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  • Hands-on agribusiness experience for NZ students in Brazil, Chile and Colombia

    Despite being located on opposite sides of the world, New Zealand and Latin America have very similar climates, a phenomenon which serves as an opportunity for students in professions connected to agriculture to broaden their knowledge and practical skills. The Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme has supported students travelling to Brazil, Chile and Colombia to study this subject. 

    In operation since 2013, the Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme has already provided support for around 3,050 New Zealanders studying abroad, covering their travel, meals, accommodation, studies, technical visits, and journeys in different regions.  

    In 2022, Brazil was the most popular Latin-American country among group scholarship recipients, receiving visits from three groups. Brazil was also the first country to welcome New Zealand students from the program following the COVID-19 pandemic.  

    12 members of the Agronomy and Business Faculty of Lincoln University travelled to São Paulo in November last year. Over the course of five weeks, they visited and studied at three Brazilian universities, visiting farms and production centres in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Santa Catarina states. 

    According to Dr. Hugh Bigsby of Lincoln University, who coordinated the groups of students, their visits were organised so they could learn about the countries and their cultures through their food. 

    “Our programmes are called ‘agribusiness summer schools’ and the aim is to try to understand the local economy, over a period of five weeks, through processes involved in food production and the textile industry, for example,” Hugh said. 

    “In each country, we introduce the students to farms, sales chains and supermarkets. At the end of the program, they are required to present a business idea that can contribute to the commercial relations between New Zealand and each country visited, supporting exports and imports,” explained Hugh. 

    Amongst the places visited in Brazil were the Higher Education School of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo, in Piracicaba; the Faculty of Agrarian Sciences of the Federal University of Paraná, in Curitiba; and the experimental farms operated by the Federal University of Viçosa. 

    “The partnerships with the local universities of each country are fundamental to the success of our program, since each of them provides us with the local economic context, demonstrates technological advances that are underway, and explains the specific features of the local producers,” Hugh said. 

    At the same time, a group of 10 students, from the School of Agriculture and Development at Massey University, were in Chile to pursue their studies of agribusiness techniques. The students explored several regions across the country, visiting the Austral University of Chile, the Catholic University of Valparaiso, and Magallanes University in Punta Arenas.  

    In addition to the universities, the students went to the Santiago Botanic Gardens, dairy cattle farms, vineyards, avocado plantations, and food cooperatives.   

    Massey University students at Universidad Austral de Chile, in Chile.

    Massey University Professor Ignacio López, accompanied students on their visit. He said the trip was an incredible experience.  

    “The students were impressed with how the farmers are capable of sustainably farming foods in extremely harsh conditions” Ignacio said.  

    Lincoln University students at Universidad de La Salle, in Colombia.

    A group of 20 students from the Agronomy and Business Faculty of Lincoln University travelled to Bogotá, Colombia, in January to study agribusiness. They were in the country for four weeks, studying at the La Salle University, located in the Colombian capital, and at Manizales University. 

    The students learnt about the wide range of agribusiness activities conducted in the country and in the Mercosur region, including detailed studies of Colombian coffee production techniques, which are considered a benchmark across the world.   

    The students from the three groups all returned home having recognised the creativity and experience of the Latin-American agricultural producers.  

    “For our students, the trip opened their minds to new possibilities and different ways of working with agriculture,” said Ignácio Lopez.  

    “They also realised that what they had experimented with can, indeed, be adjusted and applied in New Zealand” he said. 

  • November update from Immigration New Zealand

    Update on Student Visa processing*  

    Since New Zealand’s international borders reopened in August 2022, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has received 12,259 student visa applications from international students outside New Zealand. We have decided 7,731 of these applications, with more than half of our decisions made in under four weeks and almost all decisions (95%) made within eight weeks.   

    *Figures current as at 10pm on 19 November 2022.  

    Help us process student visa applications quickly 

    There are common mistakes which can slow down student visa processing. Please make sure applicants supply all required documents when they submit their online visa applications. Checklists on the INZ website the INZ website can help students gather all the information they need for their application.  

    All documents should be: 

    • clear scans (not blurry or missing text) 
    • uploaded separately and under the correct category.  

    Also, a reminder that overseas applicants do not need to use the Approval in Principle process. Their applications are processed faster if they pay their tuition fees upfront and include the provider’s receipt with their applications.   

    Contacting us  

    Our immigration officers are processing visa applications as quickly as possible. Students and their representatives should only contact individual immigration officers when their application is being assessed and pending a decision.  

    For any questions not about a specific in progress application, there are other ways to find the information you are looking for. Check the INZ website first as it has a lot of useful information, including the student checklists. Education providers and licensed immigration advisors can also contact INZ through their established email channels.  

    Pathway visas  

    An increasing number of people are incorrectly applying for Pathway Student Visas, which can cause processing delays.  

    A Pathway Student Visa is for international students who want to study up to three consecutive programmes of study with pathway visa approved education providers on a single visa, or they wish to study a multi-year programme with a pathway visa approved education provider.  

