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From the CE: New Zealand higher education in the spotlight
Kia ora koutou,
Over the past few weeks, I have been abroad in both China and the United States promoting New Zealand education.
In late May I was delighted to attend my first NAFSA conference in San Diego, California. NAFSA is the world’s largest international education conference and this year it attracted over 8,000 attendees. ENZ supported the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, University of Waikato, Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Canterbury, University of Otago and Whitecliffe College at the New Zealand Pavilion. Our collective involvement with such a significant event provided us with a strong platform to showcase New Zealand’s unique education offering to a global audience.
Following NAFSA, I travelled to Connecticut to meet representatives of the Mashantucket Pequot nation, during which I had a useful exchange on indigenous-to-indigenous education and engagement. It was a genuine privilege to be hosted by this small, resilient tribe, into which my whānau has whakapapa links.
Last week, I joined the Prime Minister’s Trade Mission to China alongside education delegates from UP Education, Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, and Victoria University of Wellington.
The Trade Mission was an opportunity to support the tertiary education sector’s engagement with China which is our largest source market of international students. The visit also reinforced at the Government and sector level our strong bilateral education relationship.
One of our key deliverables was an education event to promote New Zealand’s reputation for world-leading research and high-quality education at Fudan University in Shanghai. Fudan is one of China’s most prestigious universities and while there we took the opportunity to celebrate 20 years of the New Zealand-China Tripartite Partnership Programme. A wonderful outcome from the event was the signing of an MoU between Victoria University of Wellington and Fudan University that will see the universities resume student exchanges and pursue research cooperation in public health, biotechnology and climate science.
In Beijing, we hosted New Zealand Education Connect and showcased New Zealand as a study destination to our key partners, and alongside Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, we officially launched New Zealand’s Country of Honour campaign for the China Annual Conference and Expo for International Education (CACIE) which will be taking place later this year.
Finally, this month the results of the latest QS World University Rankings 2026 were published. New Zealand ranked first in the English-speaking world and fifth globally 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.
This is a fantastic result for our universities and reinforces New Zealand’s position as a high-quality and welcoming international education destination.
Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou
Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing
Ngā mihi nui,
Amanda Malu
Chief Executive - kaibot
- Lees Galloway
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NZ’s education brand remains stable despite border closures
A recent presentation by Jason Cate of Kantar, who carried out the 2022 annual brand survey for ENZ, considers two broad questions:
- How is the demand for international education changing post-Covid 19?
- How is New Zealand’s brand as an education destination being impacted?
“This programme tracks perceptions of New Zealand as an education destination globally, but also specific association statements and overall sentiment, appeal and attractiveness,” Jason Cate says.
“It’s always interesting to see how this develops and changes over time, particularly over the last couple of years, given all the challenges.”
More than 4,800 potential students were surveyed online across 11 priority countries, as well as their parents in some markets. The 16-24 year olds surveyed were mostly current students, and all of them were considering further study in an offshore, English-speaking country.
Jason Cate says the survey shows the overall nature of demand for offshore education is stable in 2022, and only slightly lower than before Covid-19.
The core reasons why students are considering studying offshore haven’t changed:
- to live and travel overseas
- to meet new people
- to enhance their employability.
The survey shows there has been a significant reduction in the proportion of students delaying their studies because of Covid-19 (from close to half of students to around one third), but the proportions of students considering both study offshore and at home, or study offshore and online, have increased. In other words, there is a shift in their preferences for the mode of delivery.
Across most of our key partner countries, perceptions of New Zealand are relatively constant, with the only change being a small decline in awareness. New Zealand again tussles with Singapore for the fifth strongest brand in student mobility among English-speaking countries.
For more details about global demand and perceptions of New Zealand’s education brand in individual markets, you can listen to the full presentation on Intellilab here, by registering and logging in through MaiENZ.
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New Zealand experience grows global indigenous network
A special bond forged through a Study Abroad programme, involving Vermont’s Champlain College and Auckland University of Technology (AUT), was marked by the gifting of a unique pare whakairo (carved doorway mantel) to the US College in September.
Called Te Hononga (The Convergence), the pare whakairo was created by kaiwhakairo (Māori carver) Pahi O’Carroll over four weeks in residence on the Champlain campus.
The pare is unlike any other. It is carved from a wood native to the area – black walnut – and evokes values, beliefs and traditions common to both Māori and the indigenous people of Vermont, the Abenaki.
The relationship between Champlain and AUT dates back five years, when New Zealand Honorary Consul and trustee of Champlain College, Dr George Burrill, first established a study abroad exchange programme between the two institutions. To date, over 100 students have participated.
