7 July 2016 at 9:00 am

Putting New Zealand in agents’ hearts and on their maps

Education New Zealand (ENZ) recently organised a series of agent familiarisation tours.

Colombian Agents enjoying the sights of Queenstown
COLOMBIAN AGENTS ENJOYING THE SIGHTS OF QUEENSTOWN

Education New Zealand (ENZ) recently organised a series of agent familiarisation tours.

Four groups were immersed in New Zealand’s learning, living and working opportunities for international students.

Agents from Brazil, Colombia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia were treated to tours of New Zealand’s special places – from regional centres to our bigger cities.

ENZ’s regional and international teams organised the programmes and toured with the agents over May and June. They were shown the full spectrum of the sector, and were also given updates and presentations from government agencies like Immigration New Zealand and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA.

“The agents enjoyed and appreciated the chance to learn about education in New Zealand, meet current international students and understand the distinctive offerings for students across all of New Zealand,” said Greg Scott, ENZ Regional Programme Manager.

The tour included interactive activities, including an emphasis on education pathways, applied learning and creative technologies, and special open-invitation networking opportunities, like the Networking Starts at Home event

The agents visited   Taranaki, Nelson, Canterbury, Waiuku, Hamilton, Dunedin, Queenstown and Napier.

Sara Gamez and Ana Karina Fajardo outside the AUT marae 3

COLOMBIAN AGENTS SARA GAMEZ AND ANA KARINA FAJARDIO ENJOY TIME AT AUT BY THE NGA WAI O HOROTIU MARAE

“As our regional centres become better known international education destinations, the agent familiarisation tours demonstrated how each regional centre has a unique story and value proposition that can appeal to different student interests,” says Greg Scott. 

The potential benefit to increasing the profile of New Zealand education amongst all these markets is immense.

 “The feedback from the participating agents was extremely positive and heartfelt,” says Sarah Gauthier, ENZ Regional Project Manager.

“We ensured the agents enjoyed themselves and their time in New Zealand. They enjoyed tourist activities, speaking to international students and their homestay families and gaining a deeper understanding overall of the value of a New Zealand education.” 

“We are seeing lots of photos of New Zealand on the agents’ social media feeds and their agencies’ websites,” says Jo Keane, ENZ Regional Project Manager.

 “We’d like to thank all the people, organisations and regional groups that supported these familiarisations,” says Sarah Gauthier. 

“It was a true Team New Zealand effort. We appreciated the time everyone took to host us, meet the agents, organise tours and ensure that the students were available to speak to the agents in their own language. 

“There’s nothing like hearing why New Zealand is such a great place to be a student than from real international students.  By speaking about their study, lifestyle and work opportunities, the tours were really brought to life,” she says.   

Korean Agents enjoy the Nelson Sunshine

KOREAN AGENTS ENJOY THE NELSON SUNSHINE

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