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Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education deepens links in New Zealand
The delegation from Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education East Asia Global Education Institute (Incheon MOE) travelled to Ngatea, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago – visiting providers from the schools, university and vocational education sectors.
The visit began with a visit to Ngatea to connect with Hauraki Plains College and Ngatea Primary School.
Observing the Agriculture Academy and trades-based courses at Hauraki Plains College.
A key aspect of the delegation’s time in Ngatea was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Hauraki Plains College and four schools from Incheon: Sunin High School, Shinsong High School, Geomdan High School and Youngwha International Tourism High School.
The intent of the MoU is to strengthen educational ties between the schools, which includes a reciprocal exchange program.
The first of these exchanges will see 28 students from across the four Incheon schools visit Hauraki Plains College in October 2025, 28 students from Hauraki Plains College will then travel to Incheon in April 2026.
The delegation was formally welcomed to the Wellington with a Mihi Whakatau hosted by ENZ Chief Executive Amanda Malu, local staff and the Ministry of Education (MOE).
In Wellington, the delegation received a detailed briefing from the Ministry of Education and visited Scots College to observe the school in action.
Scots College Junior School Principal, Rachael Huggins, showing the Incheon delegation around a primary-level classroom.
Down to Christchurch, the Incheon delegation visited Lincoln University to fine-tune the details of an MoU signed in January this year. The partnership arrangement will support five Incheon students to study at Lincoln University each year.
Incheon delegate members with Lincoln University staff from the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce, Academic Preparation and Pathways and International Operations.
Waitākiri Primary School Principal Mr. Andrew Barker introduces a Year 6 long-term international student from Korea to the delegates. She shared how much she has enjoyed her time at Waitākiri Primary School and expressed her sadness that her year at the school is coming to an end.
The group visited Shirley Boy’s High School and Avonside Girls High School in Christchurch, with a side-visit organised with Waitākiri Primary School.
Further South, a visit was arranged with Otago Polytechnic in Cromwell to understand the pathways to vocational education in New Zealand.
Director of Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education East Asia Global Education Institute, Jooyong Kim, said visiting New Zealand schools was a truly meaningful and deepened delegates understanding of the education system.
“We hope this visit will help strengthen the relationship between schools in New Zealand and Incheon”.
“We look forward to future collaborative projects with New Zealand institutions,” he added.
Several of the schools visited have expressed interest in deepening these new relationships, with planning underway to keep up the momentum and connect again at ENZ-led fairs and agent seminars in Korea later this year.
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Tony Gray appointed to ENZ Board
Gray will start his Board appointment on 1 November. He has vast experience in the education sector, in a career spanning 37 years both here and in the United Kingdom. Gray is currently Chief Executive of the Nelson Tasman Hospice Trust.
Gray’s focus was on vocational education after migrating to New Zealand in 2003. In his most recent role in the sector, Gray was Chief Executive at Ara Institute of Canterbury between 2017 and 2021, and Chief Executive at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) prior.
Under Tony’s leadership, NMIT became a leading educator for regional primary industries. He has a strong interest in growth and innovation, helping to establish INNOVATE – a regional entrepreneur activator that supports, nurtures and grows businesses in the region.
In this time at Ara, Tony led his organisation through the Reform of Vocational Education and continued his interest in supporting innovation – leading the establishment of Te Ohaka, a Centre for Growth and Innovation. Tony also grew Ara’s involvement in the Te Papa Hauora Health Precinct - a collaboration with Te Whatu Ora Waitaha, University of Canterbury, University of Otago and Ngāi Tahu.
In 2023, Tony was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to education.
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ENZ seeks Expressions of Interest to grow the Thai schools’ sector
In 2023, enrolments from Thailand were the fifth largest for New Zealand’s schools with most enrolments coming from students living in Bangkok. Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) is now looking to grow this market by collaborating with New Zealand schools and regional Thai education agents to build partnerships with schools in cities outside the capital city (referred to as ‘second tier’ cities).
The initiative, called the Thailand Second Tier City Promotion is planned to run in 2025-2026. ENZ is currently seeking feedback from New Zealand schools to measure interest in participating in the promotion and is running a survey until Tuesday 30 October 2024 for interested schools.
