Search

Showing 10 of 1803 results for NARSC 2016 July student registration fees

  • From the CE: A uniquely Kiwi education

    Tēnā koutou katoa –

    I’m extremely proud to have introduced ENZ’s Māori name this year: Manapou ki te Ao. It truly sums up our work and values: Manapou means supporting and sustaining life, enabling growth and progression, while ki te Ao means to the world. That’s our role in a nutshell – enabling all students to gain the skills and knowledge to grow and contribute to the world.  

    And that’s been our focus this year. Together with the sector and other government agencies, we’re working towards the goals of the International Education Strategy – to ensure students who come to New Zealand have a high-quality, uniquely Kiwi education, and that they feel welcome and flourish.  

    Here’s a roundup of some of our latest work to help achieve this:   

    We’ve been developing tools to support students while they’re studying here. Our new student-focused website NauMai NZ embodies manaakitanga. It offers practical and trusted information for students new to New Zealand, on everything from bank accounts to water safety to mental health. And it decodes the mysteries of Kiwi slang! To date more than 20,000 students have visited the site. 

    We’ve been promoting a New Zealand education through our new brand message, I Am New, which encourages students to think independently and to ask questions. Ask New Anything, our new marketing campaign, reinforces that. It’s where prospective students can ask real students real questions about what it’s like to study here, and receive an authentic, unscripted answer. Take a look at the videos on YouTube. New Zealand’s education providers and ENZ Recognised Agents are very welcome to use these resources in their own marketing. 

    Our new joint work programme with Immigration New Zealand is helping to increase numbers of decision-ready applications from students coming into the immigration system. This will help improve processing times, reduce pressure on the system and attract genuine students.  

    In addition, we’re working with stakeholders from across government, the sector and providers to ensure international education is fully considered in the vocational education reforms. We’re also working with the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) to develop a strong global marketing platform to promote New Zealand as a destination for quality vocational education. In the interim we’re working closely with ITPs to support the message to students and agents that it’s “business as usual” for international students. 

    Finally, we often talk about the benefits of international education in terms of economic, social and cultural benefits for New Zealand and New Zealanders. But for me, international education is much more than that – it’s personal.  

    That’s because I’ve been an international student and because, together with my family, we have been privileged to host several college-aged international students from Japan and to become their New Zealand family. Likewise, many of my colleagues here at ENZ have been international students or hosted students or had family members studying abroad. So, we understand first-hand manaakitanga, the richness that cultural diversity brings, and the strong and enduring bonds that are formed.  

    At the end of the day, international education is about nourishing and enriching the young manuhiri in our care as they live and study among us, far from home. 

    So in closing, I wish you and your extended families the compliments of the season and a happy New Year. I’m looking forward to working with you next year to provide a uniquely New Zealand education and experience to those choosing to study here, and to ensure more young New Zealanders take up the opportunities to study abroad. 

  • ENZ’s WeChat mini programme supports Chinese students

    There are currently more than 12,000 Chinese international students studying in New Zealand, and over 2,000 studying in China with New Zealand providers. Together, these groups make up 36 percent of NZ’s overall international student population.

    NauMai NZ was launched in May 2019.  Since then, the digital platform has had more than 9,000 students sign up, and it continues to support our international students as a key source of timely information during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    NauMai is a valuable tool for international students, but analysing usage over the past 12 months reveals most Chinese students are not engaging with the platform. These students instead prefer to interact within WeChat, a Chinese social media platform with over a billion daily users.

    To better support our international Chinese students while they are in New Zealand, ENZ has launched an alternative “mini programme” within the WeChat environment.

    ENZ Student Experience Advisor Faymie Li explains how it will make it easier for Chinese students to engage with NauMai’s content. “The NauMai NZ WeChat mini programme will better serve our Chinese student population in New Zealand for two simple reasons: it’s on a platform that they are more familiar with and frequently use, and it’s in their language."

    As well as providing students with useful information, the mini programme will also provide a platform for students to engage with each other. Students will be able to share their New Zealand life and study experience and provide peer support to others.

    ENZ is hosting our first mini programme livestream with the theme ‘how to spend your summer in New Zealand’ on 28 October.

