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Showing 10 of 1954 results for NARSC 2016 conference registration fees student pre advance late July 2016

New Zealand star of the show in leading Brazilian international education magazine

In late April, the Consulate-General of New Zealand in São Paulo welcomed professionals from the international education sector for the launch of Belta's magazine ei – International Education. The event served to celebrate New Zealand as the magazine's feature country and was attended by government officials and Brazilians who studied in New Zealand institutions and now hold prominent positions in their professional fields.

Belta (Brazilian Language and Travel Association) brings together the leading Brazilian agencies offering travel programmes focused on international education. Agents associated with Belta are recognised for the safety and excellence of the services they provide to students.

The New Zealand delegation from Universities New Zealand, composed of representatives from five of the country's eight universities, and CAPES LATAM were present at the Consulate for the magazine launch event during their stay in Brazil for strategic meetings at FAUBAI 2024, Brazil's largest conference focusing on higher education.

ENZ’s Bruna Natale with the delegates from New Zealand.

Belta's publication is a quality reference for those seeking information about studying abroad. It is published annually and serves as a guide for those interested in experiencing international education. It is distributed at exchange fairs, travel agencies, and schools throughout the year. This is the third time that Belta's magazine has featured New Zealand's international education on its cover.

The guests were welcomed by the Ambassador of New Zealand in Brazil, Richard Prendergast, the market development manager of Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) in Brazil, Bruna de Natale, and Belta's president, Alexandre Argenta.

"Aotearoa New Zealand is open to Brazilian students, offering excellent education, institutions that prepare for future challenges, and a great quality of life, with safe cities and a friendly population," said Ambassador Prendergast at the event's opening.

Guests watch Ambassador Richard Prendergast’s speech.

Bruna de Natale states, "Highlighting New Zealand education in Belta's magazine is essential for Brazilians to be aware of the quality of education offered in Aotearoa New Zealand." Bruna also emphasises that "the magazine directly engages with the audience interested in studying abroad, reaching exchange fairs and agencies from all regions of Brazil, so it is a strategic visibility for positioning the quality of New Zealand education."

Representatives from exchange agencies who attended the reception conversed with members of the Universities New Zealand delegation and Brazilians who had studied in New Zealand.

"We have strong connections with Latin America in general, and especially with Brazil, but we want to strengthen and expand these partnerships," said Bronwen Kelly, Deputy Chief Executive of Universities New Zealand. Participating in strategic events, like today's launch and the FAUBAI conference, is a significant step towards bringing our institutions closer together and paving the way for academic exchange," Bronwen added.

In addition to Alexandre Argenta, Maura Leão, Director of International Relations at Belta, attended the event. Both were in New Zealand in March on a familiarisation trip organised by ENZ to introduce the country as an education destination.

"I've just returned from a fantastic experience in New Zealand," said Maura Leão during the event. "It's a country with many wonderful opportunities for students. I visited schools, universities, English language schools, and high schools. The experience was very positive. For us who work in education, it's essential to have this opportunity to share impressions with families who want to send their children to study abroad," said the executive.

The online version of the magazine can be found here: Revista ei! 2024 by Associação Belta - Issuu

Bruna de Natale with Belta’s International Relations Director, Maura Leão.
Miriama Kamo returns to NZIEC
Miriama Kamo

