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• Thai travel advisory

  On 22 May 2014, the Royal Thai Army announced that the military had taken control of the government of Thailand. Some travel insurance policies may exclude cover during a coup d'etat and some cover provided under travel insurance policies may be invalid.

  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website, Safe Travel, provides the latest advisories on travel to Thailand.

  Education New Zealand is closely monitoring the situation in Thailand and will advise providers intending to participate in the New Zealand Education Fair on 20 September no later than 27 June whether this event will proceed.  

  Thailand is an important market for New Zealand, so we are also considering investing additional resources in digital channels to keep building awareness of New Zealand and support ENZ’s in-country Market Development Manager Nan Lertrasameewong.

  This includes increasing investment in search engine marketing and building our Facebook activity.

  If the planned event in September does not go ahead, Education New Zealand will also investigate running a virtual fair in Thailand and running a Thailand-specific campaign that directs enquiries to local agents.

  Nan has been working with many providers over the last few months to build relationships with education authorities and agents outside of Bangkok. We are seeing the results of that in the form of increased student numbers from Thailand to New Zealand, which grew 6 per cent in 2013. It is important to keep these relationships going through this time of uncertainty.  

  We encourage New Zealand providers to stay in touch with their Thai agents to maintain relationships.

• International education reports released

  New Zealand International Education Snapshot: 2013 Full Year Report

  This report combines the latest enrolment and student visa data to present a snapshot of the international education industry for 2013 and trends seen so far in 2014.

  Download the report here

  The Business Growth Agenda Leadership Statement for International Education – Progress Update

  The Business Growth Agenda Leadership Statement for International Education – Progress Update sets out progress, since 2011, in achieving the goals of the Leadership Statement for International Education, the key actions by government, and ongoing work to support the growth of international education.

  Download the report from the publications webpage

  The Leadership Statement for International Education – Progress Update falls within the ‘Building Export Markets’ input of the Business Growth Agenda. Read more about the Business Growth Agenda on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s website

• 10,000 milestone marks new heights
  “Our story has more impact when we tell it together,” says Kathryn McCarrison, Education New Zealand’s General Manager of Marketing and Channel Development. “That there are now more than 10,000 pieces of our material in circulation internationally is a great sign for the developing strength of New Zealand’s education brand.”
   
  An online toolkit of marketing materials, known as The Brand Lab, was launched in November 2013 to make tools to promote New Zealand education more readily available. “I’d like to thank the New Zealand education providers, agents and New Zealand officials offshore who’ve so quickly used these resources to complement their marketing efforts,” says Kathryn.
   
  “While our brand awareness is increasing, especially in China and India, we still have a long way to go in comparison to our better known competitors, so please keep telling your friends and contacts about what’s available to help their recruitment and sales efforts.”
   
  “The sharper we look together, the greater the impact we’ll all have when introducing New Zealand to prospective students and their parents.
   
  “We’re also fortunate to have a large pool of resources to draw on,” says Kathryn. “As well as The Brand Lab, the New Zealand Story and Tourism New Zealand’s media resources can all be used to promote New Zealand abroad, paving the way for people to introduce their product, service or school in more detail.”
   
  The Brand Lab is home to over 1,000 education-related assets ranging from royalty-free photos to a brochure series about New Zealand education available in nine different languages. More than 1,500 people from 60 nations around the world have downloaded digital assets so far, with the most frequent users being New Zealand institutions, international agents and Education New Zealand offshore staff.
   
  It’s free to use and download materials, following a simple request process to ensure brand guidelines are understood.
   
  The most popular downloads so far include the New Zealand Education Story video, the Think New education brochures, a directory of Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority’s multilingual student guides.
   
  Kathryn says The Brand Lab will continue to expand and grow. “We recently asked our industry what they needed next so coming up soon are new photos, videos and a digital toolkit to promote studying in New Zealand online.”

• International Students Support Framework

  I-graduate surveys show that we do a good job with supporting international students, exceeding the international benchmark in many areas.

  But we also know that international students are at times overloaded with information which can be inconsistent and are looking for a more coordinated, thorough, and targeted approach to the information they receive.

  The Ministry of Education is leading a cross-government agency initiative to develop an International Students Support Framework to ensure that government information and support for international students is well coordinated with the support which providers deliver.

  Government agencies provide a wide range of information to international students and services where necessary, helping communities, sectors and other relevant bodies to create a good support network for international students in New Zealand.

  A variety of organisations including education agents, education providers, community bodies and local government also provide support and we need to work together to ensure we are meeting international students’ information needs.

  Once government agencies have shaped what the Framework may entail in terms of government initiatives, wide consultation is planned with sector bodies, education providers, international students, student bodies, local governments, community organisations, and other stakeholders.

  Consultation will seek feedback on:

  • government roles and responsibilities, including proposed initiatives

  • current practice outside of government departments

  • developing a directory of information and support services for international students throughout New Zealand

  • what is missing or could be done better.