Collaborative school clusters are invited to participate in the initiative which will form sister school partnerships with regional Thai schools. Each cluster should consist of at least three schools.
Through these partnerships, a wide range of study options for Thai students and schools will be available. This may include short-term 4-week school immersion programmes, 1 to 2 terms or full year study programmes, teacher trainings, virtual interaction, online curriculum-based collaborative projects etc.
ENZ’s Acting General Manager - International, Mr Ben Burrowes, said that over the years New Zealand has built a very strong reputation as a high-quality education destination particularly amongst students from Bangkok. He says that this helped the market rebound significantly post-Covid.
“With the international education market in Bangkok now highly saturated, ENZ sees this promotion as a good opportunity to help schools reach an untapped market in regions across Thailand.
“Through working with high performing regional education agencies and in collaboration with New Zealand schools, our initiative aims to support the development of sister school partnerships in each province,” said Ben.
“This is a strategic move to raise the profile of New Zealand’s school sector and grow interests from a new pool of prospective students and their parents,” added Ben.
If your school is interested in exploring this opportunity, please fill out this survey by Tuesday 30 October to help us match your interest with our upcoming initiative. Additional information can be found in this document. If you have any questions, you can email these through to NZ’s Market Manager – Philippines & Thailand, Chortip Pramoolpol Chortip.Pramoolpol@enz.govt.nz.
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New Zealand-trained astrophysicist receives top honour in Malaysia
She was awarded the prestigious Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia, by Sultan Abdullah at his annual Honours ceremony. It carries the title of Tan Sri, one of the highest federal titles, and is only held concurrently by 250 living recipients.
Dr Othman studied physics at the University of Otago in the 1970s and returned for post-graduate study in the 1980s, becoming the first woman to graduate from the university with a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics. She then went on to forge a remarkable career in the male-dominated space industry.
Colombo Plan Scholar
Dr Othman came to New Zealand on a Colombo Plan scholarship. The Plan, a forerunner to our modern development assistance programmes, aimed to promote economic and social development in Asia through education and training.
Having fallen in love with physics as a teenager in the 1960s, Dr Othman didn’t discover astronomy or astrophysics until she arrived in Dunedin to study for her PhD in 1974.
“There were very few books available at that time and there was not much interest here in Malaysia, but it was very different in New Zealand,” she says. “Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon in 1969 was a very significant event, but I didn’t think at that time that I would have space as a career. Not in a million years.”
Studying in New Zealand opened a world of opportunity for the young, Muslim scholar. Not only did she make a career in the space industry, but she became a leading authority, being appointed the Director of the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs in 1999, and the founding director of Malaysia’s National Space Agency in 2002.
She acknowledges it has been challenging at times. “It’s been a hard road because I’ve had to start everything from scratch. There was no set path to get to where I am today.”
Working to promote science and technology
She says her role at the UN was less about science, and more about diplomacy and politics. “How to balance one country’s requirements against another’s. Bringing people to the table together, even if they don’t agree, to try and agree on how to proceed. The other aspect of the job was to see how we could use space to enhance the development of developing countries, especially in science and technology.”
It is mostly her work at home for which she has been recognised by the King. As Malaysia’s first astrophysicist, Dr Othman was instrumental in introducing astronomy and space sciences into school and university curricula, advised the Government on space matters, was the driving force behind the National Planetarium in Kuala Lumpur, initiated the country’s National Microsatellite Programme, and headed Mega Science 3.0, the ambitious project to transform Malaysia into leading global player in science and innovation by 2050.
Justice and fairness in New Zealand education
But it all started as an international student in New Zealand, a time Dr Othman remembers as being both liberating and rewarding. “I particularly loved the egalitarian environment of the university, and that reflected wider New Zealand society.”
“There will always be a role for New Zealand in supporting education internationally through its cultural perspective on science,” she says. “There is no hierarchy in New Zealand science – professors treat their students as equals and encourage them to challenge and ask questions. That approach has stayed with me through my career.
“New Zealand education also instils a deep sense of justice and fairness.” – Malaysia alumna and astrophysicist Dr Mazlan Othman.