“Miriama did such a great job emceeing last year’s conference that we’re delighted to have her return to NZIEC 2017,” says Sam Mackay, ENZ Strategic Projects Manager.
Miriama is presenter of TVNZ1’s flagship current affairs programme, Sunday, co-presents current affairs programme Marae, is a regular 1NEWS newsreader and is the host on TVNZ1’s new lifestyle programme, Kiwi Living.
“I learned so much from NZIEC 2016 that I’m coming back for more!” says Miriama.
“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again at this year's conference.”
“Miriama will be joining us for the duration of conference and will bring her considerable interviewing talents to several breakout sessions,” says Sam.
“I’m sure Miriama will keep our panel participants on their toes!”
The 26th New Zealand International Education Conference and Expo will be held at the SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland on 22 and 23 August 2017. Registrations will open in May.
For more information, check out www.nziec.co.nz and keep an eye out for our e-News updates.
Register for ISANA NZ Conference
The conference will be held at Harbourside Function Centre, Wellington from 5-6 September 2019.The theme is ‘Professionalisation of the International Education Sector in New Zealand: Promoting an integrated NZ Inc. approach to student wellbeing.’
Keynote speakers include
- Bariz Shah (New Zealand) – President of the University of Canterbury Muslim Students Association, Bariz became a spokesperson for the Muslim student community following the tragedy of March 15.
- Marcela Lapertosa (Australia) – former Director of Education and Intercultural learning at AFS, Marcela will share insights she gained leading the development of intercultural competence programmes for students, families and staff around the world.
- Lian-Hong Brebner (New Zealand) – Diversity Manager at Auckland University of Technology, Lian-Hong will outline strategies for promoting cultural intelligence within institutions and the wider international education sector.
- Dr Paula Durance (Australia) – Consultant to international education providers, Paula is a respected international education professional. She will be exploring strategies for developing professionalism in international education.
There will also be a range of breakout sessions and workshops from practitioners, policy advisors and educators, including updates on work and study opportunities, tailored mental health practice, strategies for enabling social connections and overcoming communication obstacles and accommodation insights in relation to Code compliance.
Get the early bird rate until 19 July – click here to register.
Education New Zealand and the Ministry of Education International Unit are sponsors.
Supporting your international students
Through our NauMai NZ resource, ENZ is continuing to provide up-to-date information and advice especially for international students. We encourage and welcome all international students in New Zealand to join NauMai NZ.
COVID-19 testing
COVID-19 related care – including diagnosis, testing and treatment – is provided free of charge to anyone who requires it, including international students. This is irrespective of citizenship, visa status, nationality, NHI number or level of medical insurance coverage. See more information on free COVID-19 testing.
Some countries require travellers to confirm a negative COVID-19 test before they leave New Zealand. If your student is in this situation and requires a test prior to departure, they can organise this through Healthline or their GP, but they will need to pay for it. See questions and answers on pre-departure COVID-19 testing.
covid19.govt.nz has help and advice in several different languages, including simplified Chinese, Hindi and Korean.
Financial support
This is a really difficult time for a lot of people financially, including some international students.
The Assistance to Foreign Nationals Impacted by COVID-19 Programme opened on 1 July 2020. Any foreign national in New Zealand – including international students – may apply for this support if they are experiencing temporary hardship due to the effects of COVID-19.
If they are eligible, students will receive support to help them meet basic needs like rent, electricity, food and clothing. Each applicant’s circumstances will be considered at an individual level to ensure support reaches those who need it most. Eligibility is established through a series of checks on visa and employment status, savings, outstanding debts and alternative sources of income or in-kind support.
If you know of a student who is in need of temporary hardship support, please encourage them to apply at this link: https://foreignnationals.services.govt.nz/
There may be opportunities for people, including international students, who are in extreme hardship to return home through the Foreign Nationals Programme. If you know of a student who wants to return home but can’t afford the flights, then please encourage them to apply to the Programme for this additional assistance.
If they require assistance with translation support or have questions about criteria and eligibility, they can call 0800 RED CROSS and ask to speak with the Visitor Care Manaaki Manuhiri team.
Visas
Ongoing border closures and travel disruption around the world are making it challenging (and in some cases impossible) for students to return home. If you have international students whose visa is due to expire in the next few months and they are unable to leave New Zealand on the date originally planned, then please make sure they have applied for a new visa.
If they do not apply for a new visa before their current visa expires, they will become unlawful and this will affect any future travel plans. Students also have the option of applying for the COVID-19 short-term visitor visa.
Read more on the INZ website.
Embassy and consular assistance
If you have an international student in hardship and their situation is not likely to improve in the medium to long term, then they are advised to consider all their options, including returning home.
Students should contact their home country embassy in New Zealand for up-to-date information and advice on travel information or special requirements when returning home, such as medical certificates or quarantine arrangements. Read more information on embassies and consulates.
Thank you for your ongoing support of international students in New Zealand and for sharing this information with them.
From the Acting CE: Forward together
Tēnā koutou katoa

Last week we took time internally to reflect on our work over the 2023/24 financial year. So much excellent work has happened over the past twelve months – it was wonderful to come together virtually as an organisation to celebrate the achievements.