One of the highlights of American students’ time at AUT is the Noho Marae programme.
“Every year students tell us how the Noho Marae programme has profoundly impacted them,” ENZ General Manager – International, Lisa Futschek, says. “It turns them into lifelong advocates for New Zealand, its education system and Māori culture.”
Run by AUT Senior Lecturer in Māori and Indigenous Development, Jason King, the mini-course includes basic Te Reo Māori, Māori mythology, waiata (songs) and cultural customs. It includes with a noho marae (weekend-long marae experience).
King describes the course as “the base of a tree, from which branches and leaves grow”.
“The course puts indigenous goggles on students,” he says. “It opens them up to areas of discussion with their own indigenous people.
“My ultimate aim is to connect us not only globally, but indigenously.”
Thanks to their connection to Māori via AUT and the Noho Marae programme, Champlain College made a formal connection to their own indigenous people, the Abenaki tribe. A representative from the Abenaki was present at the unveiling of Te Hononga.
Many US students choose to keep in touch after they return home through the student-led Whānau Councils. These were first established in 2010 after students from Europe were so moved by their AUT marae experience that they set up their own group to maintain their connection to New Zealand and each other. There are now three Whānau Councils across Europe and the US actively supported by AUT.
For the European council’s 10-year anniversary, members of group are planning to return to New Zealand – this time with their partners and children.
“We tell them during the Noho Marae, after studying in New Zealand you are whānau for life,” King says.
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Caroline plays her part in Christchurch rebuild
But she is now a qualified quantity surveyor as comfortable working on building sites as she is back in the office crunching the numbers.
Caroline says it is not a profession she would have contemplated in China, where she grew up, but Christchurch’s rebuild inspired her to pursue a career in the construction industry and she is grateful for the freedom to be able to achieve her ambitions.
“It has been very rewarding to be part of the rebuild and to see the changes in the city. Bettabuilt, the company I work for, specialises in school rebuilds. When we finish a new school, you feel like you’ve done something you should be really proud of.”
And her parents are proud too. They have backed her career choice and know that the bold decision they made to send their only child to New Zealand for education was the right one.
New Zealand a safe place to study
Caroline says they had travelled widely as a family before making the decision that she would come to Burnside High School Te Kura o Waimairi-iri in Year 11. “They wanted me to be open-minded and take on new experiences and cultures,” she says. “They decided it would be good for me to study in another country with a different culture and chose New Zealand because it was a peaceful and safe country.”
Before she arrived, Caroline was set up with a “buddy”, a student from her school in Beijing who was already studying here and helped provide insights into life in New Zealand. She also took an online course prepared for international students.
“This made me feel more confident and familiar with what I was coming to which was important, because the culture and environment is quite different from my home country.”
But there were still some big adjustments to be made when it came to schooling. “All courses in China are set by the Education Department. In New Zealand, you have freedom to choose your own courses,” she says. “At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by the options available to me because I didn’t know exactly what I should take. But it was good that I had the opportunity to try courses that I was interested in.”
She also had to get used to a self-directed approach to learning. “It allows you to study in a way which suits you best, which was positive for me. And it means when you start work you have the ability and discipline to study by yourself. I have used methods I learned in high school and university to build my knowledge in the workplace.”
With more free time in her life, Caroline had the opportunity to play sport and even take on a part-time job which she says would not have been possible in Beijing. “That job really helped me because I got to practice English and gain more confidence talking to local people.”
New career opportunities
It was all part of an international education experience which Caroline believes is about much more than study.
“When you’re an international student, you quickly acquire life skills and become much more independent.
You also learn about other cultures because you are mixing with people from many different backgrounds. It was quite an eye-opener for me, but I enjoyed it.”
Once she determined her career choice, Caroline chose Ara Institute of Canterbury as the next step on her education pathway. Starting with a Diploma in Quantity Surveying, she followed it up with a Bachelor of Construction. Job and internship opportunities were regularly shared by their programme leader, illustrating the close ties with business.
The decision to study in New Zealand has taken Caroline on a journey she couldn’t have imagined when she arrived. “In China I would not be working in construction. I would probably have been working in finance or management,” she says. “The environment here changed me and gave me career options I would not have considered at home.”
In the past few months Caroline has secured residency and bought her first house, giving her a real sense of belonging. “I enjoy my work and my life in New Zealand. I love Christchurch and I’m proud to be contributing to the rebuild of the city.”
“I feel really happy that I came here.”