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International students welcomed to Wellington
Proceedings began with a rousing Kapa Haka performance from Whitirea performing arts students. This was followed by a warm welcome from Wellington Mayor, Justin Lester, who reflected fondly on his time as an international student in both Germany and Japan.
After the formalities, there were lots of fun activities, including giant games, a national dress competition, poi making and the opportunity to take photos in booths or with a life-sized Gandalf.
Local tertiary education providers and tertiary student ambassadors were on-hand to answer questions.
Chinese International student, Raymond Chen, said he loved the event and was enjoying life as a Year 12 student at Scots College.
“We are like brothers at Scots College. And my homestay family in Miramar make me part of their family. We do all sorts of things like going to their friends’ house or camping. I really enjoy being with them.”
Education New Zealand is one of a number of agencies the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency is working with on the multi-year Wellington International Student Growth Programme (WISGP).
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Event season in Viet Nam
Two alumni networking events had more than 200 registrations, as well as the participation of Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and New Zealand Aid, who answered queries from students and parents about studying in New Zealand.
Several seminars were held alongside the fairs to discuss student visas, the New Zealand curriculum and NCEA, and the NZ ASEAN Scholar Awards. The seminars drew significant interest with the rooms full for most of the day.
Ben Burrowes, ENZ’s Regional Communications & Strategic Relations Manager for South East Asia, said it was fantastic to see so much interest in the seminars.
“It was clear that the students and parents had already conducted their own research and had come prepared with specific questions on programmes of study and life as a student in New Zealand.”
The Hanoi agent seminar, held on 17 March, included student visa updates from INZ, followed by education agent training and “speed meetings” between local agents and New Zealand education providers.
The events were accompanied by a comprehensive public relations programme that resulted in good coverage in Vietnamese media. Some 15 local media members attended a media briefing in Ho Chi Minh City, seizing the opportunity to interview two Vietnamese alumni and Ben.
The ENZ team also conducted an online chat with vnexpress.net, a top online news website in Viet Nam with over one million views per month. During the two-hour live chat session, questions were put to panel members Ben, Chris Klaassen (Chair of SIEBA), Giang Nguyen (University of Waikato’s SEA Regional Manager), and Lucy Nguyen (SIT’s International Marketing Officer for Vietnam). They answered nearly 60 questions ranging from New Zealand’s quality of education, the transferability of qualifications, the high school system and NCEA. After the live chat, the answers remained on the news site and were syndicated by many other online sources.
Ben said the number of questions put to the panel was a positive sign.
“A number of questions asked for comparisons between New Zealand and some of our stronger competitors – a further testament to the growing market awareness of New Zealand,” he said.
Air New Zealand was among the events’ partners, providing two sets of return tickets to New Zealand at the fairs.
Ben Burrowes (second from left), Tam Le (second from right) with Vietnamese alumni
Speed meetings at the Hanoi Agent Seminar
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New Zealand builds presence in the Philippines
More than 40 local education agents and 15 providers attended the agent seminar, held at the official residence of David Strachan, New Zealand’s Ambassador to the Philippines.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) provided local market updates and a student visa application training session to agents, while ENZ provided an overview of its 2017 activity.
ENZ also used the event to launch an Agent Activity Fund, designed to maximise agents’ resources and activities in promoting New Zealand education in Manila and Cebu. ENZ has invested NZD 20,000 into the fund, and called for co-investment proposals from local agents.
Ben Burrowes, ENZ’s Regional Communications & Strategic Relations Manager for Southeast Asia, said the Philippines has been one of New Zealand’s fastest growing student recruitment markets in recent years.
“We saw a slowdown following the Rule 18 change but we’ve been greatly encouraged by the high-quality student visa applications coming in,” said Ben.
“For the first two months of 2017, the numbers show a strong percentage increase compared to the same time last year.”
ENZ also joined New Zealand providers at IDP’s Study in Australia and New Zealand Fair in Ortigas on 11 March, where ENZ and INZ used a seminar session to present to more than 500 prospective students and parents.
The following day, ENZ and some 20 providers joined Golden Summit Immigration Consultancy (GSIC) for their Pure New Zealand Study Expo, which attracted more than 500 visitors.
