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From the CE: Building back New Zealand’s international education experience
One of the highlights for me was experiencing a warm Southern welcome in Christchurch and Dunedin, in late August. It was useful to hear from a cross-section of key education providers and other education-related organisations about what’s top of mind for them. There was an opportunity to hear about their plans for the year ahead and discuss what’s being planned at Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), and how we can best support each other.
People expressed cautious optimism about inbound student numbers for 2022, saying they have adequate applications in the pipeline to be comfortable with progress (as much as 50% of pre-pandemic levels for some). They mentioned that the fourth border exception group of international students, Cohort 4, is having a positive impact on student numbers. Many of the recent arrivals had started their studies with New Zealand online in their home countries – a testament to the huge effort made by providers, with support from agents and our international teams, to continue reaching out to students and offering online study options while our borders were closed.
The visit ended with a Christchurch City Council and ChristchurchNZ mayoral welcome for around 140 tertiary international students, from across the wider Christchurch region – a memorable evening.
Another successful welcome for international students took place in September, hosted by the University of Auckland. Both Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins spoke at the event, in a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to international students and international education.
This week I returned from a short visit to London and Barcelona, as part of ENZ’s plans to revisit all our key partner countries now our borders have reopened. The timing coincided with the annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition in Barcelona, which attracted more than 6,300 participants from over 90 countries. EAIE is the largest business-to-business conference and international education event in Europe. It provided a great opportunity to reconnect with key partners and other contacts, and to continue to let them know we are open to welcome students. You can read more about New Zealand’s pavilion at EAIE and the providers who took part in this month’s E-News.
In London, I had a series of meetings with key government and education sector contacts, including Professor Sir Steve Smith, the UK Government International Education Champion. A range of opportunities were discussed during these meetings, and we will follow up on these with the sector in New Zealand. I also met with journalists to promote a New Zealand education, including Times Higher Education and StudyTravel magazine. The final engagement of the London trip before heading off to Barcelona involved presenting an award at the PIEoneer Awards ceremony. The four awards won by New Zealand organisations that evening are covered later in this issue.
Finally, I’d like to thank everyone involved in the Asia Pacific Technical & Vocational Education and Training Forum, which took place from 14-15 September 2022. This online event, which is run in partnership between Te Pūkenga, Skills Consulting Group and ENZ, attracted more than 2,000 delegates from 60 countries, and has resulted in significant positive feedback.
In the spirit of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori I’d like to end with a whakataukī that highlights the importance of language:
Kia kaha, te reo Māori - Let’s make the Māori language strong!
Ngā mihi nui,
Grant McPherson
New Zealand-trained astrophysicist receives top honour in Malaysia

She was awarded the prestigious Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia, by Sultan Abdullah at his annual Honours ceremony. It carries the title of Tan Sri, one of the highest federal titles, and is only held concurrently by 250 living recipients.

Dr Othman studied physics at the University of Otago in the 1970s and returned for post-graduate study in the 1980s, becoming the first woman to graduate from the university with a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics. She then went on to forge a remarkable career in the male-dominated space industry.

Colombo Plan Scholar

Dr Othman came to New Zealand on a Colombo Plan scholarship. The Plan, a forerunner to our modern development assistance programmes, aimed to promote economic and social development in Asia through education and training.

Having fallen in love with physics as a teenager in the 1960s, Dr Othman didn’t discover astronomy or astrophysics until she arrived in Dunedin to study for her PhD in 1974.

“There were very few books available at that time and there was not much interest here in Malaysia, but it was very different in New Zealand,” she says. “Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon in 1969 was a very significant event, but I didn’t think at that time that I would have space as a career. Not in a million years.”

Studying in New Zealand opened a world of opportunity for the young, Muslim scholar. Not only did she make a career in the space industry, but she became a leading authority, being appointed the Director of the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs in 1999, and the founding director of Malaysia’s National Space Agency in 2002.

She acknowledges it has been challenging at times. “It’s been a hard road because I’ve had to start everything from scratch. There was no set path to get to where I am today.”

Working to promote science and technology

She says her role at the UN was less about science, and more about diplomacy and politics. “How to balance one country’s requirements against another’s. Bringing people to the table together, even if they don’t agree, to try and agree on how to proceed. The other aspect of the job was to see how we could use space to enhance the development of developing countries, especially in science and technology.”

