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Letter from the CE: Navigating our changing world
A huge thank you to all those who joined us in Auckland for 2019’s NZIEC. The conference was filled with fascinating presentations, promising new connections and enlightening discussions. It was, however, the collaborative spirit, warm reception and energy of those who attended and presented that made this year’s conference our best yet.
Like many sectors, we are now operating in a state of constant change in terms of students’ needs and wants – and the challenges and opportunities that stem from this was a focus of discussion across the three days of events. NZIEC’s keynote speakers – Guy Ryan, Dr Lisa Coleman, and Professor Chris Gallavin – presented an impressive range of perspectives and ideas across areas including youth leadership and the role of global connectedness, inclusion and diversity, and the value of working together across different sub-sectors.
Our environment is also changing. NZIEC 2019 followed an announcement by Minister of Education, Chris Hipkins, about reforms for vocational education in New Zealand. The reforms are intended to ensure the vocational education sector continues to be globally relevant as the nature of work and the skills required in the workplace shifts. Seven key changes will be made, the major one being the establishment of a single public network of vocational training institutes. For more information on the Reform of Vocational Education, click here.
I would like to reiterate the Minister’s reassurance that the changes will be introduced gradually over several years. International students can continue to enrol here with confidence, knowing we are in the process of making their education experience even better. At ENZ we are looking at the opportunities a strong national identity for New Zealand’s vocational training presents offshore.
Lastly, the conference was a chance to acknowledge our strong education relationship with Japan, our country of honour. The nation is the third-largest student source country for New Zealand’s international sector. In 2017, for example, we had 10,272 Japanese students study here. I am confident this relationship will continue to deepen with lots of activity planned in the year ahead.
I hope you enjoy reading this special NZIEC edition of E-News.
Ngā mihi,
Grant
Grant McPherson, Chief Executive of Education New Zealand

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New Zealand universities’ academic reputation ranks first among English-speaking countries
Published annually, the QS rankings assess more than 1,500 universities globally across areas such as reputation, teaching, research and internationalisation.
New Zealand's overall average score of 51 among countries and territories with at least eight institutions featured in this year’s rankings puts it first in the English-speaking world and fifth in the world for the overall quality of its higher education.
The 2026 results see New Zealand universities improve across academic reputation, citation per faculty, and international student indicators. New Zealand also ranks the highest globally in terms of employment outcomes among key English-speaking study destinations.
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao Chief Executive Amanda Malu said this is a fantastic result or New Zealand universities as they continue to grow in appeal among international students.
“It reinforces New Zealand’s position as a high-quality and welcoming international education destination.
“New Zealand universities are all highly regarded for sustainability research and programmes. We need to celebrate this wonderful result for New Zealand universities that highlights the high calibre of our teaching, research staff and students,” Amanda said.
On sustainability research and programmes, New Zealand comes second only to Sweden and has three universities in the top 100 globally for the sustainability indicator of the QS rankings.
Learn more about the latest QS World University Rankings 2026 here
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First marae-led Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia recipients build indigenous connections in Japan
The first marae-led Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia recipients (members of Te Piruru Papakainga, Ngāti Maniapoto) visited Japan for a six-week visit that included a customised internship that connected them with indigenous Ainu organisations and villages in Hokkaido.
ENZ’s Manukura Chief Advisor Māori, Ed Tuari and Director of Education – Japan, Misa Kitaoka, welcomed the scholarship recipients in Tokyo in early January.
This is a great outcome for the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme, which has seen an increase in Māori participation. The latest round of applications for the scholarships saw an increase in Māori participation to 22 percent in 2022 from 5 percent from 2016 to 2019.
ENZ is eager to continue partnering with iwi, marae and whānau groups to raise Māori participation in the Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme, particularly in the current group round that opened for applications in March.
ENZ’s Manukura Chief Advisor Māori, Ed Tuari said it was a privilege to participate in what is an important milestone for building indigenous connections between Māori and the Ainu people of Japan.
“This is a significant achievement for ENZ Manapou ki te Ao. I want to acknowledge this collective achievement as we break new ground with this marae-led group of PMSA recipients.
“It’s hugely encouraging to see the increase of Māori participation in the latest round of the scholarships. This is a demonstration of ENZ ‘walking the talk’ to ensure Māori are better represented in opportunities to share and learn on the global stage, as well as promote indigenous to indigenous exchanges.”
ENZ’s Director Scholarships Carla Rey Vasquez said she was excited to see the growth and learnings that these programmes would bring to the wider whānau and iwi.
“Our scholarship recipients cherished the opportunity to connect with indigenous communities in Japan, and they particularly appreciated the value of reciprocity as well as the importance of generational knowledge being shared along.
“We look forward to continuing to raise Māori participation in the Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme.”
The latest visit by scholarship recipients has also been a good opportunity to enrich the existing education connections between New Zealand and Japan under a Memorandum of Understanding between New Zealand and the Hokkaido Government, which was renewed in 2022.
The customised internship that saw scholarship recipients visit Ainu villages and organisations, was organised by the Hokkaido Government and the Hokkaido Board of Education.
ENZ’s Director of Education – Japan, Misa Kitaoka, said the visit by scholarship recipients was timely as Japan starts to promote Ainu history, language and culture.
“The Ainu people received official recognition as ‘indigenous people of northern Japan’ from the Japanese government in 2019. As the government begins to promote Ainu history, language, and culture in Japan, Ngāti Maniapoto’s visit to Hokkaido was timely and appreciated by the Ainu community to learn about how New Zealand society has embraced Māori language and culture.”
Applications are open for the 2023 group round of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia and Latin America until 23 April 2023. More information on applications is available on ENZ's dedicated scholarship website here.
[updated 18 April 2023]
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Submissions open: Do you know an exceptional international student in Wellington?

Labour MP Paul Eagle with Natasha Faziera Mohd Fadzil, who studied at Victoria University of Wellington, with her Leadership Award from the 2018 Excellence Awards.
Applications for the Wellington International Student Excellence Awards opened Wednesday, 18 September.
Established by WellingtonNZ, these awards recognise the achievements and contributions of international students from around the region.
We would love to hear about your successes during your studies in Wellington – whether academically, in the arts, sports, or in the community. Make sure you encourage any international students or graduates in Wellington to enter.
Applications must be submitted by 14 October. To find out more, click here.