    Know students who use WeChat? They can sign up for our first livestream and start exploring the mini programme by searching ‘新西兰留学生活指南NauMai NZ’ or by scanning the QR code below.

  • First NZ-India Education Week maintains key education connections

    The schedule of online events included panel discussions, specialist masterclasses, events with alumni, a showcase of New Zealand’s Māori culture, and a daily trivia quiz.

    Attendees included the New Zealand High Commissioner His Excellency David Pine, New Zealand and Indian academics, international staff at education providers, agents, Indian media, and government officials from both countries. ENZ’s India Team saw high audience and student engagement at the events, thanks to the online platform’s Q&A and chat functions.

    The NZ-India Education Week is part of the New Zealand Government’s Recovery Plan for the international education sector under the third stream, ‘Transforming to a more sustainable future state’.  

    “The NZ-India Education Week helped us build relationships with India’s education leaders, and keep a New Zealand education experience in the hearts and minds of our Indian students,” ENZ Regional Director – Asia, John Laxon, says.

    Indian students are the second-largest cohort of New Zealand’s overall international student population, behind only China. Pre COVID,  they had also been the fastest growing international student cohort at New Zealand universities.

    The NZ-India week builds on a number of internationalisation initiatives at a government level that will provide a platform for further growth beyond COVID-19. In February 2020 former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters attended the inauguration of the second NZ Centre in the world at Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, supported by all eight New Zealand universities.

    “We are committed to investing in New Zealand’s education links with India for the long-term,” John says. “Indian students enrich our communities and our education institutions are partnering on world-leading research projects. With all the disruption caused this year by COVID-19, it’s very important to us that we continue to strengthen our bonds with India.”

  • From the CE: Farewell to 2020

    2020 has been both the longest and shortest year of my life. It seems like no time ago we were discussing how we could get large numbers of students into New Zealand in time for semester one. Then we were in the midst of a global pandemic.

    New Zealand study providers have been admirable in their response. I applaud the way they have ensured that international students in their care have had the information, care and support they needed, especially through lockdown.

    Universities, schools and polytechnics, English language schools and private training providers have all moved incredibly quickly. Lectures, classes and assessments were moved online almost overnight.

    We heard of fantastic stories of staff members going above and beyond, like that of assistant principal of Havelock North High School, Jamie Kitchin. Jamie opened his home to student Lucas, who arrived in the country just in time for the first term of the year.

    In addition, providers and their peak bodies have been a key part of a sector-wide approach – made up of student associations, private and public providers, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations – to respond to the strategic, operational, and pastoral care issues we have faced. Hours have been spent together on Zoom discussing pragmatic responses, like the $1 million Student Hardship Fund and the pastoral care issues around repatriating international students.

    I also want to acknowledge education agents both offshore and onshore, who have been instrumental in supporting students and their families and ensuring they were safe and well.

    The challenges of 2020 have demonstrated the high calibre of international education in New Zealand.

    At Education New Zealand, we also had to rip up our plans for the year and start again.

    The 2018 New Zealand International Education Strategy had signalled that change was needed and the sector had to become more sustainable and diverse. The pandemic has accelerated that.

    Now, we are guided not only by the strategy, but by the Recovery Plan for international education, with a focus on keeping the New Zealand education brand alive, seeding innovation within the sector, strengthening the system and building on our international relationships.

    To date, the most advanced workstream within the plan is the retention of students. You can read about that elsewhere in this issue of E-News.

    Elsewhere, ENZ teams around the globe have been engaging with our offshore stakeholders through virtual events, seminars and workshops in support of our new work plan. While travel remains restricted, we’ve found that maintaining those person-to-person relationships are more important than ever.

    We’ve launched two brand campaigns (in the UK, Indonesia, Vietnam and China), to keep New Zealand alive in hearts and minds of prospective students. These campaigns have been our most successful to date. The third campaign, Tū Ngātahi, calls on New Zealanders to support international students currently in the country.

    And that’s only the beginning. I would like to echo the Minister in saying that we hope to see increased strength, resilience and innovation within international education going into 2021. The international education sector will not only weather this storm, but build back stronger.