“ENZ will continue to promote New Zealand’s world-class education offering, and we look forward to working alongside our providers and agents to further build our profile in the Philippines,” said Ben.
Immigration New Zealand provides training to local education agents in Manila
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Around the world in five
ASIA
APAIE: International education critical for Asia’s diplomacy, ambitions
International education in Asia Pacific has been a critical diplomacy tool for the region – one that is becoming all the more essential given the tempestuous global political landscape. Fostering a global outlook among students and facilitating people-to-people exchange is crucial, and international education can achieve what politicians are unable to, building positive relations between people and even countries, where relations are poor.
JAPAN
Push for foreign students to stay on to work in Japan
It is now a top priority that international students attending Japanese universities stay on in the country, with the government offering new incentives such as subsidised company internships, help with finding jobs on graduation, stepped-up Japanese language courses and more streamlined processes for work visas after graduation.
GERMANY
Germany is 'best country for international students', above UK
When students think about studying in a foreign country, their destination of choice tends to be either the United Kingdom or the United States, but a new study argues that Germany is now the best option for international students in Europe. The study ranked 30 European countries according to education, costs, life and career. Germany came on top with a total score of 83.2 out of 100 – far ahead of the UK, which scored 69.8.
CANADA, AUSTRALIA
Canada, Australia woo international students
Canada and Australia have goals to attract more international students to their universities, with policies that include more relaxed visa procedures, work rules and paths to citizenship. Given the current unsettled political climate in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia are emerging as attractive education destinations for prospective international students.
CHINA
China sees 11% growth of international student enrolments
The number of international students in China continues to climb, reaching 442,773 last year, and putting it on track to reach its target of hosting half a million international students by 2020. Korea was the top source country, sending just under 16% of all international enrolments. The US, accounting for 5.4% of all students, was the second-highest sending country, followed closely by Thailand.
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New Zealand universities launch foundation programme with Malaysian college
Students enrolled in the new FCertNZ Foundation Programme will first undergo a one-year foundation course at KYSIC’s KYS Business School (KYSB) in Melaka before progressing to a three-year (or more) undergraduate degree in New Zealand. The foundation programme offers a variety of courses in humanities, commerce, sciences, engineering and health sciences.
The programme builds on an agreement signed in 2015 between KYSIC and the University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Waikato.
Datuk Kamaruddin, Chief Executive of KYSB and alumnus of Victoria University of Wellington, said the programme aims to create better educational opportunities for Malaysian students.
“KYS has always been at the forefront of quality education in Malaysia and the FCertNZ Foundation Programme kick-starts another chapter in our international education strategy.
“Through this new partnership with the universities in New Zealand, we hope that our students will continue to be exposed to high-quality education and gain valuable international experiences that can eventually help them meet the demands of both the local and global economy’s needs,” he said.
John Laxon, ENZ’s Regional Director for South, South East Asia & the Middle East, said the new foundation programme will provide a seamless pathway for Malaysian students to further their studies in New Zealand.
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New Safety in the City videos for international students
Race Relations Commissioner, Dame Susan Devoy, welcomed the launch of the new videos at a special event on 20 March at Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED).
The latest Safety in the City videos, which have been developed in collaboration with New Zealand Police, present 10 risk scenarios ranging from theft, personal safety, and sexual harassment to drugs and fraud. They highlight ways in which international students can protect themselves in each of these situations with the help of various support services.
The videosare accessible to international students and education providers via Study Auckland’s online toolkit, and a compilation can be seen on YouTube. The videos can be played together, or by subject area of interest, and are available with English and simplified Chinese subtitles.
Dame Susan Devoy welcomes this work by Study Auckland developed as part of New Zealand’s international student wellbeing strategy.
“The creation of these new videos will make an excellent contribution to the safety of international students in the city,” she said.
Study Auckland’s Manager International Education, Henry Matthews, said helping international students have the best possible experience of Auckland is a key focus for Study Auckland.
Henry and the Study Auckland team are mindful of Auckland’s responsibility as hosts to more than 80,000 international students each year.
“International students are valuable ambassadors for Auckland, whether it’s contributing to the workforce, enhancing the cultural fabric of the city, or encouraging their friends and families to come for a visit or invest in the region,” Matthews said.
