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• “Nerds” visit to promote NZ English language schools in Brazil

  During which they will blog about their experiences of New Zealand’s culture and attractions, and promote New Zealand as an English language destination to their large youth audience.

  The Jovem Nerd crew – two presenters, two camera people, a sound technician and a producer – have been brought here by Conversa, an education social media consultancy with Maori Tourism organising the itinerary. Education New Zealand has sponsored the visit.

  “Around 2,500 Brazilian students study in New Zealand annually, but there’s plenty of opportunity for expansion. We see social media as a way of extending our reach into the Brazilian market to capture the attention of young people who want to learn English and have an adventure. New Zealand offers both”, says Kathryn McCarrison, ENZ’s General Manager, Marketing and Channel Development.

  As its name suggests – ‘jovem’ being the Portuguese word for ‘young’ – Jovem Nerd is especially popular with 15-35 year olds, and their podcasts have among the highest audience numbers in Brazil.

  The crew are all huge fans of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies and are especially interested in visiting ‘Middle-earth’.

  “To be a Nerd is to want to know about things”, says Jovem Nerd producer, Guga Mafra. “A Nerd Tour not only educates, but it also gives our audience real insight into our experience of a place. A Middle-earth experience is an exciting adventure for our audience”.

  A range of English language schools will host the Jovem Nerd crew as they travel around the country. “We’re thrilled to be hosting Jovem Nerd at our schools.  They have a huge following in Brazil, and the Nerd Tour is likely to generate a lot of buzz about New Zealand as a study destination. The last celebrity blogger tour that ENZ organised provided a real boost to our schools’ online marketing efforts,” says Hannah Robinson, Digital Marketing Manager, Languages International.

  New Zealand Maori Tourism (NZMT), which represents over 200 Maori tourism operators, has created an exciting itinerary for the Jovem Nerd crew. “We welcome the opportunity to be involved in this tour and for the chance to share with the people of Brazil the richness of our landscapes, our culture and our people.

  Both Maori and mainstream tourism operators are looking forward to hosting the Nerds on what will be in itself be an epic adventure, worthy of a Rings novel,” says Butch Bradley, Director of Regions and Operations at NZMT.

  The Jovem Nerd crew are in New Zealand from 14 – 30 May.

  You can follow their progress on Twitter #NerdtourNZ

• Get ready for unprecedented profile of NZ education in China

  We also need to make a leap in scale.

  We can’t do that with a business as usual approach.

  This realisation is behind the Dragons in a Distant Land documentary now set to screen before 650 million people in China from August 2013.

  The documentary highlights the experiences of Chinese considering studying in New Zealand and of successful alumni who have returned to China.

  Education New Zealand (ENZ) General Manager of Marketing and Channel Development Kathryn McCarrison says the two-part documentary (renamed from Dragons in the Land of the Long White Cloud) is designed to be a “game changer” for New Zealand’s student attraction marketing in China and will boost referrals to Chinese agents and New Zealand institutions. The documentary seeks to capture parents’ attention; students aged 16-25 will be targeted by a digital campaign.

  “We’ll get unprecedented coverage of New Zealand education in China with the documentary.

  “We all need to get ready – the Chinese networks will only give three days’ notice of the first on-air date.

  “To get full value out of the investments in the documentary, we – that is ENZ and the industry – need to run an integrated campaign leveraging each other’s work.”

  ENZ is developing marketing materials to help institutions plan their marketing in China following the screenings of Dragons in a Distant Land on national and regional television.

  These materials will be made available to institutions.

  ENZ’s production company, the Gibson Group, is negotiating with Chinese networks to have the documentary screened in August. The associated student dragons’ marketing campaign will be ready on 1 August 2013 to support the launch of the documentary.

  Key features of the campaign include:

  • Using alumni and agents on Weibo (the Twitter of China) to post about studying in New Zealand and direct people to the campaign’s website

  • Creating posts for targeted internet forums and bulletin board sites

  • Posting content to Youku, the YouTube of China.

  To directly engage the target audience – parents, prospective international students and education agents - there will be:

  • Video advertising targeting social networking and video sites and  top student portals

  • Performance display advertising.

  ENZ’s current Baidu search campaign will be reconfigured to ensure relevant searches are directed to the student dragon’s campaign website.

  Kathryn says the traffic from the student dragon’s campaign website will go to the New Zealand Educated website. “Your information on it will likely be the first impression of your institution for many Chinese visitors. 

  “We recommend you check out your institution’s page on newzealandeducated.com very soon to ensure your content is up to date.”

  Closer to the launch date ENZ will make available key messages for each episode, press releases, a media question and answer and photography from the documentary. The final media buying plan, showing when and where ENZ will be advertising in China as part of the campaign, will also be available to help institutions with their own media buying.

  A drop-box folder has been set up to access these materials when they become available. Email Deena for details. She will keep you posted on developments through e-news.

• School support on the way

  Mary Camp, ENZ’s Business Development Manager dedicated to the schools sector, says schools can expect to see these activities rolling out over the coming months.

  Mary is also chair of the Schools Sector Reference Group. She says that “with 596 schools hosting international students, and no peak body, consultation is a challenge.