   A process and timeline for feedback on the draft framework will be advised in the coming months.

• Bold gaokao reforms announced

  The changes will see the removal of streaming – a policy which has been in place since 1957 – allowing students greater flexibility in subject choices to count toward their final score. Higher education admission processes are also slated to change.

  Common subjects remain

  Under the current gaokao system, students must study Chinese language, maths and a foreign language (usually, but not exclusively, English). Students will continue to study these common subjects.

  While the three common subjects will be tested at a ‘unified date’, many provinces will allow students to take two separate exams for English and submit their best result.

  Streaming abolished

  The reforms will remove the policy of streaming students into the arts stream or the science stream in their second year of senior high school. Instead, students will study a mix of arts and science subjects.

  More subjects introduced

  As well as the three common subjects, the reforms will see students study 11 others. The 11 subject areas will likely vary between provinces.

  While students must study all 11 subjects, only three results from six identified subjects – history, geography, politics, chemistry, biology and physics – will count toward their overall gaokao score. The three results may be a student’s best results and/or be from subject areas which align well with their future study plans.

  The 11 subjects will be assessed based on a ranking system, with students awarded a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ grade. How the rankings will be converted into scores for the overall gaokao score is an area that will be clarified through implementation plans.

  These changes will likely see students prioritise particular subjects based on their future study plans.

  Change in admission processes

  The admission processes of China’s higher education institutions will also change. The reforms encourage institutions to adopt a multidimensional enrolment system; to look beyond a singular focus on gaokao results to include ‘academic performance’ and ‘overall qualities’ in their assessments.

  With the removal of streaming, it is likely that Chinese higher education institutions will provide students with greater clarity as to the subject requirements they must meet to apply for specific fields of study – for example, a higher score in politics may be more important for students seeking to study law than biology.

  Another change relates to the ‘extra points’ policy. This policy saw students with strengths in sports or artistic pursuits awarded bonus points for the gaokao and thus a better chance of entering top universities. This policy will be removed from 2015.

  Implementation

  The China Ministry of Education has designated Shanghai municipality and Zhejiang province as pilot areas for the reforms. Implementation will begin later this year for first year students at senior high schools.

  Both Shanghai and Zhejiang are expected to publish implementation plans in the coming months which will outline in greater detail how the reforms will be implemented.

  The reforms will be rolled out nationwide from 2017 and are expected to be fully implemented by 2020.

  Rationale for the change

  The reforms follow the significant debate across China about the education system’s ‘fitness for purpose’ in an era where innovation is essential for the next phase of China’s economic development.

  The reforms seek to address common criticisms of the gaokao. As Vice Minister of Education Du Yubo said, “to put it simply, we are trying to solve the problem of yi kao ding zhong shen (one exam determines one's entire life)”.

  Greater international recognition likely

  The reforms will likely stimulate an increase in the number of tertiary institutions around the world accepting gaokao for admission into degree programmes. A growing number of institutions already accept gaokao results, including seven of Australia’s Group of Eight universities.

  Education New Zealand has been working with Universities New Zealand on the acceptance of gaokao results for direct entry. We are interested in hearing from all New Zealand providers which do currently or are considering direct entry on the basis of gaokao. Email us at china@enz.govt.nz.

• NZ agricultural innovation on show in Colombia

  Tru-Test, Gallagher, ISL Animal Health and Livestock Improvement Corporation showcased their world-leading pasture-based farming technologies, while we talked about the opportunities for agricultural training available in New Zealand.

  “It was another great opportunity for the NZ Inc team based in Santiago to work together,” said ENZ’s Market Development Manager Javiera Visedo.

  “I was able to talk with prospective students for the agriculture sector who were thinking about where to study and having New Zealand companies and technology there really answered the question of ‘why New Zealand?’."

  “Now that I have participated in this event for the first time, I hope that next time we can have a couple of institutions along that can talk with students face-to-face,” said Javiera.

  NZTE’s Trade Commissioner responsible for Colombia, Rhianon Berry said the goal of the expo was to show local producers how New Zealand’s agricultural innovation can be an important ally to increase productivity and efficiency in Colombian pastures.

  "In recent years, Colombia has aroused the significant interest of New Zealand companies due to its great potential for doing business in the agricultural sector, in particular in the conversion of pastures into proteins, an area in which New Zealand has extensive knowledge," explains Berry.

  New Zealand is experiencing a significant period of growth in numbers of Colombian students coming here to study. In the year to date student visas issued have increased by 120 percent, with the majority of the increase occurring in the PTE sector which accounts for 79 percent of all Colombian students who come to New Zealand. 

• INZ support invaluable

  The active participation of INZ staff in offshore international education marketing events is particularly appreciated, enabling the latest immigration and visa information to be provided to prospective students, their parents, education agents and members of the general public. 