There are good reasons to celebrate. International students are returning to New Zealand. The latest enrolment figures show that there were 69,135 international student enrolments with New Zealand education providers in 2023. This represents a 67 per cent increase compared to the full year in 2022 and 60 per cent of annual enrolments in 2019.

This is positive news for our education sector and good for our communities.

A key part of our strategy is to partner and connect and to be an enabler of international education for New Zealand, so I thought I would share with you some recent engagements with that in mind.

This past month I had the pleasure of speaking at the opening plenary session of the annual SIEBA (Schools International Education Business Association) conference in Auckland. The theme of the hui was Global Threads Local Ties. The school sector is very important to New Zealand’s international education offering. It is the second largest sub sector after universities, representing about 20 percent of the value of our entire industry and it is where we find the highest economic value and the greatest opportunity to pathway through to other New Zealand providers.

Likewise, in early August I was pleased to welcome to our Wellington office a delegation of twenty indigenous students visiting from the University of Toronto. Canada is one of New Zealand’s closest and longstanding international partners and it is pleasing to see indigenous-to-indigenous cooperation between both countries increasing. We are really noticing growing interest in this overseas as you will read in this article here. - Indigenous Internationalisation a hot topic

Turning our attention to the next 12 months, in June the ENZ Board approved our business plan for this financial year (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025). The plan has four clear priorities:
- To grow and diversify the number and value of international students studying with New Zealand
- Partner and connect to be the trusted voice and enabler of international education for New Zealand
- To deliver sector growth through services that are valued by the sector, international students and New Zealand Inc partners, and
- Optimise ENZ to be a more efficient and effective Crown Agency.
When it comes to delivering valued sector services, the upcoming New Zealand International Education Conference (NZIEC KI TUA) in August will be provide an excellent opportunity to come together as a sector to listen, learn, discuss, contribute, and network with specialists and colleagues.

If you haven’t yet registered, I encourage you to check out the conference website. This year it will be held from 6 to 8 August 2024 at Tākina Convention Centre in Wellington.
We have a stellar line up of speakers and it promises to be an engaging and informative event.

Whaowhia te kete mātauranga

Fill the basket of knowledge.

Ngā mihi nui,

Dr Linda Sissons

Acting Chief Executive

Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao
Getting ready to celebrate 25 years
2016 celebrates 25 years of New Zealand International Education conferences being held. During the conference, we’ll be celebrating some of the highlights of our industry’s journey.
If you’re joining us in Auckland, make sure you check out the history display in the exhibition hall. We traverse a handful of key highlights as the industry has developed and evolved over the past 25+ years.
If you’re not able to join us in Auckland, you can follow the conversation on Twitter at #nziec and on Weibo at #2016新西兰国际教育年会NZIEC#.
***
Here, Richard Smith, founding director of Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS), reflects on his time in the industry, outlining how AIS has evolved over the years.

Blazing a trail over 25 years ago

Richard Smith talks about his experience in the international education industry.
“In the late 1980s, I was involved in business between New Zealand and China in both the public and private sectors, and regularly received enquiries about education in New Zealand.
So in 1990, my two business partners and I set up AIS. We were based in the Downtown Centre, Auckland, initially as an English language school, starting with a single class of international students. In our second year, we added business studies, then travel and tourism courses, and appointed marketing officers for Japan and China. AIS quickly grew to more than 200 students.
The entire roll of AIS could fit in one room back in 1991.

