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• ENZ strengthens English language sector connections across South America

  The two-week programme brought together 10 New Zealand English Language Schools (ELS) for tailored engagement events across Chile, Brazil, and Colombia – supporting deeper in-market relationships and raising awareness of New Zealand as a study destination.

  Strong engagement across key markets

  Spanning five cities – Santiago, Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Bogotá and Medellín – the roadshow combined education agent-focused seminars with student-facing events.

  Across the programme:

  Delegates took part in five Connect with New Zealand agent events and five Kia ora Nueva Zelanda student-facing events.
  More than 80 agency representatives engaged with New Zealand providers.
  Each provider completed an average of 12 meetings per agent event.

  These interactions enabled providers to reconnect with established partners, build new relationships, and engage with prospective students through presentations, networking sessions and fairs.

  Supporting a key pathway sector

  

  South America Roadshow New Zealand Provider participants with ENZ and some prospective students at Kia ora New Zealand event (in partnership with Travelmate) held at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

  The roadshow focused on English language education, a key entry point for students from Brazil, Chile and Colombia into further study in New Zealand.

  While the sector has not yet fully recovered, strengthening agent relationships and increasing awareness remain important to supporting its growth and its role as a pathway into degree and secondary school programmes.

  Building momentum in the region

  The 2026 programme builds on the inaugural roadshow in March 2025 and reflects ongoing efforts to deepen engagement with agents across Latin America.

  Initial feedback from providers highlights strong satisfaction with the programme’s format and outcomes, alongside a clear appetite to maintain momentum.

  Dr Kate Herbert, Principal of Kiwi English Academy, said the roadshow provided valuable opportunities to reconnect and build partnerships.

  “I can confidently say that the roadshow was a huge success for New Zealand – reconnecting with some education agents after many years and also meeting many new ones. We have had positive responses from several agents already and hopefully that will continue.”

  ENZ’s Director of Engagement, Latin America, Javiera Visedo, said in-person engagement remains critical to grow awareness and build preference for New Zealand as a study destination.

  “These events enable deeper, more meaningful connections with our stakeholders – particularly our agent partners – and support confidence when speaking to students about New Zealand. In an increasingly competitive environment, it’s incredibly encouraging to hear how much agents and institutions value these opportunities. They consistently tell us that these events empower them with the confidence, insights, and enthusiasm they need when speaking to students about New Zealand. This is exactly the kind of impact we, as ENZ, need to continue delivering.”

• From Russia to New Zealand: "I've lived two different lives"

  Home was Petropavlovks-Kamchatsy, on the far eastern seaboard of Russia, almost 7000km from Moscow, and the decision to leave was a relatively spontaneous one. “The whole experience was pretty surreal.” 

  He was introduced to the possibility of an education experience in New Zealand by ACG (Academic Colleges Group), which held a fair in his hometown back in 2008. “I had never heard of them visiting Russia before, let alone my hometown as it’s so remote.”

  Andrey admits that at the time he wasn’t keen to stay on in Russia and “jumped at the opportunity” to come to New Zealand for a six-month stint in Year 13 at ACG Parnell College.

  “Looking back on it, I really wanted to go somewhere far from home and different. I placed all my hope on it being a better place and it turned out that it was. That internal drive to explore took over and I followed my intuition.”

  Student life provides connections

  Having improved his English, Andrey went on to study for his Bachelor of Commerce in finance and economics at the University of Auckland, where he found his tribe. “Life in Russia did not resonate with me in the way that life in New Zealand did,” he says. “I think what was missing for me at home was the kind of openness and connectivity which is so apparent here.”

  Coming to New Zealand I was exposed to other people’s perspectives and backgrounds, and I really connected with that.

  "I felt a sense of belonging and that I could be who I am without judgement. Breaking away from being expected to fit a certain mould at home was a big thing for me.”

  With new-found confidence and his degree completed, Andrey travelled the world on modelling contracts before “returning to the original plan” and establishing a career in e-commerce and project management.  

  And he has the perfect credentials for his current role at The Mind Lab, helping to launch Mission New Zealand, an online education portal aimed at international students. “It provides short courses and micro-credentials as a taster of what education in New Zealand is like and what it can provide. It’s a full circle moment for me.” 

  Mission New Zealand highlights what makes an education experience in Aotearoa unique through the lens of creativity, sustainability, tech innovation, and culture. “I think it puts us on the map in terms of global education.” 

  Looking back, Andrey says he would have loved the opportunity to access a platform like this as a student travelling to a foreign country, “to really get an understanding of what it’s like on the ground”. He says he is excited to see what impact Mission New Zealand can have.

  Life-changing move 

  The decision to leave Russia for New Zealand has been life-changing for Andrey. He is now a citizen and knows his future lies here. “There is so much social and career mobility here and that’s exciting for me.”  

