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  • Putting a healthy smile on the dial of Fiji’s children

    “I love working with children, particularly those living with disabilities and special healthcare needs who require more inclusive oral health policies and programmes.”

    He spent the early years of his career working as a hospital dentist and teaching at the Fiji National University’s School of Dentistry and Oral Health but was ambitious to accomplish much more and knew he would have to study overseas to achieve his goals.

    He travelled first to Portugal to enrol in a Master’s in Public Health and then to the University of Otago’s Faculty of Dentistry to undertake his Postgraduate Clinical Doctoral Degree in Paediatric Dentistry.

    As a third generation Fijian of Indian descent, he describes his international education experience as “life-changing, academically and culturally fulfilling.”

    But Jason says he could never have afforded to study in New Zealand without the support of a Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship, funded through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The programme sets out to build future leaders in developing countries by supporting students to upskill here.

    Advocating for better oral health outcomes

    Improving the oral health of young people drives Jason’s clinical and research work and he knows that implementing a preventative approach to tooth decay is key to achieving sustainable outcomes.

    “The mindset in the Pacific is that people mostly don’t come to the hospital clinics for dental care, they wait for pain or symptoms before seeking help,” he says. “But we need to advocate strongly for prevention which is more cost-effective and acceptable.”

    Arriving at the University of Otago in 2019, Jason embarked on his thesis researching the remineralisation potential of selected peptides (one of the building blocks of protein) in preventing tooth decay.

    “Dental decay is prevalent, especially among children, but it is reversible in its early stages. The mainstay of prevention has been fluoride, but we proved that the peptides do have remineralisation potential. Investigation is now under way to learn how it performs alongside fluoride.”

    “I think it has huge potential for the future. The dream would be that we have the next generation of children growing up without fillings in their mouths.”

    Jason says this kind of research would not have been possible in Fiji. “I was very grateful for the experience at Otago. It was an environment that was both supportive and collaborative. It opened up networking opportunities for me. And those networks still support me today.”

    Jason also cared for patients at the faculty’s clinical facilities and theatre suites and provided on-call dental services for emergency patients after-hours at Dunedin Hospital, building close bonds with some of his young patients, especially those with special needs.
     
    "The dream would be that we have the next generation of children growing up without fillings in their mouths."

    International education builds skills and confidence

    After his graduation in December, Jason returned to FNU School of Dentistry with additional skills and new-found confidence. “I think that gaining a formal specialist qualification has given me a voice to continue to advocate for children’s oral health through dental education.”

    He wants to establish preventative oral health programmes in schools and help improve the curriculum being taught to dental students in the region, integrating recent innovations and research evidence.

    It’s something he has been thinking about for many years. “Hopefully now we’ll get this done.”

    “I’ve expanded my knowledge, upskilled, and I think I have become more confident as an academic, and as a person. I’ve got my international education and training to thank for that.”

    Manaaki scholar gives back to the community

    Jason is certainly fulfilling the brief of the Manaaki Scholarship to give back to his community. He is maintaining his clinical hours, teaching the next generation of dental students, volunteering his services at an NGO-run paediatric cardiac care hospital, and mentoring students wanting follow in his footsteps by studying overseas.

     “International education is very important to Fiji as a developing country,” he says. “I thought it would be valuable to be able to guide students who would benefit from international scholarships in meeting their professional goals, while building capacity in the region.”

    At heart, though, he is an academic and he hopes that in the coming years he can raise the research profile of the Pacific region and build a solid database which will help to secure the funding for much-needed oral healthcare programmes.

    “My message is that there is no general health without oral health. It’s not going to be easy, but we need to start somewhere to get a voice for children and for the profession.”

  • 8 Oct Fukuoka Fair

  • Highlights from Education Fairs and events in Japan and Viet Nam

    Japan 

    In early October, ENZ welcomed 844 visitors to engage with 40 New Zealand education providers representing the school, vocational, English language and university sectors at the first New Zealand student fair in Japan since 2019.  

    Teresa Robertson, International Director from King’s High School with Eriko Ishiguro, an interpreter.

    The fair at Roppongi Academy Hills in Tokyo on 1 October had a programme of events that highlighted the strong connections between our two countries. Over the following two days, 49 and 45 of the visiting New Zealand education providers attended the ENZ Agent Seminars in Tokyo and Osaka respectively. Both seminars saw a record number of local agents and education providers, with 181 present in Tokyo and 77 in Osaka. 

    His Excellency Hamish Cooper, New Zealand Ambassador to Japan with the New Zealand contingent. The New Zealand education providers sang two waiata to support the Ambassador’s speech. A recording of ENZ’s waiata ‘Manapou ki te Ao’ was played and explained in Japanese to convey the waiatas’ meaning and lyrics.

    Misa Kitaoka, ENZ’s Director of Education - Japan said that these events proved a great opportunity for the institutions to network with local school representatives, education and travel experts and gain valuable insights into the Japanese market. She also said that there was an evident increase in interest in long-term study in New Zealand both at the school and tertiary levels, compared with pre-Covid.  

    "This new trend is testament to the well-established presence New Zealand now has as a study destination in Japan. It can also be attributed to the effects of the Japanese government’s internationalisation policy in the education sector. With over 200 International Baccalaureate schools in Japan, more students are bilingual and eligible for direct entry to New Zealand universities. 

    There are also over 500 Japanese universities now adopting ‘sogo gata senbatsu’ (comprehensive admissions) that provide a holistic assessment of the applicants including their English language skills and overseas experience. This means that more students are choosing to complete secondary school education in New Zealand to apply to Japanese universities,” said Misa. 