In the first five years, we worked seven days a week, putting in huge hours. I was on the business development and admin side, doing everything from paying staff, processing student applications, and signing up agent representatives.
In 1992, we brought in new business partners from Taiwan and Japan, and bought the old St Helens maternity hospital, set on 10 acres in Mount Albert. It had been empty for two years and was very rundown. Moving from the city to the suburbs was a good move as it allowed for expansion. Being in a residential area meant easy access to homestays for students. We also converted the old nursing home into student accommodation. In 1993, the doors of the new campus opened after a year of refurbishment.
AIS was reborn at the old St Helen’s maternity hospital.

The following year we launched our first degree, the Bachelor of International Business, becoming the first private business school at degree level in New Zealand. In 1995, we started delivering an MBA programme. Then in 2002, we opened our second campus, the Asquith Campus, where we developed new degree programmes in tourism, hospitality and information technology.
Over the years, more than 20,000 students have studied at AIS. Today, we cater for around 1,500 students from all around the world.
Looking back, we were like trailblazers really, starting from scratch alongside other new organisations like New Zealand Qualifications Authority and New Zealand Education International Ltd, and putting in the hard yards. In 2015, we celebrated our 25^th anniversary.”
AIS students celebrate graduation, 1993.
2016 International Student Experience Survey for PTEs and English language providers
Find out how your institution performs compared to national and international benchmarks in terms of:
• overall satisfaction and recommendation
• the arrival experience – satisfaction with the arrival experience in New Zealand and at their institution
• the learning experience – satisfaction with their course of study, subject choice, learning environment and resources
• the living experience – satisfaction with such things as accommodation, living costs and day-to-day life
• support services – satisfaction with support services.
If you participated in the 2012 or 2014 studies, see how your results have changed over time.
Participation in the study is free for institutions. If you would like to take part, please complete the registration form as soon as possible but no later than 7th October 2016.
More information about the 2016 International Student Experience Survey (including reports from the 2014 study) is available in the Frequently Asked Questions document.
Or, please don’t hesitate to contact Kyla Steenhart, Director, i-graduate New Zealand for more details – kyla.steenhart@i-graduate.org or +64 21 857 054.
Ask New Anything
Campaign page: https://www.studyinnewzealand.govt.nz/asknewanything
NZ’s second big global digital campaign of 2019 launched on 7 October with our students at the heart of it.
The campaign will be promoted digitally in our key markets for 8 weeks. Campaign-related content and messaging will remain relevant and live on our channels for the foreseeable future.
The campaign will be the first time the refreshed Think New brand has been widely used in digital channels.
Campaign Strategy
The main objective of the campaign is to challenge perceptions of New Zealand by increasing awareness of the country as a high-quality study destination. The campaign aims to achieve this by inviting our target audiences in 14 international markets to question what they know about New Zealand.
Key markets that will be reached by the campaign are:
- Brazil
- Colombia
- France
- Germany
- India
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Philippines
- Thailand
- UK
- USA
- Vietnam
- Indonesia
The campaign aims to increase New Zealand’s standing as the preferred study destination amongst our target audiences in these key markets.
For more information about ENZ’s target markets and the general digital campaign strategy, and New Zealand education providers can access the 2019 ENZ Digital Marketing Calendar on IntelliLab.
The creative concept and technical execution of this campaign will push ENZ into new territory for its marketing campaigns and award-winning digital strategy.
Utilising 100 short videos, a variety of digital media placements, Tohu the chatbot, a range of social media channels including a peer-to-peer Facebook group and Instagram Live sessions hosted by our Kiwi Ambassadors, the campaign embodies the authenticity and bold NEW thinking of the Think New brand.
A bespoke campaign strategy has been developed for China, making use of the same campaign creative concept and content, but delivered through the channels we know our audiences in China use and interact with the most.
ENZ invites and encourages our New Zealand education sector partners and education agents to participate in the campaign by sharing content and aligning your own messaging with those of the campaign and the Think New brand.
The campaign tool kit below provides more information around how your organisation can leverage the campaign.
Creative concept
Brand research tells us there is generally low awareness of New Zealand internationally, and where there is awareness it’s often based on incorrect perceptions of quality.
The creative concept of the Ask New Anything campaign seeks to address this by answering prospective students’ burning questions authentically and honestly, using unscripted video responses from current international students.
We started by researching the most used Google search terms relevant to studying in New Zealand, as well as the most asked questions on our Study in New Zealand chatbot Tohu. We combined this hard data with anecdotal questions from prospective and current students around what they want to know/what they wish they had known, and key brand messages we hoped to get across to our audiences.
From this we narrowed down to a list of 100 questions and filmed videos with international and New Zealand students, alumni, a teacher, a parent, and a New Zealand employer providing the answers. These videos form the basis of the campaign.
We also know that word of mouth is a key influence on student decision making. The Ask New Anything campaign not only offers pre-recorded Q&As with current students, but also gives prospective students the opportunity to talk directly to current students through a new Facebook group and scheduled Instagram Live events.
All of this results in a much more interactive campaign than anything ENZ has previously done. We’re not broadcasting a message to students; we’re asking them to start a conversation, putting prospective students themselves at the centre of the campaign.