  He arrived determined to carve out a new path in life and he has certainly achieved that. “I have grown into a person who is more confident and assured, and not afraid to explore new opportunities.” 

  He now has plans to explore and better understand the significance of te ao Māori. “I want to immerse myself in that space. I love that in New Zealand there is more than one way of seeing the world. It is so important that there is an alternative perspective,” he says.

  “I would like to get a deeper understanding of the tenets of te ao Māori, to see the challenges we are facing and the potential solutions through a different lens.”

  His advice to students considering coming to New Zealand is to get fully immersed in the culture “and absorb it all”. “Don’t come to recreate what you had at home. If you do, you’ll miss huge opportunity for personal growth.”

  Andrey says his life now looks nothing like his old life. “It’s like I’ve lived two different lives.” And he’s not done yet.

  “Coming to New Zealand has drastically changed how I view myself in the world,” he says.“ Through international education you realise that your actions do matter, that you do have the potential to make a real impact. You start seeing yourself as an individual in a connected system.”

  “Keep exploring is my motto for the future.”

• Graduate’s Kiwi know-how helps reduce water use in UAE desert

  Rather than travelling to New Zealand and undertaking theoretical research with limited relevance back home, Wafa was able to carry out hands-on work addressing critical water management issues in her arid home country, while being supervised by New Zealand-based experts.

  It was a personalised and practical kind of international education experience which Wafa is grateful for. “It allowed me to continue working, while at the same time learning and finding solutions to the water management issues facing the UAE.”

  The education partnership grew out of a New Zealand G2G (Government to Government) relationship with the UAE which dates back to 2014. “The aim is to build the capacity of local people and find solutions to real problems through scholarships for study,” she says.

  Already qualified with a Bachelor’s degree in ecology and environmental science and Master’s degree in water and environmental engineering, Wafa was working as an environmental scientist for Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) when asked to be involved in the programme.

  The region needs to find ways to manage the growing demand for groundwater in a hyper-arid, saline environment. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, has about 19 million planted trees in desert “forests”, a precious legacy of founding father Sheikh Zayed Al Nayhan. They provide a range of ecological benefits but are heavily dependent on groundwater irrigation.

  With EAD given a government mandate in 2016 to protect groundwater reserves, water meters were introduced and areas of wastage identified. Wafa’s research was required to determine the exact water needs of the plants through the implementation of New Zealand technology, and experimentation with the use of treated sewage effluent, or “grey water”.

  Distance learning partnership with Massey University

  She worked with a team at New Zealand’s Plant & Food Research and her project was supervised by Principal Scientist Brent Clothier. The programme was managed by Lesley Kennedy of Wellington-based consultancy firm OnlyFromNZ.

  “I travelled to New Zealand once or twice a year to meet Massey University requirements such as attending exams, presentations, or conferences. Likewise, Brent would come to the UAE with his team and help oversee the research.”

  “It’s fit-for-purpose academic knowledge with real practical utility,” Dr Clothier says.

  Wafa used Plant & Food Research’s heat pulse technology, which has been employed successfully in New Zealand and other parts of the world, but never in a region where temperatures can reach close to 50degC in summer. Once up and running, the technology provided readings every 30 minutes which allowed Wafa to calculate precisely the amount of water being absorbed by the plant.

  “The data provided new and exciting information for us. We found that many of the trees had already adapted to the summer heat and did not take up as much water as we were providing through irrigation,” she says.

  “By the end of the study we determined that we could save 35 - 70 percent of the water we have been supplying through irrigation.”

  The technology was extended to other crops, and farmers are now provided with crop calculator software which provides guidance on the specific water needs of a tree, according to the month of the year, location, and soil type. “It’s a very important tool for growers in the UAE.”

  “It’s good for countries to work together and find solutions to our challenges.”

  Enduring relationship with New Zealand

  Wafa is proud of the fact that her research is helping to solve a critical environmental issue in her country and knows that the collaboration with Massey through the NZ G2G partnership has been an integral part of her success. It has also paved the way for two other Emirati students to follow in her footsteps.

  “I met other international students from the Middle East while at Massey and they were envious of me. They said I was very lucky because I was doing something for my country.”

  She believes international education plays a key role in the exchange of information with other countries. “It’s good for countries to work together and find solutions to our challenges. If we are talking about the environment, we are all living in one world so it’s important that we work together to solve issues.”

  But this academic partnership has not just produced practical results. It’s also seen a special bond develop between the New Zealand scientists and their Emirati students.

  “I have built a long-lasting relationship with New Zealand,” Wafa says. “I know that I can always call my contacts in New Zealand to discuss an issue and they will be there for me.

  “The relationship is much bigger than the life of the project and this is very important for me as a scientist and a researcher.”

  

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