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• College of Creative Arts “foots it” with the world’s best

  The US National Association of Schools of Art and Design has granted the College “substantial equivalency”, the most comprehensive international benchmark of quality in art and design education in the world. The College now officially sits alongside such world-leading schools as Rhode Island School of Design, Cranbrook Academy of Art and CalArts.

  “The College of Creative Arts is another great example of a New Zealand education institution footing it with the world’s best,” says Kathryn McCarrison, Education New Zealand’s General Manager Marketing and Channel Development.

  “Based on what we know about how international students make their choices over where to study, the college’s substantial equivalency award is a potential game changer for them.

  “The key drivers of choice all relate to quality and reputation – does my institution choice advance my career prospects? How does it stack up quality wise? What’s its reputation and how does it rank internationally?

  “For this reason institutions need to make the most of any international recognition.”

  Kathryn says this type of recognition is also invaluable when it comes to Education New Zealand’s job of promoting New Zealand as a study destination.

  The College’s School of Design is already ranked top in Australasia by Red Dot, the global design award organization.

• Visa options checker live

  The options checker provides better information specific to student circumstances on the range of visas that applicants may be eligible for.
  
  The new Visa Options Check is easy to use. Users start by choosing one of four simple options: Visit, Study, Work or Live. From there, the navigation is straightforward.

  The new options checker is the first, small step in the rollout of Immigration New Zealand’s new technology platform, Immigration ONLINE.
  
  When fully implemented by the end of 2015, Immigration ONLINE will allow all visa applicants to apply online. Information entered into Visa Options Check will be used to pre-populate part of a customer’s application form. Many will be able to complete the entire process online, through to final decision and receiving their visa.
  
  Visa applicants, or advisers acting for them, will be able to complete and upload forms, supporting documents and photos, pay fees and ask questions online.
  
  Online visa applications will start later this year with students and some temporary workers. By mid-2014, full online student visa processing will be possible through to final decision, and advisers will be able to view appropriate details of their clients’ applications online.

• NZSA e-learning pilot starts

  A variety of agents and stakeholders from different locations around the world were chosen to test the revamped programme ahead of its wider launch in July and August. The launch date is still dependent on the feedback received during the two-week global pilot.

  
  The new e-learning programme is flexible and accessible. Agents can train at a time and place convenient to them and Education New Zealand (ENZ) can easily update and distribute new information to agents. Providing training online will also allow ENZ to better capture agent information.
  Agents have been kept informed of the changes through Channel Development Manager Kaye Le Gros’ monthly newsletters and at a various meetings in New Zealand and offshore.

  Here are a couple of screen shots from the new e-learning programme:

  

• Great Air NZ packages for international students

  “Fly to Celebrate Graduation” is a special offer open to Chinese students and their families (up to four people including the student) flying back to Auckland for their graduation ceremony. When booking, they’ll need to show their graduation letters.

  The offer, which can only be booked in China through the Air New Zealand China Travel Centre (call 0400 101 8080), is for sale from 1 July till 10 September for travel between 25 August and 20 September 2013.

  The package’s return economy fare, CNY 5500, is up to 20 percent cheaper than a normal fare.

  A second package – “explorerPASS” - gives US and Canadian students travelling to New Zealand on Air New Zealand an easy and cost-effective way to travel within New Zealand and also visit Australia and the Pacific Islands on the same trip.

  For more information on how this pass works and terms and conditions please visit the website.

  The pass is on sale till 31 December 2013 for travel starting on or before 30 June 2014.

• Kiwi robots breakthrough in China schools

  At the 2013 world robotics championship New Zealand high schools won three of the five high school divisions and went on to win the World Championships.

  Students from Glenfield College and teachers from Glenfield College, Westlake Girls High School and Massey University, led by Chris Hamling, National Manager of Kiwibots were invited by Tianjin Association for Science and Technology (TAST) to attend last month’s Tianjin Science Week.

  They visited five schools in the northern Chinese city. As well as showing off their robots, the teachers also did a number of presentations about New Zealand’s education system on the theme of “How we make winning students”.

  Chris says “We wanted to build up from a simple description of how robotics are used in the classroom and then go on to illustrate how New Zealand's education system emphasizes practical work.

  “Our ESOL support is important in allowing international students to find their feet quickly and that our universities are an important part of our education pipeline.”

