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Aminat chases sustainable energy dream for Nigeria
The former maths teacher and electrical engineering undergraduate has recently returned home to Nigeria after studying renewable energy at the University of Otago’s Energy Research Centre. She completed both a post-graduate Diploma and a Master’s of Science in Energy, Science, and Technology.
“It has always been my dream to study abroad, and New Zealand made my dream come true because I wanted to study renewable energy,” she says.
Manaaki scholarship key to education opportunity
“New Zealand is one of the top five countries in the world which excel at renewable electricity generation, and it is important to study in a country where you can get practical experience.”
Aminat says that the cost of international education overseas is beyond the reach of most people in developing countries, but that her experience was made possible through the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships, funded by the New Zealand government. When she applied in 2018, she was one of only a small number of students accepted from Africa “so it was a big deal for me”.
And so was getting here. “It was my first experience travelling overseas, my first time on a plane, my first time in a new country.”
But she says she was grateful for the orientation programmes available and quickly felt at home both at university, and in Dunedin. “Just two months after I arrived, the Christchurch mosque shooting happened, and the support I got from my neighbours, my colleagues, and my lecturers was amazing.”
Energy poverty drives study choice
Aminat says she is motivated to study renewable energy because of where she comes from.
“I wanted to study something would allow me to improve my own country. Every economy depends on a reliable power supply and in Nigeria we have nationwide blackouts regularly. We need to buy petrol to run generators. Most people have generators in their homes, even in the cities.
“If you don’t have adequate reliable power, it holds back every aspect of the economy and makes it very difficult for businesses to succeed. It affects everything - manufacturing, schooling, farming. You can’t even freeze excess seasonal crops, so most of it goes to waste.”
A European Union report released last year titled “Time to make energy poverty in Africa a thing of the past”, backs up what Aminat says. It found that nearly 800 million people globally live without access to electricity, about 600 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
“In a world of deepening inequalities between the haves and have-nots, this is a glaring injustice, the report says. “Africa is the world’s premium location to harness solar energy and is already demonstrating that a cleaner path is possible.”
“Renewable energy is a passion for me,” Aminat says. “We need to talk about renewable energy for the future in Africa. And the future is now.”
By coming to New Zealand, Aminat says she saw the potential of what can be achieved with a reliable power supply.
Her research, supervised by Associate Professor Michael Jack, explored how to use domestic hot water cylinders for energy storage in microgrids comprised of clusters of households with solar photovoltaic supply. “It’s definitely achievable but needs more research and I’m very keen to take it further.”
International education more than classroom learning
Aminat says studying in New Zealand was “the best-ever experience”, with excellent university facilities and approachable staff always ready to offer help and support.
“Studying in New Zealand has given me a voice. It has expanded my horizons, made me more informed, and opened doors for me. People are keen to listen to you when you talk. When you’re looking for a job, an international education experience makes you stand out.”
“Studying in New Zealand has given me a voice" - New Zealand international student and Manaaki scholar Aminat Razaq
While the quality of education is essential, Aminat says it’s also about what you learn beyond the walls of a classroom. “You learn a different culture, and you are given the opportunity to explore your chosen field of study and gain another perspective. By offering scholarships, you are also helping the country the students come from.”
For any students considering New Zealand as a study destination, Aminat says “don’t think twice”.
“New Zealand is probably the most peaceful place in the world, it has all the facilities you need to study, the researchers are top notch, and the people are welcoming.”
While studying in New Zealand has fulfilled one of Aminat’s dreams, she is already working on another one. “My new dream is to set up my own energy consultancy company and I’m sure I will achieve it. All the positive experiences I have had in my education will take me there.”
And she hasn’t ruled out a return trip to New Zealand. “I am considering studying for my PhD. I loved everything about studying in New Zealand and would love to come back.”
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NZ-China Tripartite Partnership Programme Update
First established in 2005, the NZ-China Tripartite Partnership Fund is an ENZ sponsored initiative to support the development of diverse research relationships between New Zealand and China. This Fund supports our wider goals to develop strong global connections and highlight the quality of New Zealand education and research.
ENZ is pleased to announce the 2023-24 New Zealand – China Tripartite Partnership Fund recipients:
- “Teaching physical education for the 21st century: Building collaborative partnerships to enhance the teaching of PE in schools” Associate Professor Alan Ovens, the University of Auckland will partner with Beijing Normal University and Gannan Normal University.
