7 July 2026 at 11:15 am
Recipients of the 2026 New Zealand – China Tripartite Partnership Fund
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Tripartite Partnership Fund.
The recipients are:
- Lincoln University, with Beijing Forestry University and Yunnan Agricultural University, on national park landscape management
- Lincoln University, with China Agricultural University and Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, on research in carbon emissions
- University of Canterbury, with Shanghai Normal University and Qufu Normal University, on digital leadership in early childhood education.
For over 20 years, the New Zealand – China Tripartite Partnership Fund has supported researcher-led collaboration through a distinctive three-way structure, connecting New Zealand universities with multiple Chinese partners to build academic linkages and enable knowledge exchange.
The Tripartite Partnership Programme has delivered tangible education outcomes, including contributing to recently approved joint institutes and programmes involving the University of Canterbury and Lincoln University, and their Chinese university partners.
Lincoln University’s joint education programme on National Parks management with Beijing Forestry University was recently approved by China Ministry of Education.
Announcing new joint education programme focusing on national parks management | Lincoln University
University of Canterbury’s cooperation in the early childhood education field with Shanghai Normal University has evolved from a tripartite research collaboration into a joint education institute.
UC advances NZ-China education opportunities | UC
Outcomes from the 2025 Fund recipients
The 2025 Tripartite Partnership Fund recipients completed their projects in May 2026, reporting strong progress in academic collaboration and student mobility, along with joint publication submissions.
One project, led by Associate Professor Fiona Ell from the University of Auckland, focused on preparing future teachers in mathematics and science through comparative study and exchange between New Zealand and China.
The project delivered three key outcomes:
- completion of comparative policy analysis on mathematics and science teacher education policies in both countries
- examining the signature teacher education pedagogies in both countries to learn about new ways to prepare teachers
- delivery of reciprocal exchange visits, enabling in-person observation of school and university practice in both countries.
Left: Associate Professor Fiona Ell and Jingjing Liang from the University of Auckland visited research partners at Hangzhou Normal University and Capital Normal University in October to November 2025 as the first reciprocal exchange.
Right: During Associate Professor Yiling Yao and Dr Sisi Han’s visit to Auckland in February 2026, the group visited Matipo Primary School to observe a Year 3 mathematics class.