    Students should only apply for a Pathway Visa if they: 

    • have a letter of support from a Pathway education provider (or joint letter if their study is with more than one provider) stating they support the student’s pathway application  
    • have an offer of place for each programme of study, and 
    • can demonstrate they have sufficient and readily available maintenance funds for their first year on the intended pathway and that they can fund any further years of study as per their intended study path; and 
    • have paid (or have sufficient funds to pay) for a minimum of the first year or first programme tuition fees, whichever is applicable. 

    Applicants should only answer ‘Yes’ to the online student visa application form question “Are you applying for a Pathway Student Visa?” if they meet the criteria for a Pathway Student Visa. If they are unsure whether a course meets these requirements, they should talk to their education provider(s). 

    A screenshot of the student visa application form Pathway Student Visa question 

     

    If students apply for a Pathway Student Visa incorrectly, their applications will take longer to process as there will be additional tasks for the immigration officer assessing their application.

    Pathway visas | Immigration New Zealand

    Family travelling with a student

    If family members (such as  parents)  intend to visit New Zealand briefly to help a student settle into their life and study here, they may need to apply for an NZeTA (if from a visa waiver country) or a General Visitor Visa (if they are from a visa required country).

    Currently there is high demand for General Visitor Visas to travel to New Zealand. If a General Visitor Visa is needed for travel in early 2023, we encourage people to apply for this as soon as possible. Applicants should state in the “Purpose of visit” section of their application that they wish to travel with the student to New Zealand and include the name of the student.

    Visit New Zealand | Immigration New Zealand

     

    Our next E-News update from INZ will be in 2023, we wish everyone a happy holiday season.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Launching Te Pūkenga internationally 

    The series began in late May 2022 with the launch of its strategy by Education Minister Chris Hipkins at NAFSA. Since then, Te Pūkenga has continued working with Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), to introduce Te Pūkenga to offshore education agents and other key international stakeholders, building on existing events whenever possible.  

    The establishment of Te Pūkenga, and the opportunities presented by its size and scale have been a key focus at these events. Te Pūkenga is now the largest tertiary provider in New Zealand, and the 35th largest in the world. The events have also been a great way to bring partners together, to reconnect and to acknowledge the tough years that all have recently endured.  

    Te Pūkenga emphasised that its size and scale together with having a single national brand enable it to act as one, to invest strategically, and to communicate effectively and deliberately the quality of its applied education delivery on the global stage – something all partners were clearly excited about hearing. It is striving to achieve a balanced portfolio of inbound, outbound, online, offshore and work-based education delivery. 

    A special shout out to ENZ’s international teams that assisted Te Pūkenga on the events and worked with other NZ Inc agencies, particularly where ENZ events weren’t planned. These included hosting events at the New Zealand High Commission in India and the New Zealand Embassies in the Philippines and Japan. 

    To sum up with a quote from the Philippines’ launch event ‘Ko te pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tina / Seek out distant horizons and celebrate those you have attained’. 

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  • US roadshow sparks interest in New Zealand universities

    Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), together with Victoria University of Wellington, Lincoln University, the University of Auckland, and the University of Otago recently completed a successful tour of high schools across Hawaii. The aim? To inspire local students to think of New Zealand not just as a beautiful place to visit, but as a world-class place to study. 

    Across a week-long series of classroom presentations, university fairs, and dedicated sessions for school counsellors, the New Zealand delegation engaged directly with more than 300 students and families and connected with 25 high school counsellors. 

     

    Representatives from New Zealand universities talking to students and their parents about their study offering.

     

    Director of College Counseling at Le Jardin Academy, Scott Liedtke, said face-to-face conversations are powerful.

    “When New Zealand educators come to Hawaii, it helps demystify studying overseas. Students and families can ask questions directly about cost, safety and credit transfer, and hear answers from the source,” he said.

    ENZ also partnered with the New Zealand Consulate in Hawaii to host two events for local school counsellors. A breakfast at the New Zealand Chancery and a brunch at the Consul General’s residence allowed for deeper discussions and relationship-building within the education community.

    Dan Cairns, Administration Manager at the New Zealand Consulate, described the events as more than just informational.

    “Each gathering was designed to reflect different kaupapa, from celebrating international education to acknowledging our shared Polynesian connections – these moments created space to build people-to-people ties that go far beyond the classroom,” he said.

    The impact of the roadshow was immediate. Each of the attending universities reported that at least two students had begun applications to study in New Zealand.

    Director of Engagement, North America, DuBois Jennings said for ENZ, the roadshow represents a step towards long-term engagement in a region with shared cultural values.

    “The clear appetite for New Zealand study options, shows there is real value in continuing and expanding this mahi,” he said.

    Scott Liedtke echoed that sentiment. “New Zealand feels like a home away from home for many of our students. With its island lifestyle, cultural familiarity, and globally recognised education, it’s a natural fit,” he said.

    “Here in Hawaii, we say the ‘coconut wireless’ — word of mouth — is strong. Once a few students head to New Zealand and love it, that news spreads fast,” Scott added.

    For New Zealand study providers looking to find out more about the Hawaiian market, you can contact DuBois Jennings directly via email: dubois.jennings@enz.govt.nz

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