- “Identification of molecular biomarkers of pain in red deer” Associate Professor Kevin Lawrence, Massey University will partner with City University of Hong Kong and Qingdao Agricultural University.
- “The Digitalization of School Governance: A Comparative Study of School Governance between China and New Zealand” Liuning Yang, University of Auckland will partner with Peking University and Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.
ENZ also recently caught up with the 2022 NZ-China Tripartite Fund recipients to hear how their Tripartite Partnership research projects are tracking a year on. Professor Nicholas Rowe at the University of Auckland visited their research partner in May to provide a workshop at Beijing Normal University.
Workshop participants at Beijing Normal University
Professor Rowe also virtually presented on their project, Teacher training for creativity and collaboration at the NZ-China Higher Education and Development Symposium 19 May at Yangzhou University.
The research project Professor Stephen Croucher and Associate Professor Ming Li from Massey University are working on with their Chinese partners was recently featured as a case study in a publication commissioned by New Zealand China Council. You can learn more about this Tripartite research project, “Protection of the Endangered Languages and Cultural Diversity in West China: A Case study of Miao Minority Language in Guizhou Province, China” in Collaborative Horizons.
Dr Shengnan Wang at the University of Auckland is currently recruiting participants for “The Project Hui: An innovative virtual exchange programme for preservice teachers in New Zealand and China.” Wang will travel to China in October to meet with research partners at Beijing Normal University to discuss publication and future collaboration opportunities.
The New Zealand China Tripartite Partnership Programme is experiencing a surge of activity as researchers between New Zealand and China plan and embark on travel to continue their research.
- Education New Zealands Annual Report 2017 2018 for presentation to the House
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Vietnamese TikTok contest draws millions of views for New Zealand
The contest is part of a collaboration between Education New Zealand and the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City to promote New Zealand education.
A total of 54 entrants posted their take on New Zealand to the hashtag #studywithnz on the popular TikTok app, which allows people to create and share short videos.
Beating off the competition to take first prize was Phan Khanh Ngan. Her video drew inspiration from the format of the popular Vietnamese TV quiz show The Road to Mount Olympia.
“I didn’t think the classical vlog would be attractive enough to catch the attention of people and make them remember the brand,” said Ngan.
“So, I chose one of the most beloved TV shows in Vietnam, which is known to allow its audiences to learn new knowledge.”
Coming in second, and with the most likes and comments, was hot TikToker Ngo Hai Long, who has 1.3 million followers. His video attracted nearly 43,000 likes.
The TikTok contest was the finale of a programme by ENZ and the International School of Business at the University of Economics that included 11 webinars for students and 10 New Zealand university masterclasses.
ENZ’s Vietnam Market Manager, Van Banh, said the popularity of the competition showed the growing awareness in Vietnam of the benefits of studying with New Zealand.
“Given international travel restrictions in most parts of the world, we are thrilled to see that Vietnamese students are still able to discover New Zealand in a special way.
“These creative 60-second TikTok videos show their affection towards New Zealand’s people, land, culture and education system,” she said.
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Summer down under
With COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on international travel in force, many students are choosing to stay in New Zealand over summer rather than go home because in most cases, they will not be able to return for the start of the 2022 academic year.
ENZ’s Director of Student Experience and Global Citizens, Sahinde Pala, says it will be the second unexpected summer in New Zealand for many students.
“Those international students who are still here have shown amazing resilience. We know how hard it can be to be separated from loved ones at home for so long.
“But the early results from our research suggest they have remained remarkably positive about the overall New Zealand experience, despite the challenges.”
ENZ is supporting students again this summer with information and resources on health and wellbeing, exploring the country and building their work skills.
The Summer in New Zealand section of the NauMai NZ website for international students offers information, advice and links to expert resources. These include a webinar featuring careers expert Andrew Tui to give them practical tips on how to build their professional and personal skills.
“ENZ would like to acknowledge all the work the people in the international education sector are doing to support their students over the summer, and we invite you to share our resources with your networks.
“We wish everyone a summer in New Zealand that is safe and restful,” Ms Pala says.
- ECE 4
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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.”