It is mostly her work at home for which she has been recognised by the King. As Malaysia’s first astrophysicist, Dr Othman was instrumental in introducing astronomy and space sciences into school and university curricula, advised the Government on space matters, was the driving force behind the National Planetarium in Kuala Lumpur, initiated the country’s National Microsatellite Programme, and headed Mega Science 3.0, the ambitious project to transform Malaysia into leading global player in science and innovation by 2050.

Justice and fairness in New Zealand education

But it all started as an international student in New Zealand, a time Dr Othman remembers as being both liberating and rewarding. “I particularly loved the egalitarian environment of the university, and that reflected wider New Zealand society.”

“There will always be a role for New Zealand in supporting education internationally through its cultural perspective on science,” she says. “There is no hierarchy in New Zealand science – professors treat their students as equals and encourage them to challenge and ask questions. That approach has stayed with me through my career.

“New Zealand education also instils a deep sense of justice and fairness.”  – Malaysia alumna and astrophysicist Dr Mazlan Othman.
Flying Kiwis off to Chile
“We’ve had a fantastic response to this year’s call for Flying Kiwi nominations. Forty one schools from all around New Zealand put forward some outstanding students for consideration – it’s been a quite a task to narrow it down to just seven students,” says Mr McPherson.
“These senior Spanish students will spend three weeks in Santiago, going to school and living with Chilean families, immersing themselves in the language and the culture.” The Flying Kiwis programme was developed in response to the successful Chilean government-sponsored Penguins without Borders programme which sees Chilean students coming to New Zealand to study. “New Zealand is the first country to develop such an exchange with Chile and I am thrilled to be able to give our young people the chance to experience a taste of the Chilean way of life. “One of last year’s Flying Kiwis said he wasn’t very confident speaking Spanish before he went but the experience in Santiago helped him get top marks in end of year exams. And he plans to go back to South America in the future.
“Flying Kiwis and Penguins without Borders create bonds between our countries and lifelong connections for both the Chilean and New Zealand students taking part,” says Mr McPherson. Almost 240 ‘Penguins’ have studied in New Zealand since January 2013. There are currently 96 Chilean young people studying at schools in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Chile is a small but growing source of students for New Zealand and is our second largest source of students from South America, after Brazil. Chilean high school students value the opportunity to improve their English language skills as they experience a different culture and lifestyle living with New Zealand families.
New social media launch in China
“Last year our awareness levels in China grew 17 per cent between April and December,” says Kathryn McCarrison, General Manager Marketing and Channel Development.
“With year-on-year growth in enrolments and student visa approvals from China, we want to continue building on this momentum in a top priority market for New Zealand.”
The number of Chinese students studying at a New Zealand institution was up 3 per cent in 2013 on 2012 and this growth looks set to continue, with student visa approvals from January to March this year increasing by 24 per cent.
In August new ‘Study New Zealand’ Weibo and WeChat sites will launch, targeting a youth audience with fun, informative and interactive content about studying in New Zealand.
Weibo is a microblogging platform, similar to both Twitter and Facebook, with more than 129 million monthly active users and more than 61 million average daily active users. Described by Forbes magazines as the world’s most powerful app, WeChat is a similarly popular mobile messaging app used by more than 350 million monthly active users.
The China team will continue to support the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Embassy’s Weibo account – supplying all-important content about bilateral education and research collaborations which demonstrate the depth of New Zealand’s strong education relationship with China.
“We are focused on profiling the dual opportunities New Zealand offers to China, as a high-quality and committed strategic education partner for our education products and services, and as an exceptional study destination,” says Alex Grace, Regional Director – Greater China.
Whereas social media activity will reach a wide audience, recent campaign activity in China was targeted at those actively considering studying abroad, particularly at university level.
The campaign, which remains active until the end of July, matched prospective students to an agent to find out more information about studying in New Zealand.
To date, over 6,500 prospective students have registered to find out more about New Zealand and these enquiries are being actively followed up by four agencies, who will in turn provide these qualified leads to New Zealand institutions.
Auckland students welcomed