  We were very well supported recently by Cat Beach, Immigration Manager based in Shanghai, at a series of international education marketing events in Japan and South Korea. Cat travelled with ENZ staff and New Zealand institutions to September events in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and Busan.

  She presented immigration updates to Japanese and Korean education agents, immigration seminars to attendees at the Seoul Korea Study Abroad Fair, and fielded enquiries from students, parents, and New Zealand institutions participating in the fairs and marketing events. 

   “Visas are at the front end when it comes to enabling a student to study in New Zealand. People often think that visa processes are difficult, so it’s really great to outline to them how easy it is to apply,” says Cat.

  “I also enjoy connecting with the New Zealand providers, as it makes the work INZ does very tangible. And of course whenever I participate in ENZ’s marketing events, it always reminds me of how beautiful New Zealand is and what we have to offer.  It makes me completely homesick!”

  ENZ Regional Director Lisa Futschek says: “Working seamlessly with INZ at our recent Japan and Korea marketing events was mutually reinforcing. Our international education sector was able to benefit from Cat’s extensive knowledge on visa and immigration matters, and INZ was able to experience first-hand the preoccupations of Japanese and Koreans considering a move to New Zealand.  A surprising number of guests to the fairs enquired about emigration to New Zealand under the skilled migrant and skills shortages categories.”

  

• Enrolments on the rise

  “These are exciting times for our international education industry – a 12 percent increase in enrolments means just over 10,000 more students from all around the globe have come to New Zealand for a world-class education,” says John Goulter, Acting Chief Executive, Education New Zealand.

  “International education is vital to strengthening New Zealand’s economic and social links with the world. Every student takes home a quality qualification and an unforgettable experience, raising the profile of New Zealand in communities in all corners of the world.”

  International education brings in $2.85 billion a year which makes it the country’s fifth most valuable export industry.

  The International Education Snapshot Report: January to August 2014 is available here.

• Manawatu hosts agents

  “A successful famil tour provides a holistic experience for the agents, and gives them first-hand knowledge and experience from which to recommend Palmerston North and Manawatu to prospective students and parents,” said Lesley McDonald, Co-Chair of International Education Manawatu (IEM).

  “We decided that we would split the agents into two groups – those focussed on the tertiary sector and those on the secondary sector. That way, the agents in each group could focus on their specific sector and spend more time at the relevant institutions,” said Lesley.

  The agent visit was timed to coincide with the Massey University graduation ceremony, demonstrating the successful outcome of study.

  To give them a taste of the Manawatu student lifestyle, the agents stayed with homestay families in the region.

  “We recognised that international education is more than the study experience – it also includes a safe lifestyle, leisure activities, internship and part-time employment opportunities which lead to residency and employment.”

  “The agents saw the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform at the Regent Theatre in Palmerston North and had a trip to Wellington. One agent even stayed on an extra day to take part in a tour of Wairarapa wineries!”

  For the visiting agents the visit was an immersion in what it’s like to live and study in Palmerston North and the Manawatu region, and for the education providers it was a chance to showcase the best their institution and the region has to offer.

  For both, it was an invaluable relationship-building experience.

  “We have received very positive feedback from the visiting agents who wish to build on the relationships with the educational providers that they met and interacted with”, said Lesley.

  To fund the agent visit a cross-sector group of education providers – all members of IEM – pooled their resources, with some additional funding was provided by Education New Zealand’s Regional Agent Funding programme.

• Hawke's Bay pilots regional approach

  This follows the development of an international education growth strategy for the region and is expected to achieve growth in the value of international students in the region – up to 25 percent by mid-2017.

  ENZ Business Development Manager Mary Camp says, “The pilot is part of ENZ’s Regional Partnership Programme, and will deliver key outcomes from the strategic roadmaps developed by the international education industry in 2014. ENZ is committed to supporting the development and growth of international education in the regions of New Zealand.”

  The funding is being used to create a role to implement the Hawkes Bay International Education Strategy.  Stephanie Kennard has recently been appointed to that role, working alongside Vicki Berkahn who has led the project through the initial stages.  Stephanie says, “The Education Hawke’s Bay initiative will provide schools and institutions alike with the ability to collaborate and create real growth.  I am looking forward to working alongside the members and the fantastic institutions they represent.”

  The first phase of the pilot will deliver activities including a Japanese agent tour, market research, the translation of marketing material and the set-up of a revenue monitoring framework. It will also scope the development of shared services such as management of value-added homestay packages and adventure education experiences.

  Hastings District Council has taken a strong leadership role. Economic and Social Development Manager Steve Breen says, “Progressing the collaborative aspect of regional economic development is something where Hastings District Council can add value.  International student attraction is a key project for our region’s economic development.”

  Education Hawkes Bay anticipates the business model will be self-sustaining by the end of 2017. ENZ will share successful elements of the model in other regions.