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• Quarter 3 Report 1 January 2024 31 March 2024

• Signing up to a bright future for the Deaf community

  A serious encounter with Ménière’s disease partway through his PhD studies was a life-changing event in more ways than one for Arash Tayebi. 

  The inner ear disorder resulted in him losing the hearing in one ear and facing up to the possibility he could become deaf in the future. Studying at Auckland University, and feeling far from his home in Iran, he says the experience hit him hard.

  But Arash turned one of the biggest challenges in his life into an opportunity. He became the driving force behind Kara Technologies, an award-winning start-up using digital sign language avatars to make communications of all kinds accessible to those with hearing issues.

  His own situation made him question the noticeable lack of deaf people studying at universities, becoming entrepreneurs, and holding leadership positions in the workplace. “I asked myself if I become completely deaf will I not be able to succeed in study and work?”

  Engaging with the Deaf community he learned of the real shortage of teachers of sign language, and the complexities in resolving that. Bringing in teachers from overseas is not the answer because they do not know New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). Closed captioning, which can automatically caption speech is of limited use as young children cannot read, and existing avatars are not expressive enough for Deaf people.

  “I said let’s work together to come up with a solution.”

  Turning a vision into reality

  What started as a small project with Kelston Deaf Education Centre, now part of Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education New Zealand, ultimately morphed into Kara Technologies. But it took vision, determination, and “mind-blowing” support from people he met along the start-up journey.

  "The cool thing about New Zealand is that if you have a vision nobody will call you crazy, they’re here to help and happy to take a risk. That’s fantastic."

  “There was so much I needed to learn about running a business. I wasn’t rich, so I needed funding. And as the concept was new, I needed the support of the Deaf community.”

  Arash’s first break came when Kara Technologies was named Social Enterprise winner in Auckland University’s start-up business competition Velocity $100K Challenge in 2017, giving him access to seed funding and a mentorship programme. Then there was UniServices, which helps to commercialise promising student ventures through investment, advice, and connections. And in the wider community there was GridAKL, an innovation support community with a downtown campus. “If I had a problem, I could always find someone there who was happy to offer advice,” he says.

  Estimates of NZSL users vary significantly, from about 4000 for whom it is a first language to more than 20,000 who have some knowledge of it. Arash and his team are committed to their vision of improving meaningful access to information for the Deaf community, and they are already making an impact.

  Kara Technologies has produced a diverse suite of avatars, signed children’s books and a range of videos. It has been recognised many times for its innovative work, most recently being named a 2022 finalist in the Public Good category at the NZ Hi-Tech Awards.

  Looking to the future

  The team at Kara sees a future where TV shows, bank machines, travel websites, online registration forms, live theatre, social media, gaming, and virtual reality technologies are all equipped with sign language avatars. “We want the daily life of a Deaf person to be as easy as a hearing person,” Arash says.

  The company is currently trialling emergency messaging by using a set of pre-recorded motion-captured animations, making it possible to relay time-critical information quickly.

  Kara is already attracting interest in the US and Canada, where Deaf advocates are excited by the technology. “They are impressed that a small country can make such a contribution. It makes me proud because I call New Zealand home.”

  Arash says it’s hard to believe the decision he made to come to New Zealand to study in 2013 has led to where he is now. “I thought I would probably complete my PhD and end up in an academic teaching role. But I have a company, a team, a vision, and fantastic friends. It’s all happened because of the great support I’ve received here.”

  He only wishes it was easier for innovators like him to stay on when they finished their studies. He would love New Zealand to introduce a Talent visa like Australia and Canada have. “If you have a cool project they will welcome you, but in New Zealand, you need to secure a job. I already have a job, but it is in my own company,” he says.

  “When New Zealand encourages international students to come here it needs to be able to harness their talent, nurture them, and benefit from their talent.”

  But Arash says he would always encourage students to come here. “Take yourself out of your comfort zone and you will meet amazing people. New Zealand is a crazy, creative country which could easily be your second home.”

• Job 2078 ENZ Scholarships D02 Islandbay 0088 Final HR

• Think New with FutureLearn

  Quicklinks

  About the campaign

  Campaign messaging

  Tips for promoting the campaign

  Check out the Brand Lab to download and use campaign assets

  About the campaign

  Objectives

  1. Test an online-focused audience’s appetite for courses delivered under an NZ country brand
  2. Explore sector capability and willingness for generating and promoting online courses
  3. Test, understand and validate ENZ's role in the online education space
  4. Maintaining awareness of the NZ Education brand and NZ as an education destination in target markets

  FutureLearn platform and courses

  • New Zealand’s offerings include short courses from leading universities, English language schools, vocational PTEs, Institutes of Technology, and edtech educators including virtual reality developers and game designers.
  • These not for credit courses are on average 6-8 hours long from providers across the sector. 
  • FutureLearn is a global online education platform jointly owned by the UK’s Open University and The SEEK Group with an existing community of approximately 15 million learners globally. 
  • These courses are available to learners (including teachers and educators) all over the world, including here in New Zealand.

  FutureLearn is actively promoting this campaign in the following prototype markets: 

  • Thailand​, Japan​, Korea​, China​, India​, Brazil​, Indonesia​, USA​, Vietnam, Germany​, UK, Colombia 

  In addition, ENZ will be promoting this opportunity to its global learner database, and through other owned channels, including website and social media. 

  Campaign messaging

  By joining forces and sharing the same message, we can tell a stronger, more consistent story about the FutureLearn prototype, and the opportunity it represents.

