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• Making New Zealand’s roads safer for students

  The Visiting Drivers Project is aiming to do just that. The project is a collaboration between the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and its road safety partners, including the Automobile Association (AA), and rental vehicle operators and tourism operators across the country.

  The focus for the project is the Otago, Southland and West Coast regions where visiting drivers make up a large proportion of traffic. On roads in these regions, safety improvements such as centre-line rumble strips, “keep left” arrows, “no-passing” markings and new signage have been installed. Road safety information has also been made more accessible and user-friendly, with resources available in different languages and formats, including interactive videos and apps.

  Over summer, during the regions’ peak visitor season, an education campaign will be run to help visiting drivers understand and prepare for driving in New Zealand.

  Jim Harland, NZTA’s Regional Director, Southern, says the strength of the project has been in the shared objective of ‘host responsibility’ and a partnership approach that ensures visitors are helped at every stage of their journey.

  While the project is largely aimed at tourists, it will benefit all newcomers to New Zealand, including international students.

  “We want all visitors who are driving on our roads, including students, to make good decisions based on correct information about travel times, speeds and conditions,” he said.

  “It’s our responsibility as New Zealanders to help our visitors have a safe and enjoyable time.”

  The Visiting Drivers Project initiatives also include the following, many of which are available in different languages.

  • AA’s online Visiting Driver Training Programme, which includes video footage of New Zealand driving scenarios.
  • Apps with road safety messaging such as CamperMate.
  • Air New Zealand’s 'Driving in New Zealand' in-flight app (available on long-haul flights) and videos on all international flights about driving in New Zealand.
  • A 'Driving in New Zealand' leaflet available from rental vehicle and other tourism operators, and can be downloaded here.
  • Providing road safety information to successful applicants for student visas.
  • Guidelines for accommodation providers to provide practical driving advice to their guests.
  • A Rental Vehicle Operators’ Code of Practice.

• The EAIE 2016 builds partnerships

  The EAIE conference took place last month in Liverpool, with more than 5000 participants from over 80 countries in attendance. This included ENZ, which coordinated a branded New Zealand pavilion that showcased six universities and four Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics.

  ENZ’s Regional Director Americas and Europe, Lisa Futschek, says that partnerships such as NMIT’s confirm how important EAIE is for New Zealand providers wanting to work with overseas institutions.

  “Face-to-face relationship building is invaluable in this industry, allowing providers to discuss opportunities in a friendly but focussed environment,” she said.

  “Each year EAIE brings together not just European, but global key industry players. It therefore provides a perfect platform for New Zealand industry to establish new and develop existing international partnerships.”

  In light of its new partnership, NMIT will begin on-campus promotion of the exchange opportunity to Kiwi students in 2017.

  The EAIE is not a student-facing event, similar to its North American counterpart, NAFSA (Association of International Educators) but an important business to business event on the annual international education calendar.

  

  Left: Will Tregidga, International Development Manager from Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) with Silke Bochow from Cologne Business School.

  On the eve of the EAIE conference, ENZ hosted a New Zealand networking function, A Taste of New Zealand in the heart of Liverpool, for New Zealand institutions along with their existing and potential European partners. The New Zealand High Commissioner in London, Sir Lockwood Smith, officially opened the event, delighting guests with his passionate promotion of New Zealand as an international education destination.  He shared with the crowd his pride at having introduced the world-leading integrated Qualifications Framework as Education Minister in the late 1980s.

  Sir Lockwood brought the evening to a fitting close by leading Ngati Ranana Kapa Haka group in a spontaneous and rousing rendition of “Now is the Hour”.

  

  Sir Lockwood Smith at A Taste of New Zealand in the heart of Liverpool

• Major offshore donation to University of Auckland

  The Aotearoa Foundation is a private foundation founded by well-known philanthropist Julian Robertson and his late wife Josie, and seeks to make high-impact grants in New Zealand for education, conservation and environmental stewardship, and medical research. In the 1970s, Robertson and his family spent a year living in New Zealand.

  The Aotearoa Foundation donation is set to create new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for healthcare, new opportunities in New Zealand’s medical technology sector, and support leading researchers at the university’s Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI) and Centre for Brain Research (CBR).

  The Director of the CBR, Professor Richard Faull, says the donation will be “a vital catalyst” for the CBR’s work in brain research, and hopes it will bring more international attention to the campaign.

  For All Our Futures is the largest fundraising campaign in New Zealand history, aiming to raise $300m on research projects that address critical challenges facing our communities.

  The ambitious project comes on the back of the university ranking highest of all New Zealand universities in the latest QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

• ENZ launches inaugural education showcase in Saudi Arabia

  The event followed Trade Minister Todd McClay's visit to Saudi Arabia to discuss several education initiatives, leading a trade delegation with five education organisations.