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Win the ‘ultimate’ tour of Wellington
Four prizes are up for grabs, which include return flights and accommodation in Wellington for five nights, a helicopter ride over the city and visits to top education facilities. The winners will also tour Wellington’s famous film locations and studios where movies like Avatar and The Hobbit were created.
WREDA Education Programme Manager Brook Pannell said agents influence more than half the international students who come to Wellington and the competition is about increasing awareness and knowledge of the region.
“We’re aiming to pique agents’ interest in Wellington as a study destination and create four new experts for the region.
“All entrants will be encouraged to sign up for our new quarterly newsletter that contains tips and resources to help them market Wellington schools and institutions to students.”
To enter, agents need to answer three simple questions about Wellington and propose why they should be picked to win. They must also have current agreements with New Zealand institutions in order to enter.
Agents can submit their entries on this link.
The competition closes April 9 and the winners will tour Wellington from 8-12 May 2017.
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Staying interest-free when you're overseas
Government-funded scholarship for study
A government scholarship refers to partially and fully-funded scholarships provided by government departments and Crown agents.
The government department or agency needs to have a scholarship program in place. A person working for a government agency who just goes overseas for professional development won't meet the definition of undertaking study for a qualifying government scholarship.
Verification of Eligibility
You'll need to verify your eligibility with Education New Zealand (ENZ).
You'll need to supply all of the following details:
Your full name.
Name of the scholarship received and the New Zealand government department or agency that administers it.
The date the scholarship was awarded.
Evidence that you're enrolled for full-time study overseas, or part-time study with a part-time internship.
The start and end dates of the scholarship.
The start and end dates of the study (and any internship).
You'll then need to provide Inland Revenue with evidence that the scholarship has been assessed by ENZ and meets the criteria for a qualifying government-funded scholarship. -
Kapa Haka and lion dancing welcomes students to Christchurch
Christchurch Educated has run the event since 2014, and this year’s welcome was sponsored by Christchurch City Council, Ara Institute of Canterbury, University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and China Southern Airlines. Nearly 250 students – both international and domestic, new and returning – from the Canterbury region attended, with some accompanied by their homestay families.
Izzie Guo, International Student Experience Coordinator at Christchurch Educated said making students feel welcome is a key factor in creating a good student experience.
“Coming to a new country to study and start a new life can be a very challenging journey for international students,” she said.
“We are grateful that they chose our city as their second home, so it’s our responsibility to make sure they are have a positive experience with us and are well-cared for.”
The theme of the event was “Feel at home in Canterbury”. Students received a traditional Mihi followed by a warm welcome from Christchurch Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner.
The welcome event had food trucks, art demonstrations, games, as well as a range of cultural performances, including kapa haka, Indian bhangra, Chinese lion dancing and live music. Students also had a chance to pick up some Kiwi culture with rugby skills training, poi making and flax weaving.
Sigred Yamit, a University of Canterbury student and event MC said such events are a great way to bring the community together.
“My family and I migrated to New Zealand five years ago, so I can relate to the experience of international students. I wasn't aware that such events existed back then but they’re so important,” she said.
“Meeting people from different cultures broadens your perspective in life, and you get the chance to learn something new from them.”
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Dr Jason Fox joins NZIEC
Above: Dr Jason Fox
Dr Jason Fox is a self-described “modern day wizard-rogue,” author and leadership adviser, who uses his expertise in motivation design to show leaders how to unlock new ideas and move beyond the status-quo in order to remain relevant.
At NZIEC, Jason will discuss how to ‘Lead an International Education Quest’.
“I'm very much looking forward to joining you at NZIEC this August,” says Jason.
“Nearly everything in the international education industry is changing, and faster than ever before. To build for the future, we need something different. It’s time to lead a quest.”
Sam Mackay, ENZ Strategic Projects Manager says Jason is sure to stimulate some interesting thoughts and discussions over the course of the conference, and will be delivering this year’s opening keynote as well as the closing address.
“This means Jason will be engaging with delegates over the course of the conference, and will be on hand to draw everything together after two days of discussions and debate,” says Sam.
“You won’t want to book an early flight!”
We’ll have more keynote and plenary speaker announcements to make before registrations open in May. NZIEC 2017 will be held at SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland on 22 and 23 August.