    Make sure you take time out to enjoy with your family and friends. See you in the new year.

    Ehara taku toa I te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.

    My strength is not that of a single warrior but that of many.

    Ngā mihi,

    Grant McPherson

    Chief Executive Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao

  • Around the world in five

    NEW ZEALAND

    While You Were Away: New Zealand’s Journey to a More Inclusive International Education Experience

    This past year, issues of race and inequality have been thrust to the forefront of global consciousness amidst a pandemic that has made international travel – and education – more complex than ever. During this time, New Zealand has taken the chance to reflect on the role of international education in promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion.

    Read more

     

    GLOBAL

    How will university campuses change post-pandemic?

    In much the same way that the transition to work from home has caused corporations of all sizes to dig deep to understand the high value tasks that occur most successfully when teams gather in person, higher education may soon be shifting its campus model in response to the integration of virtual learning into its ongoing pedagogy.

    Read more

     

    GLOBAL

    International student recruitment and online communications in the age of COVID

    A round up of strategies and tips for adapting student communications for recruitment marketing during the pandemic.

    Read more

     

    AUSTRALIA

    Australia launches International Education Strategy consultation

    The Australian government is looking for input from students, educators and the higher education sector on a new strategy for international education in Australia.

    Read more

     

    CHINA

    China to tighten grip on edtech industry and online learning

    China’s Ministry of Education announced on March 31 that education departments should limit the times at which primary and secondary school students take part in online learning to ensure they are getting enough sleep.

    Read more

  • Feedback from education agents opens up conversation on how ENZ can better support them

    Over half (57 per cent) of those surveyed are members of the ENZ Recognised Agency (ENZRA) programme.

    The survey, a cross-team ENZ initiative, was a useful opportunity to open up a conversation with agents and to continue to support them while borders remain closed.

    Over 40 per cent of agents surveyed said that that 75 to 100 per cent of their business activities had changed or reduced due to the pandemic. Agents also reported experiencing a reduction of staff, closed branches and transitioning to fully remote operations.

    ENZ-supported webinars, online and hybrid events were most valuable to agents, followed closely by digital collateral and marketing material, support for student-facing activities, B2B events with education providers and training.

    On training needs, 60 per cent of agents surveyed said that they would like to receive training on student visa application processes, 50 per cent were keen on hearing about New Zealand education providers and their offering, while 40 per cent were keen for more professional development training.

    Videos, templates (including banners and PowerPoint presentations), student testimonials and brochures were reported to be the marketing tools that agents find most useful.

    ENZ’s Manager – Education Agents, Geneviève Rousseau Cung, says the survey is a key component of ENZ’s agent engagement plan as part of the Government’s Recovery Plan for International Education.

    “Insights from the survey will allow ENZ to develop activities, tailored communications and training initiatives that are best aligned with agent needs, which in turn, will also inform and result in better outcomes for education providers.

    “Seeing how the agent engagement plan is linked closely to the longer-term recovery of international education, it is crucial that we check in with our agents on a regular basis,” Geneviève says.

    The current plan has three areas of focus – supporting the ENZ Recognised Agencies Activity Fund in New Zealand and offshore with marketing initiatives, driving the agent engagement plan through a range of initiatives, and ongoing recognition of the role of education agents.

    For enquiries:

    Keep an eye out for the full results from the Agent Survey in the next issue of ENZ’s The Insight Story, due out in early May.

  • Advice for international education staff navigating counselling for their students

    Due to issues that have been raised with ENZ, we thought it would be a good idea to clarify that any student who needs support should reach out to the services available. INZ advises that accessing counselling is unlikely to be an immigration issue.

    The past year of the pandemic has put a huge amount of stress and strain onto everyone, including international students.

    It is more important than ever that international students access support services such as counselling if they need to.

    Immigration New Zealand (INZ) supports ENZ in this important message – students should seek out counselling when they need it.

    When applying for a new visa, students do have to declare details of ongoing healthcare they require – including what the treatment is, what it is for, the degree of treatment and how their condition is being managed.

    A student does not need to declare that they have had counselling as part of their visa application unless they have significant mental health issues that require hospital care.  