Technical execution
A typical digital media campaign uses creative digital ad placements on social media, relevant websites and search engines to drive traffic through to a campaign landing page on a website.
Ask New Anything goes well beyond this, using new technology and a broad range of social media tools to be a true omni-channel campaign. The resulting immersive and pleasantly unexpected experience will help the Think New brand stand out.
The marketing activity and technology being used in this campaign includes:
- Tohu the chatbot – Tohu was launched on the Study in New Zealand website in 2018, on Facebook Messenger in early 2019, and on the NauMai NZ website in July 2019. Tohu is the centrepiece of the Ask New Anything campaign as it represents the technology through which prospective students can really ask any question they want. From the launch of the Ask New Anything campaign, Tohu will be able to respond to 100 of the most frequently asked questions with one of the short videos created for the campaign
- Facebook group - Should a question be asked that Tohu cannot answer, prospective students will be invited to join a Facebook group where they can ask real students their questions in real time. The Facebook group will be managed and moderated by our Kiwi Ambassadors.
- Instagram Live – Throughout the campaign, a select group of Kiwi Ambassadors will host a series of Instagram Live events. These events will be designed and scheduled to suit the key international regions we are targeting in the campaign.
- Campaign landing page – There will be a campaign landing page on the Study in New Zealand website. Tohu the chatbot will be the main focus of this page.
- Social media – Beyond the Facebook group, Instagram Live sessions and use of Tohu on Facebook Messenger, all of ENZ’s student-facing social media channels will be driving the campaign messages. Campaign content will be shared on Facebook, and YouTube and Instagram will feature strongly for both organic and paid media content.
- Database marketing – The database marketing strategy for the campaign ensures we are reaching all our currently engaged audiences, and nurturing new leads throughout their decision-making journey. Personalised email campaigns will be sent to members of the Study in New Zealand, My StudyNZ and NauMai NZ communities, and to anyone who signs up throughout the campaign period.
The campaign in China
Because our audiences in China use different digital platforms to our other markets, the Ask New Anything campaign will follow a different strategy in China.
Separate research has been undertaken to identify the most-asked questions for prospective international students in China. Based on this, the most relevant videos will be translated into Chinese and integrated into a campaign rollout on our China platforms:
Paid media:
- WeChat
- Zhihu (Zhihu is China’s version of Quora. In classical Chinese, "Zhīhū" means "Know?". Chinese-language internet users nowadays increasingly resort to Zhihu for expert knowledge and insights into various topics.
Owned media:
Tohu the chatbot does not exist on our Chinese platforms, so the China Ask New Anything campaign makes use of the question/answer format in a different way, posing questions to our audience and then supplying key information based on their response.
On the Zhihu platform we will post questions for both Kiwi Ambassadors and users to answer. Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) will also be recruited to support the campaign and both ask and answer questions about studying in New Zealand.
Messaging and Brand
The campaign concept and the technical execution of the campaign both contribute to the overall brand message of ‘I am New’. It showcases our innovative new thinking and captures New Zealand’s values of societal openness, transparency and manaakitanga.
Through this campaign, we want to show that New Zealand is an inclusive, collaborative and progressive environment where students are challenged and supported to reach their full potential.
Our new Think New brand strategy and creative approach position our international education brand for success and redefine what a quality education looks like and means.
Sector representation and localisation
The 100 question and answer videos have been carefully planned to ensure a good global representation of our markets. Care has been taken to match the talent to questions based region. So where a question is most important to a certain region, the talent has been matched to that region to ensure the most relevant response.
The videos feature 18 different individuals representing a spread of sectors and markets. We have included students from all the key markets we are targeting in the campaign. A teacher, employer, Kiwi student and parent are also included.
In the Facebook group and Instagram Live sessions, prospective students will be able to converse with Kiwi Ambassadors in local language – either directly or with the help of Facebook’s automatic translation technology.
Toolkit
Throughout the campaign duration New Zealand education will have an increased digital presence in the 13 target markets listed above.
New Zealand education providers and education agents are encouraged to leverage this campaign activity for your own marketing strategies.
Here is a toolkit of resources and suggested actions to help you get started:
- Ensure your institution profile on the Study in New Zealand website is up to date. Follow these step-by-step instructions to find out how. Please note you will be required a login to access this link.
- Register for the ENZ Brand Lab. There are over 1,000 images, videos and more available on the Brand Lab for you to download and use in your marketing.
- Read this article about how to leverage ENZ digital campaigns. You will need to be registered and signed in to the Brand Lab to access it.
- Share the Q&A videos from the campaign on your social media channels. ENZ will be creating a spreadsheet with all the YouTube links to make this easy for you navigate and choose the most relevant videos for your audiences. Watch this space or sign up to the Brand Lab to get a notification when this becomes available.
- Download ENZ’s 2019 Digital Marketing Calendar from IntelliLab. The calendar explains our key dates and strategies for each of our target markets. You will need to be registered and signed in to IntelliLab to access this.
- If you are an education agent, join ENZ’s AgentLab. This new platform was launched this year. Gain access to online training courses, news, webinars and ENZ updates.
New Zealand Schools Scholarships 2024 launches in Viet Nam