  The New Zealand Showcase covered New Zealand’s expertise in teacher training, school management and operations, and early childhood education delivery. The event was hosted in Riyadh at the Saudi Ministry of Education, chaired by the Minister of Education, Ahmed Al-Issa, with the support of New Zealand Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Hamish MacMaster. The event included representatives from the University of Waikato, Cognition Education, and Little Schools.

  Saudi Arabia is implementing education reforms, a response to lower oil revenues, with a focus on growing private education capacity in the country. Saudi officials and investors have shown a particular interest in partnering with New Zealand to set up new school and early childhood education networks, and to raise the performance of existing private schools.

  ENZ’s Middle East and Acting South Asia Regional Director, John Laxon, says initiatives such as the showcase are an excellent way to bridge any gaps in knowledge, and promote what New Zealand organisations have to offer.

  “The showcase has created a great awareness of New Zealand’s world-class education system, and established partnerships to address some of the common education challenges faced by Saudi Arabia and New Zealand,” said Mr Laxon.

  “We are very grateful for the support of Minister Al-Issa and the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia, and the New Zealand organisations who supported the event.”

  

  Ambassador Hamish MacMaster and Minister Al-Issa chair the New Zealand Education Showcase

• School exam reform in China

  The changes are part of the Guiding Opinion on Further Advancing Exam and Student Enrolment Reform at High School Level, officially released by China’s Ministry of Education. Key features of the Guiding Opinion include:

  • The intention to combine the Middle School Completion Exam (Chuzhong Huikao) and High School Entrance Exam (Zhongkao) into one ‘Middle School Academic Achievement Exam’ (Chuzhong Xueye Shuiping Kaoshi).
  • Middle school students (Years 7 – 9 in China) will have the freedom to choose optional subjects whose exam results will contribute to the final Middle School Academic Achievement Exam (alongside their usual compulsory subjects, for example, Chinese literature and maths).

  The overarching objective of the reform is to advance students’ development by allowing them to choose elective courses to complement compulsory subjects. This reform is consistent with adjustments to Gaokao, China’s College Entrance Exam, where students have the option to choose what they want to study, and can pursue what they are good at.

  Piloting of the reform is expected to begin at a provincial level from 2018 onwards, and will not affect students enrolling until then.  

  Rosemary An, ENZ’s Education Manager based in China, says that when these changes come into play, they will likely have some impact on Chinese students who decide to study abroad.

  “The changes show an effort by China to mitigate exam burdens and to emphasise the value of all-round development. An added benefit is that if these Chinese students decide to study in New Zealand, they are likely to adapt more quickly to New Zealand secondary schooling as they will have already experienced ‘course selection’ in their home country.”

  While it is still too soon to predict what this development will mean for overseas study trends, Rosemary recommends that any institutions recruiting Chinese school students should be aware of this development. 

  The ENZ China team will keep an eye on the progress and impact of these reforms, and share any updates as they occur.

• Innovative award scheme announced in Seoul

  At the seminar, agents and providers received updates from Immigration New Zealand and ENZ, had one-on-one discussions and attended the announcement of ENZ’s hotly anticipated new award scheme for Korean students, a video competition called I want to study in New Zealand. The award encourages students to research New Zealand’s education offerings, and get creative by putting together a short video (60 seconds or less) that shows what they want to study in New Zealand and why.

  Five awards, ranging from NZ$5,000 - $8,000 to go towards tuition fees, will be given to the students who produce stand-out entries. Agents who put students forward for the scheme will also be rewarded, with four places up for grabs on an ENZ agent famil to New Zealand in 2017.

  Cecily Lin, ENZ’s Acting Regional Lead - North Asia, says that in this market it is important to strengthen relationships with agents, and interactive schemes like this are a win-win.

  “Promoting New Zealand as an education destination and attracting more Korean students starts with mobilising Korean agents.”

  “Through this competition we can acknowledge the important role Korean agents play in this market, and reward their efforts in attracting both quality and high numbers of students.”  

  The details of the scheme can be found here.

  For any queries about the scheme, please contact Cecily Lin or Onnuri Lee (Cecily.Lin@enz.govt.nz and lee.onnuri@enz.govt.nz)

• University of Waikato announces pioneering international partnership

  In September 2017, the University of Waikato will launch a joint Institute with Zheijiang University City College [ZUCC], offering Chinese students the opportunity to enrol in one of three undergraduate degrees in China with the University of Waikato providing the degrees and teaching staff.

  On completion, the Chinese students will receive a degree from both universities.

  University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor, Professor Neil Quigley, says the initiative complements other joint programmes the University has been running in China over the past 20 years.

