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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.”
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Winds of Change students team up to tackle shared climate challenges
While world leaders continue to discuss how to best tackle global warming, an inspiring group of students is stepping up collaboration between New Zealand and Chile to better understand the problems both countries face, share knowledge, and identify solutions.
The Winds of Change programme, funded by the Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (LatAm CAPE) and hosted by Otago University, is taking a broad approach by drawing in post-graduate students from a range of backgrounds including natural, physical or social science, business, finance, science communication, and humanities.
They are motivated to tackle climate change by developing sustainable strategies in land management, business, and policy-making. Supporting them is a team of talented academics from both countries whose insight and expertise are helping to create impact.
“The Winds of Change participants are extraordinary leaders from diverse backgrounds with a passion for making a difference,” says lead Otago academic Associate Professor Chris Moy.
“Their collaborative work will help inspire communities and drive change.”
Joining forces to reach common goals
Project manager Hélène Eunson says the multi-disciplinary approach is vital. “It is one of the key features and strengths of the programme. We need people who bring a range of perspectives in addressing climate change issues,” she says.
“We have come to realise that the scientists want to learn more about business and policy-making, and the policy-makers want to learn more about the science. We are trying to join forces to reach our common goals.”
Now in its second year, Ms Eunson says there has been huge interest in the six-month programme, which seeks to attract 30 students in each cohort - 10 New Zealanders based in New Zealand, 10 Chilean students based in New Zealand (“Chiwis”), and 10 Chileans based in Chile.
“These young leaders have a real drive to make a change. They volunteer their time and do not earn credits towards their degrees.”
The participants work in small groups on projects based on common interest, to investigate an aspect of climate change, its impact on the environment and communities, and to identify solutions. Their findings are presented at an annual symposium attended by key industry players, researchers, embassy representatives, and past participants.
The Winds of Change programme includes a series of workshops hosted by a range of expert speakers from both countries including business owners, industry experts, and academics studying climate change.
Pacific partners help shape future solutions
By studying the common climate change impacts that New Zealand and Chile are facing, the students are not only helping to shape future solutions, but also to build relationships with a key Pacific partner and enhance economic and social wellbeing in both countries.
Projects undertaken by the participants have tackled wide-ranging issues including wetland restoration, wildfires, water scarcity, rising sea levels, diversity in agriculture, and renewable energies.
Ms Eunson says the concept of global citizenship is a strong theme which runs through the programme. “The participants share experiences from their own countries and help to create bonds with each other by bringing their different perspectives to the table.”
Being involved in the programme has been a profound experience for many of the participants.
“Often, if you think as an individual about environmental issues, you don’t feel as though you can achieve much, but when you see all these people together with the same objective, you feel really powerful to make change,” says Julia Harvey, who grew up in Invercargill.
“Meeting people from different backgrounds with a common interest has provided a unique opportunity to learn about sustainability in both countries,” says Javiera Otero, originally from Villa Alemana, Chile, but currently living in Napier.
“This experience has given me hope for the future, as there are people out there who want to make changes to live a more compatible life with the planet.”
Winds of Change programme builds credibility and impact
Winds of Change is quickly building its network and outreach. “As we build the credibility of the programme, we will start to see long-term impacts,” Ms Eunson predicts.
This new generation of leaders is already anticipating a future of global collaboration. In last year’s first post-programme survey, participants identified the most important benefits as “building networks, connections, and relationships”, and “having confidence to work in a transnational team”.
LatAm CAPE Director Matthew O’Meagher says he looks forward to the ongoing expansion of the programme to include other partners, and ideally other nations in Latin America. “In this way we can continue to provide the best opportunities for our talented young New Zealanders to engage internationally on innovative scientific, sustainable business, and policy-focused, solutions to climate change.”
Dr Moy agrees. “Our future depends on culturally-aware young leaders that can think globally and work collaboratively to tackle climate change impacts.”
Learn more about the Winds of Change programme on the LatAm CAPE website.
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International student enrolments continue upward surge
“Enrolments are steadily rising to pre-pandemic levels, with 2024 enrolments (83,425) now at 72 percent of 2019 totals (115,705).
“New Zealand reaps a broad range of economic, social and cultural benefits from having international students in our midst. International education boosts our economy, creates business opportunities, fuels innovation, and delivers essential cross-cultural skills for a more connected world.
“This sustained growth highlights the international education sector’s progress towards achieving the Government’s Going for Growth Plan goal of doubling the export revenue from international education by 2034.
“Universities and government-funded private training establishments (PTEs) are close to matching 2019 enrolment numbers. We are seeing enrolments grow across universities, schools, Te Pūkenga/NZIST, government-funded PTEs, and English language schools subsectors. In 2024, the strongest year-on-year growth was seen at government-funded PTEs (+59%) along with primary (+53%) and intermediate (+32%) schools.
“Universities saw 33,485 total enrolments, schools had 18,350 enrolments, while Te Pūkenga/NZIST and government-funded PTEs each had 10,270 and 10,185 enrolments, respectively.
“More international students are now enrolled for master’s study programmes in New Zealand. Between 2023 and 2024, there has been a 68% increase in master’s enrolments, with 14,695 international students in 2024, up from 8,740 in 2023. This is an 85% increase compared to 2019 when we had 7,945 enrolments for master’s study.
“The overall rise in enrolments at the national level is underscored by a diversity of regions leading strong growth from 2023, including Waikato (+50%), Hawke’s Bay (+44%), West Coast (+185%) and Gisborne (+156%). The Waikato region is notable in that it has seen significant growth across multiple subsectors: universities, Te Pūkenga/NZIST, government-funded PTEs and schools.
“China and India remain the top two source markets for international student enrolments with 34% and 14% enrolments respectively, followed by Japan (9%), South Korea (4%), Thailand (3%), United States of America (3%), Germany (3%), the Philippines (3%) and Sri Lanka (3%),” Malu says.
More information on enrolment numbers can be found here.
Note: All numbers are current as at 1 April 2025. Full numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. One individual may enrol more than once.
Government-funded PTEs are PTEs that receive government student funding for learners who are defined as domestic students under the Education and Training Act 2020 (note that PhD and exchange students are defined as domestic students under the Act).
For further information:
Sai Raje | Senior Communications Advisor, Education New Zealand
+64 21 479 649
About Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ)
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) is the government agency dedicated to helping New Zealand realise the social, cultural, and economic benefits of international education. Our role is to promote New Zealand as a high-quality education destination offering excellent education and student experiences.
With approximately 82 staff in 14 locations around the world, ENZ works closely with New Zealand’s diverse education sector which includes schools, English language providers, Wānanga, private training establishments, New Zealand Institute of Technology/Te Pūkenga, and universities. Internationally, we work with a range of education stakeholders, including government agencies and education providers to identify and encourage sustainable growth opportunities for New Zealand’s education sector.
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