road, Te Hihi School is a full primary school in rural Karaka with around 200 students and 17 staff. Rosehill College has a well-established international student programme and Te Hihi is just starting out.

  “In the past we have had the odd Korean student come to our school, but with Anne’s help we have developed an international student business plan, I’ve been to an ENZ fair in Guangzhou and we’ve hosted a study group from Taiwan,” says Kevin Bush, principal at Te Hihi School.

  Anne Henwood is the Director of International Students at Rosehill College and she takes Te Hihi’s marketing material with her whenever she goes overseas.

  “Our relationship with Te Hihi school is a real pleasure – and it makes good sense,” says Anne.

  “As well as offering families a pathway for their child from primary to secondary education, our relationship shows we have strong connection with the local community and a serious commitment to our children.”

  With a pathway through to Rosehill College, a Te Hihi School student can stay within the area and possibly with the same homestay family for the full course of their schooling in New Zealand.

  Kevin has also noticed the benefit of having international students in the school on his Kiwi students.

  “In August we had a year 8 short term study group come from Taiwan for five weeks – our children had their eyes opened as they got to know children from another culture. Asia is an area that they don’t get a lot of exposure to but going forward as a country, Asia is going to be important to them as adults,” says Kevin.

  “The children that come to New Zealand on their own show remarkable resilience. The friendships that they make while they are here, especially if they stay on for secondary school, are likely to last a lifetime – providing valuable global connections for our children.”

  In June, Anne hosted a visit by an agent from Guangzhou who spent the morning at Rosehill and the afternoon at Te Hihi.

  “The agent really enjoyed her visit and it was great to show her both schools in one day, to demonstrate the strength of our working relationship and what we have to offer as a package,” says Anne.

  “Back in her office in China she will have a much better understanding of our education system and everything we have to offer when she is talking to parents about sending their child to New Zealand.”

  Marketing as a team is a long term proposition that will only bear fruit over time. As principal of a small rural school, Kevin is realistic about their capacity for international students.

  “I’m planning for around six international students to come to Te Hihi over the next couple of years which seems like a low target but I am excited by the diversity even a small number of students will bring to our school,” says Kevin.

  Anne agrees saying: “International students bring culture and diversity, as well as a willingness to learn, to be part of the whole English environment.”

  “Some Rosehill students may never get the opportunity to travel so the experience they get at school with other cultures becomes very important.”

• International Student Barometer results

  In the 15 April issue of E-News we reported on the results of the International Student Barometer (ISB) survey of international students studying in the English language and PTE sectors.

  ENZ commissioned ISB surveys of students at universities and Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITP) to investigate the decision-making, expectations, perceptions and experiences of over 8,000 international students enrolled with these providers. 

  The surveys feature a global benchmark which indicate how New Zealand compares to other countries offering similar levels of study. Satisfaction can also be compared to previous ISB surveys in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013.

  The good news is that overall satisfaction in the university and ITP sectors is high.

  Eighty-eight percent of ITP students surveyed were satisfied with their experience. This on par with the global benchmark and the 2013 survey. ITP students showing the highest satisfaction level were from South Africa (100 percent), Nepal (98 percent) and Sri Lanka (96 percent).

  Satisfaction at universities is also in line with the global benchmark, improving by two percent since 2013, to reach 90 percent. University students who were the most satisfied with their experience included those from Sri Lanka (98 percent), Tonga (96 percent), and England (95 percent).

  Across the board, four out of five students would recommend their institution to other students thinking of studying there.

  It’s worth noting that overall satisfaction levels vary noticeably by institution and by nationality. Each institution has received their own results to analyse and help inform the development of services and support for their student cohorts. It is important for institutions to be aware of their students’ expectations and needs - in particular, understanding and addressing the needs of the 20 percent of students who would not recommend their institution to others.  

  Generally speaking, the areas with lowest student satisfaction tend to be around costs, employment/employability and social life; many elements of which are issues for international students globally, not just in New Zealand.

  One particular point for New Zealand institutions to keep in mind is the relatively high importance students place on employment/employability factors – both during and after study. Focusing attention on aspects such as work experience and placements, learning that facilitates students’ employability, and careers advice, will help avoid a mismatch between expectations and reality in this area. It will also boost the reputations of both the institution and New Zealand education. 

  You can read the ISB ITP summary report and sector presentation.

  Read the ISB university summary report and sector presentation.

  i-Graduate’s New Zealand Director, Kyla Steenhart, presented overall findings from the ISB surveys at the New Zealand International Education Conference 2015 in Hamilton in August. Check out her presentation regarding all four sector surveys here.

• Bollywood star Sidharth Malhotra in conversation with Indian international students in Auckland

  The star took time out of his very busy schedule to chat to Indian international students in Auckland.