  "The University is committed to growing its off-shore delivery, and transnational education plays an important role in the University’s internationalisation strategy," said Professor Quigley.

  Education New Zealand [ENZ] supported the preparation of the bid for initial submission to the Chinese Ministry of Education and the redevelopment of the Academic English part of the programme.

  Grant McPherson, ENZ Chief Executive, says that in a global context transnational education is not only a growth area, but an important contributor to supporting the international reputation and brand of the provider, and New Zealand.

  “We are delighted to see the University of Waikato expand offshore, with an approach that builds on an existing relationship and seamlessly aligns with the University’s offering,” said Mr McPherson. 

  The application process for approval of the institute was rigorous, including examination by the Provincial Ministry of Education and the Chinese Ministry of Education in Beijing.

  The first intake of students will be able to study for degrees in finance, media and creative technologies, and computer graphic design.

  The programmes included in the partnership were selected based on demand. The finance degree has been available to ZUCC students since 2008 but the students were required to complete the qualification in New Zealand. The partnership with the University of Waikato was established in 2002.

  "The finance degree was a popular choice with students when we began our partnership with ZUCC,” said Professor Quigley. 

  “The addition of media and creative technologies and computer graphic design relates well to the location of ZUCC in Hangzhou, which is a hub for technology and creative practices." 

• Your chance to provide input into the new international education strategy

  Education New Zealand, working with the Ministry of Education, is leading the development of a new international education strategy.

  International education touches many parts of our country and many individuals, organisations and businesses. We want everybody to see themselves reflected in the new strategy and we’d like to hear from you. We’ve provided some questions to help get your thinking started.

  Building sustainable growth in international education will require a diversified and innovative approach that looks to the future. Everything is on the table in this engagement and development phase.

  Please give us your thoughts on:

  • What success in international education looks like in 2025? You might consider the social, cultural and economic values of international education, as well as outcomes and experiences.
  • What you see as the three absolute priorities for international education in New Zealand?

  Please email your thoughts to the ENZ strategy team at: strategy@enz.govt.nz
  

  We won’t reply directly to your email. You will have the chance to provide feedback on the draft strategy during the online consultation period from mid-December.

• Asia NZ report highlights 'huge scope' for NZ ties with India

  The report – India and New Zealand: Growing our connectivity – was written by Graeme Waters, a former high commissioner to India, and highlights the way New Zealand’s cultural landscape is being enriched by our growing ties with India.

  Mr Waters said he was impressed how dynamic the Indian community in New Zealand was, and how it continued to grow.

  In talking about education, Mr Waters said that recent issues with the Indian student market meant New Zealand authorities needed to deal firmly with students and agents who breached standards, but longer term the "answer seems simple - quality not quantity".

  "The growth in the number of Indian students has been impressive, but it is now in both countries' interest to focus higher up the education value chain."

  Among the individuals profiled in the report were Indian twin sisters Tashi and Nungshi Malik, who are studying sport and exercise at Southland Institute of Technology. Both sisters are accomplished outdoor adventurers including having climbed Mt Everest.

  Mr Waters argued for better airline connections between India and New Zealand, which would bring more tourists and open the door to better trade connections.

  He made the point that New Zealand's trade with India was only about 10 percent of our trade with China.

  “It's a bit humbling to look at the stats compared to China and to realise that we're only operating at about a tenth of the level we do with China, so huge scope for advancement and lots of cultural advantages in doing so," he told Radio New Zealand.

  Along with the main report, Mr Waters has also written India and New Zealand: The Ties that Bind Us, which looks at the historic relationship between the two countries.

• AUT signs arts and culture partnership with Indonesia

  The New Zealand Arts & Culture Development Programme has been created by AUT to help MoEC cultivate a sense of belonging, identity and celebration of the diversity of culture and arts unique to Indonesia for future generations.

  The MoEC has selected 50 active arts and culture workers, expected to be future leaders in their fields, across a range of different sectors, including: history, museum & gallery, dance, theatre, music, literacy, film and visual art.

  Professor Nigel Hemmington, Dean – Faculty of Culture and Society, Pro Vice-Chancellor International, said the programme would build stronger ties between AUT and Indonesia.

  “The signing of the agreement signals a major development in the university’s relationship with Indonesia and serves as a preliminary project for the wider programme, Project Taman, where AUT will lead (with Victoria University of Wellington and University of Auckland) the professional development of Indonesian school teachers In New Zealand in 2017,” says Professor Hemmington.

  During the New Zealand-based training, to be held 14 November – 3 December, participants will undergo experiential learning including mentorships, seminars, workshop sessions, presentations, guest speakers, site visits and a field trip.

  The programme includes a three-day pre-departure briefing to familiarise participants with the programme, as well as a post-departure evaluation that will be conducted in Jakarta in early 2017.