  “So we have set up a Schools Sector Reference Group, to create a channel for consultation with the sector.”

  The group provides advice and guidance to ENZ on initiatives planned for the schools sector. The group includes representatives from eight regions. It will meet 3-4 times each year.

  ENZ’s schools sector initiatives include:

  • An exemplar school website showing best practice to attract international students

  • Marketing material focussing on New Zealand’s competitive edge, with room for regions and schools to insert their own details

  • A website review service to help schools maximise the results from their websites (conditions will apply)

  • Case studies of schools showing good practice in export education.

  Further initiatives off the block will include:

  • A professional development programme for International Directors and/or Principals

  • A marketing self-review tool

  • Research into primary and intermediates schools’ decline in numbers.

• Contestable fund draws strong interest

  Applications exceeded the funds available.

  To date the Education New Zealand (ENZ) selection panel has approved matched funding of nearly $810,000 for 29 projects with a combined value, including the applicants’ contributions, of over $1.6 million.

  “The quality and diversity of the applications was impressive,” said ENZ Business Development Manager Adele Bryant. “The applications provided a window on the innovative approaches and products many educational institutions and businesses are taking to pursue the education export opportunities they have identified.” 

  The fund sees ENZ matching funding for projects with the capacity and capability to increase the value of New Zealand’s international education industry, ultimately leading to benefits for the New Zealand economy.

  The fund is designed to help New Zealand’s education providers achieve significant growth by making the most of international education opportunities.

  Applications were received from all sectors with the largest number lodged by education technology companies. This interest follows hot on the heels of the first “EdTech for Export” Conference sponsored by ENZ, Grow Wellington and Learning Media Ltd in April. Some 45 percent of applicants targeted Asian markets.

  A second funding round will be held in the third quarter of 2013 and will be advertised in e-news.

  

• Colombia signs Statement of Intent for greater collaboration

  A Statement of Intent was signed yesterday at a Bilateral Education Consultation meeting held in Wellington. The meeting involved a delegation of senior Colombian government and business representatives along with representatives from Education New Zealand, the Ministry of Education, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and Immigration New Zealand, as well as some New Zealand education providers.

  The statement reflects a commitment to developing joint initiatives in the internationalisation of higher education, technical and technological education, vocational training and innovation.

  Colombia’s Vice Minister of Education Patricia Martinez Barrios is leading the delegation for talks to build education connections between New Zealand and Colombia.

  The week-long visit, which began on Sunday 26 May, is a significant extension of the relationship between New Zealand and Colombia, strengthened during Prime Minister John Key’s recent trip to Latin America.

  “Education, along with agriculture, is one of two key strands in our bilateral relationship,” Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

  “The number of fee paying Colombian students studying in New Zealand increased from 207 in 2007 to 727 in 2012, which would suggest Colombia has the potential to become a significant international education market for New Zealand.”

  Delegates will visit Auckland and Wellington, tour facilities such as Fonterra in Hamilton, Agricultural Services Ltd in Palmerston North and the National Trade Academy in Christchurch.

  “Tours like this are a great opportunity for New Zealand to showcase to Colombian education officials its skills and expertise in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training sector, and its links with industry and the labour market,” Mr Joyce says.

  He said the objective of the Bilateral Education Consultation meeting was to “help our education sector build a deeper understanding of Colombia’s education requirements and progress proposals for Colombian PhD students to study in New Zealand.

  “It will also allow Colombian education officials to develop an appreciation of New Zealand’s education system and see how New Zealand, as an excellent place in which to learn English, can support their government’s strategy to make English an official language in Colombia.”

• Help us thank New Zealand’s education partners in Japan

  As part of a programme to explore greater opportunities for the New Zealand education industry in Japan.

  The alumni networking function will acknowledge and show our appreciation for the informal “ambassadorial” role alumni undertake on behalf of New Zealand education. We will also be encouraging alumni to join the recently launched New Zealand Educated Alumni LinkedIn group where they will be able to network with fellow alumni and keep in touch with events and activities of interest.

  The agent seminars will recognise the work agents do on behalf of New Zealand education and show the agents our appreciation. The seminars will also inform agents of any immigration updates and changes (there will be someone from Immigration New Zealand in attendance) and let them know about the agent e-learning that will be launched in the next few months. A preview of this will be available at the event. 

  It is hoped that these activities will  further nignite agents’ interest in, and enthusiasm for, promoting New Zealand as an education destination.

  To ensure we reach the greatest number of agents and alumni, we would like your suggestions for who you would like us to invite.

  For the dates for each event, and a form where you can enter the names and contact information of those you’d like to be sent an invitation, click here.

  In completing this form, you will be assured of early notification of when registration opens for these events.

  As well agents and alumni, we know that many New Zealand education institutions have active and fruitful partnerships with fellow institutions in Japan. We are hoping to host such people at a ‘thank you’ lunch where we can show our gratitude for the very important role they play in fostering a lively education exchange between our two countries. Details about the lunch will be provided at a later date.

  These events are a great opportunity for you to show how much you value your education partners and advocates in Japan.

  Thank you in advance for help make these events the best they can be.