This scholarship, launched by Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) and New Zealand schools, provides a 50% subsidy towards selected Vietnamese middle and high school students currently in grades 8 – 10 in Viet Nam. Applications opened on 22nd January 2024 and close at 11:59pm Indochina Time on 17th March 2024.  

Interest in studying with New Zealand remains high amongst students and parents in Viet Nam, with recent fairs held in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi receiving between 400-500 attendees respectively.

Viet Nam continues to be a priority market for New Zealand schools. Pre-COVID, the sector saw 80 percent growth in students from Viet Nam between 2017 and 2019. Currently, Vietnamese high school students account for 15% of the entire Vietnamese student base here in New Zealand.

This initiative aims to simultaneously increase interest and enrolments from high quality Vietnamese students into New Zealand schools, whilst also providing support to the students and families themselves by reducing the financial barrier to study overseas.

ENZ’s Business Development Manager Mary Camp said the New Zealand School Scholarships initiative has attracted quality students with high grade point average and good English language ability to study in New Zealand.  

“We are impressed with the calibre of students we have welcomed through this programme. Many of them have had academic success and gone on to study at high-quality universities in NZ.”

“Schools are excited to welcome students from Viet Nam and eager for them to experience our quality education in a safe and nurturing environment. 

Mary added that the support of the Schools in International Education Business Association (SIEBA) has been valuable. 

“SIEBA supports this programme by undertaking reference checks of interested education agents, thus reducing the burden on schools and helping them connect with new agents. Activating new agents in Viet Nam helps the entire sector”. 

ENZ’s Regional Director – Asia, Ben Burrowes said he was pleased to see the New Zealand Schools Scholarships initiative continue in 2024. 

“ENZ is absolutely committed to its education relationship with Viet Nam and we’re excited to welcome more scholarship winners this year, enriching our schools, classrooms and communities here in New Zealand.

"As the scholarship continues to run each year, it allows new scholarship winners to meet previous scholarship winners and form a community of their own,” said Ben.