  Students from AUT University, Massey University, Media Design School, Unitec, and the University of Auckland came into school on a Sunday to ask the star their most burning questions.

  Sidharth’s debut film Student of the Year was about university students, so he relished the opportunity to be back on campus at the University of Auckland’s Business School.

  The students were keen to learn how they, too, could go on to become big successes. He advised them to never lose sight of their career goals.  

   “Always write down your target and keep your focus on it. Be confident, and always say yes to opportunities,” he said.

  The students were particularly inspired by Sidharth as he is not from a Bollywood family and got his foot in the film industry door by working behind the scenes.

  He stressed the importance of working while studying as, for him, this was a key way to build up professional networks as well as learning new skills.

  As a former professional rugby player for the Delhi Hurricanes, Sidharth was very interested to hear from three New Zealand India Sports Scholarships students who were in the crowd.

  Scholarship recipients Surabhi Date and Ketaki Khare have been leading women’s rugby in India for the past five years. Surabhi, a sport and exercise science student at AUT University was the youngest captain in the Asian women’s rugby circuit at just 19 years old and played in the first Indian sevens team. While Ketaki a sports coaching student at Unitec was a founding member of India’s first female rugby squad and the first Indian woman to win an international rugby scholarship.

  Sidharth and the rugby players shared their desire to push rugby as a sport in India, particularly among women, and see more high quality rugby grounds be developed in the country.

  Kritika Bhasin, a sport management student at Unitec, asked Sidharth about the sports he plays in his spare time, apart from rugby (tennis, swimming and basketball for those who are interested!).

  The interaction ended with a raucous applause as Sidharth revealed he would be supporting the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup. The next day he met with the Prime Minister John Key who gave him an All Blacks jersey.

  

  The event has been picked up extensively in the Indian media and Sidharth has posted about it to his 2.4 million Twitter followers.

  A big thanks to the institutions who pulled out all the stops to make this event happen at very short notice.

• New Zealand’s education story screening in Colombia

  ENZ Senior Communications Advisor, Rose O’Connor, had the pleasure of spending a week with a television crew from Colombia recently, during which New Zealand turned on the very best of its crisp and sparkly autumn weather, and Christchurch treated the group to an impressive display of flame-coloured trees.

  

  L-R: Cameraman, Jimmy Torres Bravo; Producer, Viviana Arjona Parra; Presenter/Director, Alavaro Velez Isaza; Kiwi UC student Hapi Tohiariki; and Colombian UC student Daniel Trocez enjoyed the spectacle of the Crusaders’ victory over the Reds

  The warm Aotearoa welcome was matched by the warmth and generosity of the stars of the show – Natascha Diaz, a PhD student at Auckland University of Technology; and Daniel Trochez, a B. Comm. student at the University of Canterbury. Natascha and Daniel invited us in to their lives and shared their stories with us, and the participating institutions opened their doors and allowed the crew to capture footage of the campuses that will enable a rich story to be told.

  From a backyard Kiwi barbecue to a Friday night rugby game; ice creams on the beach to pies in AUT’s Hikuwai Plaza; interviews with the students, their friends, homestay families and university lecturers – we were able to build a strong picture of Natascha and Daniel’s lives in New Zealand. Their stories will be told to a potential audience of 10 – 12 million in Colombia, via a popular programme called ‘Contador de Historias’ (The Storyteller). The programme is also broadcast extensively across the Americas.

  

  Alvaro being greeted with a hongi by tour guide Gaz, before heading down to Piha beach. 

  The visit was the first time in New Zealand for all members of the TV crew, and the first time out of Colombia for the young woman from our PR agency, Viviana. They all declared their love for New Zealand and vowed to return.

  The presenter/director of the show, Alavaro Velez Isaza, expressed in a recent email:

  “This was an invaluable experience that surely will be reflected in the chronicles we will see in our program Contador de Historias that our Latin American audience will appreciate, through your eyes that were ours throughout the tour.”

  

  The crew declared a preference for New Zealand’s style of coffee making!

  Visits such as this are the result of collaboration between ENZ, education providers and the students themselves. While we’re in the thick of famil-season, with both agents and media touring the country, ENZ would like to thank all those involved in their organisation and hosting. The success of such visits relies heavily on our ability to provide meaningful, relevant and high-impact programmes, and it is the support that we receive from our industry partners that helps us achieve this.

  We’ll share the link once the programme once available, but in the meantime you can follow this link to view the teaser.

• Pathway visa announced

  This is great news for our industry and one of the priority actions identified in the international education industry strategic roadmap developed in 2014.  

  The pathway student visa will allow international students to undertake up to three consecutive programmes of study with selected education providers on a single visa that is valid for up to five years. A pathway programme can be offered by a single provider, or by a group of providers. For example, a student could obtain a pathway visa to study for three consecutive years at a school, or obtain a visa to undertake a year of study at an English language institution, progress to a year-long foundation programme, and follow that with a three-year degree programme.