    The education events along with pre-departure briefings where Japanese market insights were shared and the welcome reception upon arrival with key Japanese education stakeholders and partners were all well-received by the education providers in attendance.  

    Kerrie Hodgson, Internationalisation Business Partner, Te Pūkenga New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology said it was clear that great effort was put into promoting the events and New Zealand education. “The numbers were high, and I felt that enquiries were more in depth than previous years, and beyond English Language study,” said Kerrie. 

    Renee Millner, International Director for Western Heights School in Rotorua added that the market insights provided ahead of their arrival were a great introduction to significant changes within the Japanese market.  

    Viet Nam 

    Following the action-packed week in Japan, the focus shifted to Viet Nam where the ENZ teams held several New Zealand education events in Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi. 

    NZ institutions had one-to-one meetings with Vietnamese agents at two ENZ Agent Seminars in Viet Nam.

    The series of events began with 19 NZ Masterclasses delivered over two weekends. Over 800 students registered for these online classes, in which New Zealand academics delivered a 40-minute lesson. This was followed by recruitment representatives introducing the entry requirements, scholarship opportunities and benefits of studying in New Zealand. Following the masterclasses, representatives of all eight New Zealand universities visited several schools in Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi, presenting to students and their families at information sessions and in some cases, taking part in mini-fairs.  

    Ho Chi Minh City was then host to two flagship ENZ events; the Agent Seminar and Counsellors Meet-up and following this, the NZ Education Day Fair. There was significant interest in both events with 50 Vietnamese agents meeting with 29 New Zealand institutions while 25 Viet Nam schools’ counsellors met with all New Zealand universities and Te Pūkenga. The New Zealand Education Fair saw over 500 visitors through the event with 385 leads generated. 

    Ha Noi followed suit with the Agent Seminar and Counsellors Meet-up attracting 40 Vietnamese agents meeting with 27 New Zealand institutions while eight Viet Nam school counsellors met with all New Zealand universities and Te Pūkenga. The events finished with a second popular Education Fair with visitors estimated at about 400 people resulting in 258 student leads. 

    Van Banh, ENZ's Market Manager for Viet Nam said that this year's education events had a mix of the traditional with a more interactive, modern, and sustainable approach which resonated well with attendees. 

    "Our team wanted to make these events as fun and interactive as possible to show what a New Zealand education is all about. In addition to the one-to-one opportunities for students and parents to talk to the New Zealand institutions, there were workshops with the participation of key opinion leaders, and well-known English IELTS trainers. There were also activities run by our partners such as English skills testing and minigames about New Zealand.  

    “We also took a more sustainable and innovative approach to our events to support the messaging that we communicate to students about New Zealand being a country that cares about sustainability and the environment, with an eye to the future through innovation. We replaced traditional printed backdrops with digital ones shown on TV screens for each booth, significantly reducing our waste and energy usage in manufacturing production. Our main stage also had a set of three interactive and eye-catching LED screens.  

    ENZ’s Regional Director for Asia, Ben Burrowes, attended both events and said, “on behalf of the ENZ teams in Viet Nam and Japan, I would like to extend a huge thank you to the New Zealand education providers who attended our events this year.  

    “As we all know, these face-to-face connections are extremely valuable as we continue to rebuild New Zealand’s education brand in such an important region for our sector. We look forward to hosting you again soon." 

  • Opportunity to meet the ‘Voice of the Oceans’ crew in Auckland in November

    What is the Voice of the Oceans (VOO) Initiative? 

    VOO is a maritime expedition that began in August 2021 in Brazil by New Zealand alumni David Schurmann and his family.  David is a globally renowned film maker and environmentalist, former NZ secondary school and Auckland University of Technology (AUT) film student.  

    VOO’s mission is to examine and record the environmental state of the oceans including plastic pollution so that this data can raise awareness and inform education, science, and innovation that improves the health of our oceans. It has the global support of the United Nations Environment Programme. 

    The VOO crew will arrive in Auckland to mark the end of the first stage of their journey, after travelling for two years and visiting more than 100 destinations, recording the levels of plastic pollution they see as they go.  

     

    Who is David Shurmann?   

    Living and studying in Aotearoa New Zealand inspired David to create VOO. He first came to New Zealand as a child when sailing around the world with his family and decided to stay on to study here. 

    His study led him to tell the story of his family’s connections to NZ, including the sister he gained, through film. David directed Little Secret to tell his story, this film went on to be nominated for an Oscar in the 2016 Academy Awards. David said that the decision to complete the first stage in New Zealand was straight forward due to the close relationship they have with our country.  

     “Our relationship with New Zealand goes beyond the sentimental ties however as we recognise New Zealand’s leadership in its conservation of the environment, and particularly the marine environment. In our travels we share with other countries, the sustainable and best practices that we see here in New Zealand, including its waste management and the prevention habits and practices of waste entering the ocean,” said David.   

     

    The Event  

    To celebrate their arrival, the Latin America New Zealand Business Council has organised this event on November 3 to bring together experts in the fields of sustainability, innovation, the environment and climate change to join David on a panel discussion on the topic of sustainability and innovation. Following the discussion, event participants can visit the KAT sailboat moored in the Viaduct harbour. 

    The event will have the participation of His Excellency Marcos Arbizu, Ambassador of Brazil and Dr Matthew O’Meagher, Director of the Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence.  

    Event panellists include: 

    Please join us to recognise the important trip the Schumann family have taken so far and engage in a discussion about sustainability and innovation. 

    Click here to register: Brazil and New Zealand: Sustainability and Innovation 

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