    “In recent weeks, we’ve heard from members of the sector that some international students are shying away from seeking support because they’re afraid it’ll affect their current or future visas,” ENZ Director – Student Experience & Global Citizens, Sahinde Pala, said.

    “The past 12 months has been an incredibly challenging period for everyone. Students out there feeling stressed or missing their loved ones at home should know that they are not alone.”

  • Reconnecting New Zealanders to the world

    Where does international education fit in?

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a plan to reconnect New Zealanders to the world in 2022. 

    This framework is based on being able to maintain the elimination strategy, alongside a high coverage of vaccination, strong confidence in our system and a phased approach to opening the border.

    Read the Prime Minister’s announcement in full | Reconnecting New Zealand to the world on Unite Against COVID-19 site

    The key points of this plan are: 

    • To continue to speed up New Zealand’s vaccination rollout, and move to six weeks between doses so that more New Zealanders have immunity sooner.
    • Phased approach to reopening border in the second half of 2021, and set up of new testing and vaccine checking systems at the border.
    • Move to new, risk-based border settings that will establish low, medium and high-risk pathways into the country.

    New Zealand’s ability to reconnect with the world depends on these factors being successful.

    At this early stage, we can’t provide detail or any degree of certainty for students looking to apply for study in or book travel to New Zealand.

    Many New Zealand institutions are now offering new ways to study. If you’re wondering which study option might be right for you, visit Study With New Zealand New Ways of Learning.

    We suggest that agents, students and their families wait until policy announcements are made before booking any travel to study in New Zealand. We could expect to see more clarity on this later in the year.

     

    FAQs 

    When will New Zealand open up to the world?

    Work continues on developing the requirements for a phased approach to Reconnecting New Zealanders to the rest of the world in 2022. We could expect to see more clarity on this later in 2021.

    Read more about the next steps to reconnecting New Zealanders to the world.

    What do we know about timeframes for international students returning to New Zealand?

    While we are pleased to note that a number of international students have been able to return to New Zealand under the current class exceptions, we aren’t able to provide exact timeframes for a large-scale return for international students and providers.

    Managing our border doesn’t mean conditions will stay exactly as they are now, but it does mean that there are likely to be restrictions and requirements in place until at least December 2022.

    Can students apply for semester 1 2022 study?

    We would currently advise students not to plan for study in New Zealand for semester 1, 2022.

    Please note offshore temporary visa application lodgements are currently suspended till February 2022 and this may be extended. 

    International student class exceptions are a key priority for the Government, but we can’t predict timing on when a further cohort might be announced, or what MIQ capacity may look like at the time.

    Will the phased border approach outlined in the Reconnecting New Zealanders to the World announcements affect the temporary suspension of offshore visa application lodgements?

    The Government continues work on developing the requirements for a phased approach to Reconnecting New Zealanders to the rest of the world in 2022.  As such, no decisions have been made yet on how the border plan might affect offshore visa application lodgements.

    What is the Government’s position generally regarding international education?

    Despite the severity and complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our ongoing commitment to its elimination strategy, the New Zealand Government remains committed to a thriving international education sector. 

    In a recent meeting with the international education sector, the Minister of Education highlighted the New Zealand Government’s support for the continued safe return of international students to New Zealand, when the time is right.

    How does the border approach affect the students coming into New Zealand under the border exception classes?

    It doesn’t. Existing processes for students to enter the country under existing border exception classes (the 250 PhD and postgraduate cohort and the 1000 bachelor's degree and above cohort) will remain in place.

    Read about the two international student border exceptions classes on the Immigration New Zealand website.

    How will New Zealand determine which countries are low, medium or high-risk?

    The government is currently working through how it will determine this.

    How will the phased border approach affect Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ)?

    Vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries will not be required to go through managed isolation facilities.

    Vaccinated travellers from medium-risk countries will have modified isolation requirements, the details of which are still to be worked through.

    Unvaccinated travellers and all travellers from high-risk countries will need to undergo 14 days in MIQ.

    Read more on the next steps of reconnecting New Zealanders to the world

    Would lockdowns in New Zealand affect the timing of the phased border approach?