  Over 500 primary, secondary and tertiary institutions have been invited to participate in the 18 month pilot on the basis that they have a student visa application approval rate of 90 percent or higher for the 2014/15 financial year. A list of participating New Zealand education providers is available on the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) website.

  The 18 month pilot period started on 7 December and will enable INZ to evaluate pilot outcomes, such as student transition rates from the first to the second programme of study and how well the arrangements between education providers are working.

  Find out more about the key conditions and features of the pathway visa on the Immigration New Zealand website here.

• International Education Conference reveals new pathways to success

  The conference is an annual part of Study Auckland’s international education programme and featured speakers from throughout the industry including Ministry of Education, Education New Zealand, NZQA, The Mindlab, The University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, Howick College and Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design.

  International Education Manager Debbie Chambers says the conference provided some interesting insights and direction for the industry.

  “There’s some incredibly exciting things happening in the international education sector in Auckland with more institutions doing innovative things and thinking outside the box than ever before. It was great to be able to share some of these ideas and best practices throughout the day.”

  The conference also presented the chance for ATEED to highlight its new structure and focus for international education emphasising the strategic importance of the industry to Auckland.

  Part of this work to help grow the sector includes working in conjunction with Education New Zealand’s through its Regional Partnership Programme.

  This exciting partnership will see ATEED deliver three key projects:

  • Telling the Auckland Story – Pathways to success:  ATEED will work with the Futures Group to provide institutions and stakeholders with multi-lingual and multi-media collateral and case studies to enable them to tell Regional Auckland’s education, employment and experiential pathway success stories.

  • Enhancing the Student Experience:  Facilitate a series of events that help international students, education institutions, and employers to connect and engage in order to match their respective needs

  • Building Capability – New Product Development: Increase the capability of Auckland’s international education sector by helping them to identify a particular customer need and then develop a new education, tourism and cultural product, which will then be taken to a specific market to be sold.

  Debbie says this year’s event really highlighted what an exciting time is to be working in the international education.

  “It was heartening to see the support we have from the sector with such a great turnout of attendees and there was a real buzz throughout the whole day. You could see people were hungry for information, new ideas and ways they could work together and share best practice,” she says.

  “It was awesome to have our student ambassadors on stage. Hearing their stories about their lives in Auckland and knowing that their lives have been changed for the better as a result of studying here makes all the work we do worthwhile.”

  The Director of Marketing at ACG, Kim Harase, says, “The best Study Auckland Conference to date. It had the right mix of presentations, ranging from government agency updates to industry best practice and student experience. There was something for everyone and the Study Auckland team did an excellent job with the organisation of the event."

  Diocesan Director of International Students Simone Clark says, “It was a terrific opportunity to hear from those who are passionate about International Education and appreciate its importance to Auckland. Student satisfaction is key; it is vital that their expectations are met – not only at their chosen educational institution but in their overall experience of Auckland. The panel of current International students and their candid, honest feedback was a highlight for me.”

• International students dig deep

  The student volunteers were a mix of high school (Shirley Boys High School, St Bedes College and Riccarton High School) and university students (Ara Institute of Canterbury, Lincoln University and University of Canterbury), said Izzie Guo, Student Experience Coordinator, Canterbury International Education Leadership Accord and Christchurch Educated.

  “There was also a great mix of cultures, with students coming from China, India, Japan, Russia, Thailand, Botswana and Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Philippines, Malaysia and New Zealand,” she said.

  The students took around two hours to plant 500 native plants, including rushes and sedges.

  “The international students learned about native bush, while several locals stopped by to talk to the internationals and learn about the reasons they were in Christchurch, and how they were enjoying studying and living in New Zealand,” Izzie said.

  The event was followed by a Kiwi-style BBQ thanks to the Christchurch City Council park ranger involved, Robbie Hewson. It finished with a soccer game, where team China and Japan competed with team Russia and New Zealand.

  “After the BBQ, some of the students walked around the Sister City gardens at the quarry – they were very excited to see that the garden was built to signify the relationships between their countries and Christchurch.

  ”I had a wonderful time!” said Omar Sheta, from Egypt who is studying at Riccarton High School. “I met lovely people from different parts of the world, we volunteered together as one, chatted and played soccer together.

  "It was definitely a fun and meaningful experience for all,” said Sigred Yamit, a Filipino who is studying at the University of Canterbury.

  “Not only were we able to contribute a bit to the local gardens and community, but we also made new friends. Everyone had a great time and tons of selfies were taken at the end of the day."

  This event was supported Christchurch Educated International Student Association and Ara’s student events team.