  The Campaign’s place in the wider strategy for international education

  • ENZ is leading a programme of work that focuses on the diversification of international education products and services. It forms part of the Government’s Recovery Plan for International Education, under the “Transforming to a More Sustainable Future State” workstream.  
  • The New Zealand International Education Strategy, 2018 is clear in its goals for achieving a thriving and globally connected New Zealand through world-class international education.  
  • Goal 2 of the Strategy is Sustainable Growth - the international education sector flourishes through diversification of markets, people flows and innovative products and services. 

   Talking points for providers

  • We are proud to be part of ENZ’s new pilot, launched with FutureLearn.
  • This initiative will showcase a selection of taster courses from New Zealand providers to worldwide online learners, under the national Think New brand umbrella.
  • The 12-month initiative launched 8 June and is part ENZ’s Diversifying Products and Services programme of work.
  • By taking part, we are supporting the Government’s Recovery Plan for International Education.

  Provider participation benefits
  These messages are useful when talking about the campaign to other staff in your organisation

  • This initiative is an opportunity to further raise our profile to a global audience, benefiting from the exposure generated by FutureLearn and the ENZ-funded global campaign.
  • We’re able to test a new recruitment and distribution channel at little cost.
  • As providers, we receive notification of any further interest generated by these online courses, which could lead to further study opportunities – either online (on FutureLearn or elsewhere), or onshore when current border restrictions sufficiently ease.
  • As part of the process FutureLearn worked alongside providers like us, supporting us while we created (or optimised) content for the platform.
  • Standard membership fees are being waived by FutureLearn for this prototype.
  • ENZ is also funding a global campaign via FutureLearn to promote the prototype.

  More about FutureLearn

  • FutureLearn offer courses from around 250 providers from around the world. These courses range from tasters to full online degrees.
  • 15 million learners use the platform. Many (27%) users are UK-based but increasing numbers of learners across the globe are accessing FutureLearn.

  Tips for promoting the campaign

  By aligning our marketing activity, ENZ and providers can tell clear and consistent message about the online study courses available with FutureLearn and providers. Here are some tips to start promoting your FutureLearn courses on your channels:

  Tip 1: Use the digital assets available in your promotions:

  There are plenty of campaign assets designed with campaign messaging available for you to use now on The Brand Lab. Assets have been specifically created to use across websites, emails, social channels & other digital advertising.

  Check out The Brand Lab to download and use images, animated tiles, email signatures, an editable ad template where you can feature your own logo and much more!

  Tip 2: Share our FutureLearn & Online Learning blogs

  We’ve created a blog for a learner audience to promote starting a New Zealand education online, through the FutureLearn product. Check out the blog here and share on your own social channels or website.

  We also have supporting blog content written by students for learners thinking about online learning. You can also share this blog, and link to FutureLearn’s Study with New Zealand Online page

  Tip 3: Follow and share FutureLearn’s posts on Study in New Zealand Facebook & Instagram channels

  ENZ will be posting about New Zealand online study options on our Facebook and Instagram channels. You can easily share & repost this content on your own social channels to reach your own audience. This Facebook post is ready to share now.
  

• From the CE: SWNZ: The new platform for new ways of study

  In June, ENZ launched our new initiative with FutureLearn, which offers online courses from a range of New Zealand education providers on a shared platform to more than 15 million learners worldwide. We also hosted the highly successful New Zealand Partners’ Workshop Week which brought together more than 2,700 stakeholders from across the Asian region to collaborate on building the future of the international education sector – to benefit New Zealand and our global partners.

  I am more than happy to keep the good news momentum rolling into July with the launch of our Study with New Zealand learner platform - the official government site for advice on studying with New Zealand.

  Study With New Zealand (SWNZ) is the evolution of the ENZ learner eco-system, transforming student experience to one that is intuitive and scalable.

  Formerly Study in New Zealand, SWNZ merges our learner platforms to deliver a more personalised experience and to demonstrate that today there are more ways to access a New Zealand education. The new platform showcases our portfolio of study options including global pathways and online learning.

  While we continue to navigate the impacts of COVID-19, it’s clear the world has changed, and so has the future of international education. Inviting students to study with New Zealand is more than just a subtle shift in language. SWNZ responds to the sector’s immediate needs in the current, rapidly changing landscape, and positions it for long-term success.​ It introduces our new ways of learning and encourages students to begin studying toward a New Zealand education, from just about anywhere in the world.

  The industry’s ‘Think New’ brand has evolved and stretched to fulfil this promise in a way that makes sense and fits well with the challenges of right now. 

  The first release went live on 1 July, showcasing our new brand experience as well as introducing these new study modes. The team are working towards a full migration with the next milestone in September, where SWNZ will be ready to support the new brand campaign as well as the new student member centre.

  Moving forward, SWNZ will empower ENZ to work with the sector to continue to deliver economic, social and cultural value to New Zealand and New Zealanders.

  This initiative supports the Government's Recovery Plan for the international education sector. Part three of the Plan led by Education New Zealand, Transforming to a more sustainable future state, has accelerated the diversification of products and services - one of three goals set out in the New Zealand International Education Strategy.   

  Take a look at the new platform by visiting the following link: https://www.studywithnewzealand.govt.nz/

  Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi 

  With your food-basket, and my food-basket, the people will be well. 

  Ngā mihi,  

  Grant McPherson  

  Chief Executive Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao 

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• 2122 130 OIA request ENZ North American Advisory Board