Auckland-based students hailing from Korea, Germany, China, Japan, Brazil and Russia were waiting for the doors to open and the powhiri and mayoral welcome to begin.
Once inside, the students flocked to the 30-plus tourism and service provider stalls and to take part in the games, with the FIFA kick-wall proving most very popular.
Live entertainment throughout the day greatly added to the atmosphere, as did the awarding of spot prizes.
Three Blues players and the FIFA Ambassadors (past All Whites Ivan Vicelich, Andy Boyens and Dan Ellensohn) did Q&A sessions on the main stage which were well attended.
Six of Study Auckland’s top Indian education agents and 10 Indian students who have recently arrived to take up New Zealand India Scholarships for 2015 and were at the event, and one of them, Ketaki Khare, had this to say, “It was as an absolutely wonderful experience to be at the International InAKL Student Event where all of us were greeted so warmly by the Mayor, and by Auckland itself with such a marvellous sunny morning!
“The school kids who performed the kapa haka were absolutely delightful and put a big smile on all of our faces. The highlight though, for me, was getting to meet the Auckland Blues! It was incredible how modest and friendly they are!”
Education providers saw value in the event as a great show of manaakitanga (welcome), and as Jennifer Kirkham, Director of International Students, Botany Downs Secondary College put it.
“Our students had a great time at the Auckland Student Welcome that took place in the Cloud last Thursday. The Cloud was the perfect venue, with a vibrant and warm Pacific flavour. It opened our students’ eyes to what the city has to offer and gave them a chance to take selfies with the Mayor, the Blues, the Police and just to wander around and meet other students.
“It also gave us a chance to show our students that they are welcome not only in our school, but that the city as a whole values their presence. Our students had a lot of fun and took a walk around the Viaduct afterwards to see the Volvo Ocean Race Yachts - just another beautiful day in fabulous Auckland! Our students loved it. “
Summer holiday fun for Vietnamese students at the 2023 New Zealand Future Skills Camp
At this year’s camp, in addition to NZ EdTech Code Avengers which specialises in digital skills training, Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) also worked with another NZ Ed Tech company Chasing Time English, a digital platform that enhances English language learning through exclusive short films. Three local partners were involved to help promote and deliver training sessions for the students.
20 teams were shortlisted for the camps which ran from Saturday 24 June to Sunday 2 July 2023. The teams could participate in a variety of online and in-person group work and interactive activities, learning coding skills together with English skills for an intercultural environment. After the camps, the teams were required to work on a coding project themed “Making a creative and impressive 'Our Future Profile' Webpage introducing your team 15-20 years from now”.
The top eight teams with the most impressive webpages were then invited to present their products, in English, to a panel of judges on Sunday 16 July. The other teams from the 20 who were shortlisted were also invited to the Awards Ceremony held on Friday 7 July to receive certificates and announcement of the final results either in person or virtually.
His Excellency Mr. Scott James, New Zealand Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, attended the Awards Ceremony. In his remarks, he said “All of the students here are already winners because you have not only surpassed many contestants to come this far, but you have also taken the courage to step out of your comfort zone and embark on this adventure to learn new skills.”
Assoc. Prof. Minh Nguyen, Head of Department Computer Science and Software Engineering at Auckland University of Technology, was one of the judges who evaluated the teams’ webpages and then the short-listed presentations. He commented: “It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of such an inspiring event. The creativity and innovation displayed by the teams was truly impressive.”
Ms. Karen Kemsley, Production Manager at Chasing Time English who taught students at online sessions, said: “I had a wonderful time with the NZ Future Skills Camp students. Everyone participated enthusiastically which made the classes both fun and engaging. They took every opportunity they could to share creative opinions and ideas while demonstrating excellent English language skills. They were an absolute delight!”
The 1st prize winning team, together with two 2nd prize winning teams went on to represent Viet Nam at the New Zealand – Asia Code Camp Day on 5 August with other students from Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand.
NZFSC not only provided an exciting and meaningful summer event for the participating students, but also left both students and their parents with a very positive impression of Aotearoa New Zealand as an innovative, welcoming and beautiful destination for their potential international education plans.
Competition winners announced South and South East Asia