  The Kiwi party was followed from school-to-school by CCTV, China’s largest television channel.

  Earlier this year TAST approached Chris wanting New Zealand schools to take part because China, like New Zealand, wants to to accelerate scientific progress and develop new technology, popularize scientific knowledge and create an environment for innovation. Chris says discussions between TAST and the Kiwibots led them to conclude that “it is primarily because of our education system that we are so successful”.

  Education New Zealand Senior Education Manager in Beijing, Stijn Te Strake, says “stimulating creativity through education is a recurring theme in dialogue with China and other Asian countries looking towards technological innovation to advance rapidly developing economies.

  “Kiwibots is a great demonstration of New Zealand’s strengths in these areas, in a fun and engaging manner that all can relate to.

  “During the visit we saw New Zealand and Chinese students interacting and learning from each other, with their passion for science and technology as the basis of common understanding.”

  Education New Zealand (ENZ) supported the Kiwibots visit to Tianjin. Last December ENZ also supported the Asia-Pacific Robotics Championship held in Auckland to leverage and promote New Zealand as a study destination, particularly for middle and high school students with an interest in technology.

  More than 500 students in nearly 150 teams competed in this championship, with 70 percent coming from offshore, mostly China (77 teams) but also Hong Kong and Singapore.

• Education Southland: The power of collaboration

  Over the last five years they have achieved a 250 percent increase in international student enrolments and in 2012 there was a 16 percent increase in international students enrolments in Southland.

  Read more here.

• GST and international students

  Officials recently released an issues paper dealing with the GST treatment of immigration services provided to non-residents.  While this does not have direct implications for educational institutions, it does serve as a timely reminder that supplies to non-residents must be considered carefully when determining whether GST applies or not. 

  The general rule regarding supplies of services to non-residents is that if the non-resident receives the supply in New Zealand, GST will apply. Conversely, if the supply or services physically takes place outside New Zealand, or if it is made to a non-resident who is not in New Zealand when the services are performed, the supply will be subject to GST at 0 percent.

  In relation to international students, where they come to New Zealand for their education GST must be charged. If the international students are enrolled in distance learning and do not come to New Zealand for the purpose of the course being provided, the supply will be zero-rated. 

  However, there may be situations where the international student completes most of the course via distance learning from offshore, but attends for example block courses in New Zealand as part of the course. In this situation part of the course delivery will be received by the student in New Zealand which makes the supply subject to GST at 15 percent rather than 0 percent. 

  Based on the comments in the immigration services issues paper, potentially all of the course fee could become subject to GST at 15 percent in this scenario, although depending on the detailed arrangements the GST liability may be able to be limited to a portion of the total course fee.

  If you offer any courses where the supply is received by students both within and outside New Zealand, we recommend that you seek tax advice regarding your GST liability.

  Andrea Scatchard is an Associate Director in the Hamilton office of Deloitte, and Allan Bullot is a Partner in the Auckland office.  Andrea can be contacted on 07 838 4808, and Allan can be contacted on 09 303 0732.

  While care has been taken in the preparation of this article, it has been prepared to provide general information only and should not be taken as a substitute for seeking professional advice. 

  Deloitte does not accept any liability for any loss that may arise as a result of any person relying on the information or views expressed in this article.

• Understanding Indonesia’s education market

  Every year, more and more Indonesian students look to further their studies overseas. There is an awareness of the need for a better quality of education and the current circumstance in Indonesia is that facilities and quality education are somewhat still below expectations, especially when compared to abroad. International schools based in Indonesia also take a part of the increasing number of Indonesian students looking for an international education. After finishing at these high schools with an “overseas” qualification, these students usually opt to pursue their tertiary study abroad.

  With the number of Indonesian students choosing to go abroad increasing each year, why has New Zealand not truly benefited? It is simply because of the lack of information about New Zealand and the perception that New Zealand is a very quiet country with more sheep than people. We in Indonesia seldom see advertisements about New Zealand or the institutions while other countries have put lots of effort in branding their country and their institutions consistently. People are all the same. We tend to remember products that have a strong branding.  So, if you want people to always remember your product, you need to keep reminding people by persistently branding your product to the market.

  At first, I had the same perception of New Zealand being quiet too. Joining the May 2013 trip was my very first time to see New Zealand. I was so excited.

  I got a chance to visit representative institutions in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. In the South Island, my first destination was Christchurch where I found lots of major work to rebuild and renovate its buildings.