• Assignment4U website down

  The outcome of the injunction hearing in the Auckland High Court today saw two of the defendants undertake to not engage in conduct that contravenes the Education Act.

  NZQA Chief Executive Dr Karen Poutasi said NZQA was pleased with the outcome of the injunction hearing.

  “The next step in this ongoing investigation is for the large amount of evidence and information collected to be analysed.

  “Today’s court proceedings are part of the strong NZQA action taken in response to allegations of cheating and assessment fraud. Where there is evidence of illegal activity under the Education Act, it is likely further legal action will be taken”.

  Education New Zealand (ENZ) is pleased to see that action has been taken against Assignment 4U in regard to the alleged cheating services.

  ENZ appreciates the efforts everyone in our industry makes to maintain New Zealand’s international reputation as provider of high quality education. The vast majority of education providers in New Zealand deliver great education outcomes for local and international students.

  This action signals both here and abroad how seriously New Zealand takes the integrity and credibility of its tertiary education and qualifications.

  ENZ will continue to work with its contacts in the Chinese education sector and Chinese education officials to manage New Zealand’s education reputation in relation to this issue. We will continue to keep them informed of the New Zealand Government’s response to this matter.

• NZIDRS scholarship students attend valuable workshop

  Apart from being a great opportunity for these students to get to know one another, and see a bit more of New Zealand, it was also a valuable opportunity for us to learn more about what motivated them to come to New Zealand and how the experience has matched up to their expectations. We also were able to provide them with answers to some of their questions, such as work rights and visa queries.
  
  The feedback is being collated and will be available through Universities New Zealand.
  
  ENZ has also unearthed some marketing gold amongst the group and will be keeping in touch with them so that they can tell their great personal stories about our education system in promotional material and at events.
  
  It was a productive and enjoyable day. One of the students surprised everyone with his impromptu viola performance of Bach and then invited all to watch him play in a jazz band in Wellington on Sunday night. Many took the opportunity to stay on for the weekend and some new friendships were made.
  
  ENZ plans to hold similar events every three years or so to ensure each student is contacted once during their tenure in New Zealand.

  

  Above: The group of international PhD students that participated in the NZDRS workshop (absent Justin Horn)

• Thank you for your help

  International students around the country are being photographed, videoed and interviewed to inform and update these materials which will be used online, at education fairs, during offshore school visits and more.

  Education New Zealand (ENZ) would like to thank the schools and institutions nationwide who have helped us by making available students and locations for new photography, for our new high schools campaign (to be run in Thailand, Viet Nam, South Korea and Japan) and for the Dragons documentary campaign in China.

  A marketing toolkit for education providers is also being developed as part of our revamp of marketing materials. The toolkit will include resources schools and institutions can use in their marketing (such as an image library) and collateral for outbound and inbound international visits, including a promotional DVD about studying in New Zealand.

  Institutions have also helped revamp the New Zealand Specialist Agents (NZSA) training programme, due to be launched in the next few months. ENZ has modernised the training programme for agents based on feedback from institutions, agents themselves and students. Training will be provided online through an interactive, seven-step e-learning programme that concentrates on the most important information agents need to sell a New Zealand education.

  Kathryn McCarrison, ENZ’s General Manager Marketing and Channel Development, says Education New Zealand appreciates how responsive and accommodating institutions have been to requests for help and information-checking over the past few months.

  “Despite being busy, you’ve taken the time to bring your best and brightest to our attention. We can’t create great marketing campaigns without your students’ stories, so thank you for your enthusiasm and cooperation.”

• Code Administrator transfer to take place in August

  On that date NZQA officially becomes the Code Administrator.

  Until 1 August, Code signatories should continue to contact the Code Office at the Ministry of Education for Code related matters. The NZQA will announce future arrangements for Code signatories, ahead of the transfer.

  The Ministry of Education received 44 submissions on the proposal to transfer functions, including 37 from signatory providers (20 schools, 12 private training establishments, 1 ITP, and four universities), plus seven submissions from sector bodies.

  The majority of submissions supported the proposal, but some questions were raised around potential costs, NZQA’s jurisdiction and ongoing support that would be available to providers, especially schools.

  Potential costs associated with the transfer will be covered by the Ministry of Education and NZQA - there will be no cost to the Export Education Levy.

  The transfer will improve alignment between Code quality assurance and other wider quality assurance processes which NZQA has responsibility for in the non-university tertiary sector. Combining this work in one agency will improve efficiency and avoid duplication.

  As the Code Administrator, NZQA will develop relationships with the Education Review Office, and further its existing relationships with schools. Current arrangements with the Education Review Office and Universities New Zealand on Code-related quality assurance will remain the same, unless changes are discussed and agreed collectively by all parties.

  The Ministry of Education and NZQA are working closely to ensure that all Code signatories are well supported and all functions are carried out as usual during the transition period.

  Current arrangements through which students lodge complaints with the International Education Appeal Authority (IEAA) with decisions reached by the IEAA and Review Panel will continue for the time being.

  A formal notice on this change was published in the New Zealand Gazette on 30 May 2013.

  More information can be found at the Ministry of Education’s website here