The first competition was open to SSEA students from selected institutions currently pursuing undergraduate programmes in business, marketing and/or related disciplines. Students were asked to submit a 12 month marketing strategy that would promote New Zealand as an education destination in their own country.
ENZ is pleased to announce that five entries – two from Viet Nam and one each from India, Indonesia and Malaysia have won all-expenses paid four-week internships in New Zealand. The interns will arrive in New Zealand between July and September.
The winners and their hosting New Zealand institutions are:
Viet Nam
Pham Phuong Lan going to Academic Colleges Group
Nguyen Hoai Thuong going to Palmerston North Girls High School
India
Armeet Narang going to Avondale College
Indonesia
Edo Dwi Prayogo going to the University of Auckland
Malaysia
Kong Kah Weng going to Choose New Zealand Education Alliance
The second competition was targeted at secondary school students in South East Asia only, with the aim of prompting them to research what it would be like to live and learn in New Zealand. The students each submitted a 700-word essay demonstrating their take on the theme of ‘Think New: Think New Zealand’. ENZ received some outstanding entries across all four target markets. The winning essays (listed below) were all published in top-tier media publications.
Malaysia
Nur Afiqah Azizan - essay published in The New Straits Times (Learning Curve)
Indonesia
Siti Hajar Saskia Putri - essay published in Hai! and CosmoGIRL! magazines
Thailand
Sirinut Talpraderm - essay published in The Bangkok Post (Student Weekly)
Vietnam
Nguyễn Thúy An - essay published on Kenh14.vn
We’ll follow up with the students and their host institutions during their time in New Zealand and keep you posted as to their experiences.
Introducing new GM Marketing and Channel Development, Paul Irwin
Hannah Lee Darboe, who fulfilled the role of Acting GM for this team, returned to NZTE recently to take up the role of Director, Business Improvements.
What attracted you to the world of international education?
The GM Marketing and Channel Development role at Education New Zealand builds on highlights from previous roles in my career. Namely, international marketing in Asia with the Economist Intelligence Unit, advertising and communications consultancy to a range of education sector clients (Open Polytechnic; TeachNZ, Ministry of Education; and Agriculture ITO), and the ever-evolving world of digital marketing. Additionally, I’m really impressed with the contribution that international education makes to both New Zealand’s economy and our cultural ties with other countries.
What will you be doing as GM Marketing & Channel Development?
I'll be helping shape ENZ’s international marketing strategies across brand, digital media, social, agents, events and whatever other opportunities we identify. My goal is to work with the marketing team and the rest of ENZ to build on their great work to date. Particular areas of interest are how we can continue to position the Think New brand against our competitors, increase our use of data for insight and conversion, and how we integrate and optimise all our activity, noting the different challenges of each particular market!
What’s on your to-do list for the next three months?
First, to build my understanding of a very complex industry! ENZ and New Zealand’s education providers operate across a wide range of sectors and countries. From a marketing perspective, we use best practice digital marketing, events and agents, while also equipping the industry with a wide range of tools and marketing material.
Second, to better understand the needs of the different education sectors (I really look forward to meeting you all in due course!).
Third, to look to ways to “optimise” our activity, building on past learnings, fine-tuning to the different dynamics of each country and their student populations, and bringing my expertise in integrated marketing to ensure we have the best marketing mix to achieve our collective objectives.
What excites you most about your new role?
I’m excited to be working in a role that delivers economic, social and cultural good. Equally to be working with such a large group of smart, passionate people across ENZ and the entire New Zealand education industry. It’s exciting to be working in an industry that’s part of the “knowledge economy”, which has really strong foundations but equally huge opportunity for innovation and further growth.
What challenges do you expect to face?
There are many challenges in international education, but these are what make the role interesting and rewarding. There’s the complexity of the markets and diversity of sectors. Then there’s being on top of the fast-changing world of marketing today, driven by new digital technologies and channels and access to more and more data. As always, there’s the juggling act between global efficiencies and consistency and in-market tailoring of activity. And last, but not least, being mindful of each education institution’s particular needs, past learnings and future ambitions.
ENZ boosts education agent capability through successful workshops in Viet Nam
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) delivered two education agent capability workshops in Viet Nam in partnership with education providers.