"Since its initial launch in 2018, the New Zealand School Scholarships initiative in Viet Nam has grown to become a prestigious, top of mind scholarship for local students," he added.

The New Zealand School Scholarship initiative is just one of the initiatives that Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao delivers as part of its investments into the Vietnamese – New Zealand relationship. Other initiatives include student fairs, co-funding agent events and engagements, media and PR initiatives as well as supporting institutional partnerships.

Celebrating past recipients of the New Zealand School Scholarship   

Dinh Minh Thao
2023 New Zealand School Scholarship recipient

With a strong desire to venture beyond her comfort zone, Dinh Minh Thao courageously applied for and successfully attained the NZSS 2023, starting her educational journey at Newlands College (Wellington, New Zealand) in July 2023.

In just six months, she immersed herself in studies, actively participated in various extracurricular activities, and experienced numerous "first in life" experiences including contributing to cultural events and participating in the festival of the Indian community. Notably, she challenged herself by becoming the class representative for the "Year 10 Speech Competition," typically reserved for upper grades, winning the coveted "Public Speaking" trophy.

Expressing her gratitude, Minh Thao stated, "Thanks to the NZSS, I have set foot in New Zealand, embarking on a journey towards independence and confidence, thus evolving into a new version of myself. I am eagerly anticipating the exploration of new opportunities that Kiwiland will unfold in 2024."

- Dinh

Xuan Khang
2019 New Zealand School Scholarship recipient 

Xuan Khang came to Pakuranga College in July 2019 and graduated at the end of 2022. He remained in New Zealand throughout the pandemic, and achieved an outstanding academic record. He passed NCEA Levels 1 to 3 endorsed with Merit or Excellence, gaining Excellence in both Level 3 Calculus and Chemistry. He was involved in the Academic Council, Environmental Council, the Service Council, the Cultural Council and Peer Support. Xuan Khang won Top Academic International Student at senior prize-giving in 2022 and is studying Engineering at the University of Auckland in 2023.

"I came to New Zealand to broaden my horizons and become more independent. I have really enjoyed the practical aspects of working in labs and putting theory into practice. By using English daily, I feel my English has improved to a high standard. I have enjoyed being able to discuss my work with my teachers, who have been friendly and helpful. I feel I have really benefitted from the opportunities provided by living in New Zealand and studying at Pakuranga College."

 - Xuan
ISANA - Enhancing international student experiences
The ISANA New Zealand Annual Conference held at AUT University in Tāmaki Makaurau last month provided the perfect forum to address the challenges of strengthening capability and ensuring sustainability as the sector addresses ways in which to grow international education.
A key feature of the conference was the presentation of a new online ‘Capability Toolkit’ - a collaboration between ISANA NZ and Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ). Developed as a resource for education practitioners, the toolkit presents strategies, tools, tips, guidelines, case studies, scenarios and more to assist with every facet of engagement with international learners.
ENZ’s General Manager Sector Services, Sahinde Pala, said that the conference provided a great opportunity to reconnect face-to-face with professional colleagues.
“We all enjoyed the opportunity to exchange experiences and hear from frontline practitioners how the rebuild of the sector is going from their perspective. It was a great opportunity to connect with those relatively new to the sector and let them know the role of ENZ and the resources available to assist them in their role.”
“It was also encouraging to see our industry coming together to collectively focus on improving our services for students. The Capability Toolkit is an important, practical resource that will assist education practitioners provide even better support for our international learners.”
The Capability Toolkit provides links to resources in the following areas:
1. Wraparound tailored support for international students
2. Critical incident management for international students
3. Innovative leadership in international education
4. Intercultural competence in educational contexts
5. Student experience information for agents.
ENZ is continuing to work with ISANA to further develop the Capability Toolkit and other content will be added over time. In the meantime, anyone who has not had a chance to look at the toolkit, can explore this further on ISANA NZ’s website here.

Vaelyn L, International Student Representative (second from left) with ENZ representatives at the ISANA conference Ross Crosson, Student Experience Manager, Sahinde Pala, General Manager Sector Services, and Faymie Li, Senior Advisor Student Experience