    The New Zealand Government is committed to the elimination strategy and the successful rollout of vaccines. New Zealand’s border approach depends on our ability to stamp out clusters of COVID-19 as they arise, so there is some possibility that further lockdowns may delay the border approach.

    Will international students in New Zealand continue to receive free COVID-19 healthcare?

    Yes. Vaccines are available to everyone in New Zealand (12 years and over) free of charge. This includes international students.

    Read more about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout on the Ministry of Health website.

    All publicly funded COVID-19 related care – including testing, treatment and vaccinations – is provided to anyone who needs it, free of charge. 

  • Kia noho haumaru – stay safe

    The uncertainties of COVID-19 continue to impact us all. With Auckland into its fifth week at Alert Level 4, and the rest of New Zealand operating under Delta 2, looking after our collective wellbeing is more important than ever.

    We know that while many international students are doing well, others may be struggling with the demands of the pandemic both here in Aotearoa New Zealand and on their families and friends overseas. I’d like to acknowledge the continued hard work by staff members, student associations, homestay providers and others supporting international students over the past 20 months – thank you for your incredible manaakitanga.

    If you work with and support international students, please find some resources below that might be useful to complement your mahi.

    The NauMai NZ COVID-19 page (in English and simplified Chinese) is currently updated almost daily, providing trusted information for international students on alert level settings, vaccinations, health and wellbeing resources, support options and more.  This information is also replicated on the NauMai NZ WeChat mini programme.

    Other resources include:

    New content continues to be added to NauMai NZ. We recently added a new video welcome to the homepage, and we encourage you to share with your networks to raise awareness of the platform. 

    Finally, I want to acknowledge that this week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week. The 2021 theme is ‘Kia kaha te Reo Māori’ (let’s make the Māori language strong). You can find resources, videos and inspiration at https://www.reomaori.co.nz/.

    On that note, I’d like to leave you with one of our favourite whakataukī (proverbs):

    Ko te manu e kai ana te miro, nōna te ngahere. Engari, ko te manu e kai I te mātauranga, nōna te ao. The bird that consumes the miro berry, owns the forest. However, the bird that consumes learning, owns the world.

    Ngā mihi,

    Sahinde Pala

    Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao Director Student Experience & Global Citizens

  • New student forum for NauMai NZ WeChat mini programme

    Education New Zealand’s NauMai NZ platform is designed to inform, support and empower international students.

    A WeChat mini programme – an app designed for the WeChat ecosystem popular with Chinese students – has extended NauMai NZ’s reach, attracting over 12,000 users in its first year.

    The NauMai NZ WeChat mini programme helps students make the most of their New Zealand experience, with advice on everything from finding a part-time job and knowing their rental rights to looking after their wellbeing and understanding Kiwi English. There are also stories from students about their lives – for instance, people sharing ideas on what to do during their summer in New Zealand.

    “We know that Chinese students prefer to connect with each other in their language, on the WeChat channel they trust,” says Faymie Li, Senior Advisor for Student Experience at ENZ.

    “We’re delighted to see how much they enjoy this digital platform and how quickly it’s growing. It’s great to be able to connect Chinese students to each other and to people who’re willing to help them out.”

    The WeChat mini programme has now run six livestreams hosted by experts, alumni and current international students on topics including employability, how to grow your network, and mental health and wellbeing. Students tuning in to watch can use the chat feature to ask questions.

    The livestreams have attracted a total of nearly 3,000 live views with over 18,000 engagements during the live events and, so far, more than 1,000 views afterwards.

    The WeChat mini programme has now added a new forum so that Chinese students and alumni can better share their life and study experiences and support one another. The text-based, moderated forum allows students to have their questions answered by their peers.

    A group of international students have signed on as ambassadors for the WeChat forum, including alumni from the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia programme. One of the forum ambassadors, Mengdi Zhang, says she’s looking forward to connecting with newer students.

    “I am excited to be a student ambassador so that any students with unresolved questions can reach out. I can see my own past in the students’ questions, and I hope to help them through to a better experience in New Zealand,” she said.

    If you would like to know more about the NauMai NZ WeChat mini programme, contact faymie.li@enz.govt.nz. You can share it with others using the WeChat QR code.

What's in it for me?