The workshops, held in Ha Noi on 21 January and Ho Chi Minh City on 23 January were delivered in partnership with Lincoln University, Massey University, Pacific International Hotel Management School (PIHMS), eight LightPath New Zealand Schools, and Navitas (University of Canterbury International College and University of Waikato College).

The invitation-only workshops were offered to 40 key education agents recommended by New Zealand education providers and those actively engaged with ENZ’s activities.

The events were opened by the New Zealand Ambassador to Viet Nam, Caroline Beresford in Ha Noi, and New Zealand Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Scott James, in Ho Chi Minh City. ENZ’s Regional Director – Asia (excluding China), Ben Burrowes, attended both events virtually.

In addition to institutional updates, the workshops featured external speakers who shared insights on New Zealand’s workforce landscape and digital marketing trends for education.

ENZ’s Market Manager – Viet Nam, Van Banh said the workshops reinforced ENZ’s focus on strengthening education agent capability and supporting the sustainable growth of New Zealand’s international education sector.

“It was valuable to hear from agents that the demand for study in New Zealand remains moderate to strong, with master’s, undergraduate and school programmes identified as top priorities, and business, health and medicine, and education emerging as the most in-demand fields.

“Agents also highlighted the need for more scholarships, clearer job pathways, and continued marketing support, while rating ENZ’s in-market support positively.

“These are all good insights to have for Viet Nam – it helps us better target and promote New Zealand’s education offering to prospective students,” Van said.

ENZ also incorporated interactive activities such as social media challenges and team-based minigames into the workshop programme that helped drive further engagement with the programme and encouraged agents to visit education provider booths.
Record audience for early childhood education symposium with China

This year, the symposium attracted a live audience of 350 attendees and a livestream audience of 100,000, well over the number of attendees in previous years. The symposium’s theme was ‘Advancing Inclusiveness in Early Childhood Education’.

The Early Childhood Education Symposium is an initiative between Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) and China Center for International People to People Exchange (CCIPE), a sub-agency of China Ministry of Education (China MoE).

The symposium provides a platform for New Zealand Early Childhood Education (ECE) institutions, academics, practitioners, and policy experts to engage in a cross-cultural dialogue. It leverages New Zealand’s expertise in ECE teacher training programmes.

This was the first year that a delegation of government representatives and ECE experts from New Zealand travelled to China to present at the symposium in person, which sent a positive signal to education partners in China about New Zealand’s strong focus on reconnecting and strengthening our education credentials in the China market.

The symposium’s live presenters from New Zealand included Dr Jane Ewens, Manager Early Learning, Ministry of Education and Fiona He, Director and Founder, TuiTui Educare/Universal Kids Early Education Centre. Dr Ewens presented an overview of the New Zealand Government’s policy focusing on advancing inclusiveness in early childhood education.

ENZ’s General Manager International, Lisa Futschek, who provided opening remarks, said the symposium highlighted the special education relationship between New Zealand and China and our long and fruitful dialogue in a variety of education areas.

“It’s fantastic to see how the symposium has grown and evolved since 2020. We were delighted to be able to travel there, grow our connections in-person, and enable collaboration between people across the education landscape in both our countries.

“2023 has already been an exciting year for rebuilding face-to-face connections for New Zealand and China, and the symposium just helped us build on that so wonderfully,” Lisa said.

ENZ General Manager International, Lisa Futschek.

CAO Diefeng, Deputy Director General, China Centre for International People-to-People Exchange indicated in his opening remarks that the China-New Zealand Early Childhood Education Symposium has received extensive attention because of its scale and influence. It is highly welcomed by the education sector from both China and New Zealand and is becoming a key platform for early childhood education communication.

“The symposium exemplifies the sound education cooperation between our two countries and plays an important role in deepening substantive cooperation by both sides,” CAO Diefeng said.

Dr Jane Ewens said the information exchange was valuable to all audiences and demonstrated there are opportunities for the Ministry of Education to learn from our Chinese partners.

“We can create stronger educational ties and foster ongoing cooperation with China, aligning with government priorities. This could include exploring attracting Chinese teachers and students to New Zealand's early childhood education teaching workforce.

“There is also an opportunity for New Zealand practitioners and policy makers to consider and possibly integrate how China implements their curriculum as we develop curriculum resources for New Zealand Early Childhood Education kaiako (teachers),” Dr Ewens said.

Dr Jane Ewens from the New Zealand Ministry of Education presents the Policy Overview.

This year’s symposium resulted in a range of valuable outcomes for New Zealand’s education relationship with China and for the sector. The symposium generated good visibility for New Zealand, with 45 media articles (accounting for almost four million views), which included reporting from top tier Chinese media. Many connections and leads for New Zealand participants were created during and after the symposium – one New Zealand speaker reported being approached by 50 Chinese counterparts after their virtual presentation.

Aside from the symposium, the New Zealand delegation’s key objectives included supporting a bilateral education initiative linked to the New Zealand-China Arrangement on Education Cooperation and Training, while showcasing New Zealand’s expertise in early childhood education practices and curriculum to audiences in China.

The visit provided a chance for the delegation to understand best practices in early childhood education from a Chinese cultural perspective that they could put into practice in New Zealand to better support learners from Chinese backgrounds. As part of the programme in Nanjing, the delegation visited two kindergartens and presented a panel session with academics and students at Nanjing Normal University.

If you are interested in the ECE Symposium or partnering with ENZ on this event in the future, please contact the ENZ China team at China@enz.govt.nz.

The audience in Nanjing take notes during the presentations.

Attendees of the Hefei Shuangyou Education Group in Anhui Province watch the symposium online.