  The first day touching down in Auckland, and seeing the city itself, changed my perception. Auckland is not as crowded as in my country, Indonesia, of course. But it is not as quiet as what I thought! The city has everything that a student needs - shops, cafes, restaurants, flats, shopping centres and even the education institutions are all within walking distance.

  New Zealand is such a perfect place to study. You have everything in town, people are so nice and friendly, and it’s very safe. I don’t need to worry about pick-pockets or drunken people when walking with my female friends back to hotel at night.

  After seeing these cities, and visiting various institutions, I also found that New Zealand has a great education system. Students are taught in a very practical way, both, in high schools and tertiary institutions. And this is what New Zealand needs to show. You need to educate the Indonesian market about this and change the perception of New Zealand.

  Indonesian families are unique. They have a strong family relationship. Their children’s study destination is also influenced by their relatives and friends. Parents feel more comfortable about letting their children study in a country where they have relatives or friends staying. Most of the time, the experience and opinions from their relatives play a great part in their decision. Apart from that, Indonesian parents will usually send their children overseas after they graduate from high school. They believe at this stage their children are mature enough and can take a good care of themselves overseas. Therefore, tertiary education is more attractive to the Indonesian market.

  Recently, the postgraduate market for Indonesian students has also been growing significantly. For postgraduate students, study duration, value for money and the opportunity for job placement are the key areas they are usually looking at. Little do they know that New Zealand offers a postgraduate job search visa and the opportunity to work and stay in New Zealand after they graduate.

  So, by understanding Indonesian market better, I believe institutions can plan a better strategy for their marketing activities. Together we can promote New Zealand as one of the top destinations for Indonesian students to consider as a study destination.

  Key points:

  • New Zealand has a low profile in Indonesia

  • To change this we need persistent and consistent marketing in Indonesia

  • The Indonesian market is primarily a tertiary education market, but there are opportunities for other sectors

  • The postgraduate market is growing significantly.

  SUN Education describes itself as the “most complete” International Educational Consultancy firm in Indonesia, providing the largest selection of quality education and country destination under one roof with its main focus being Australia, Singapore, UK, USA, Malaysia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Canada. Suwarni has more than eight years of student recruitment activity and currently works with 10 countries including New Zealand.

  Suwarni Puspita, Branch Manager, Mal Ciputra, with Indonesia’s SUN Education Group recently took part in a visit to New Zealand with other education agents from Indonesia. She offers some impressions of the opportunities and challenges for New Zealand institution, and in particular tertiary institutions, in Indonesia.

• Immigration physician panel update

  The agreement will improve the quality of health examinations visa applicants receive from doctors and radiologists undertaking immigration health examinations. Implementation of the aligned network will take place in three phases and is expected to be fully completed by mid 2014. 

  Removals and additions to INZ’s panel physician list in this phase of alignment will become effective on 30 June 2013. Panel physicians being removed from INZ’s list have been informed not to accept appointments after 29 June 2013.

  Applicants who have had a medical and/or chest X-ray certificate completed by a panel physician being removed from INZ’s panel will still be able to submit these certificates with their visa application if they have been completed prior to 30 June 2013.

  The aligned network will be jointly managed and co-ordinated by INZ and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

  The benefits of alignment include:

  • improved customer service;

  • targeted communication, administration, performance management and training for a single panel physician network, and related cost savings;  

  • enhanced integrity through robust auditing and analysis;

  • expansion of tuberculosis screening and treatment networks; and

  • progression of the immigration Five Country Conference objectives including: the promotion of health protection and efficiency through effective shared management and quality assurance, and promoting best practice, partnership and shared investment.

  A key consideration in developing this agreement is that the panel physician network remains responsive to the needs of INZ and DIAC visa applicants.  INZ and DIAC are working closely together to develop and implement a joint management framework.

  The INZ panel physician list is on the INZ website.  If applicants are unsure whether their medical certificates have been completed by a panel physician they should refer to the INZ website, or contact their nearest INZ office for further advice.

  INZ have also published additional information on the Questions and Answers section of its website.

• GCC strategy released tomorrow

  Like other NZ Inc strategies, such as the ones for India and China, the GCC strategy will include international education goals.

  The GCC countries are: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

  Watch the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website to get a copy of the strategy.

  There is more information on the NZ Inc strategies here.