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• France Baptistin

• Accountability Advisor

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• ENZ strengthens English language sector connections across South America

  The two-week programme brought together 10 New Zealand English Language Schools (ELS) for tailored engagement events across Chile, Brazil, and Colombia – supporting deeper in-market relationships and raising awareness of New Zealand as a study destination.

  Strong engagement across key markets

  Spanning five cities – Santiago, Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Bogotá and Medellín – the roadshow combined education agent-focused seminars with student-facing events.

  Across the programme:

  Delegates took part in five Connect with New Zealand agent events and five Kia ora Nueva Zelanda student-facing events.
  More than 80 agency representatives engaged with New Zealand providers.
  Each provider completed an average of 12 meetings per agent event.

  These interactions enabled providers to reconnect with established partners, build new relationships, and engage with prospective students through presentations, networking sessions and fairs.

  Supporting a key pathway sector

  

  South America Roadshow New Zealand Provider participants with ENZ and some prospective students at Kia ora New Zealand event (in partnership with Travelmate) held at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

  The roadshow focused on English language education, a key entry point for students from Brazil, Chile and Colombia into further study in New Zealand.

  While the sector has not yet fully recovered, strengthening agent relationships and increasing awareness remain important to supporting its growth and its role as a pathway into degree and secondary school programmes.

  Building momentum in the region

  The 2026 programme builds on the inaugural roadshow in March 2025 and reflects ongoing efforts to deepen engagement with agents across Latin America.

  Initial feedback from providers highlights strong satisfaction with the programme’s format and outcomes, alongside a clear appetite to maintain momentum.

  Dr Kate Herbert, Principal of Kiwi English Academy, said the roadshow provided valuable opportunities to reconnect and build partnerships.

  “I can confidently say that the roadshow was a huge success for New Zealand – reconnecting with some education agents after many years and also meeting many new ones. We have had positive responses from several agents already and hopefully that will continue.”

  ENZ’s Director of Engagement, Latin America, Javiera Visedo, said in-person engagement remains critical to grow awareness and build preference for New Zealand as a study destination.

  “These events enable deeper, more meaningful connections with our stakeholders – particularly our agent partners – and support confidence when speaking to students about New Zealand. In an increasingly competitive environment, it’s incredibly encouraging to hear how much agents and institutions value these opportunities. They consistently tell us that these events empower them with the confidence, insights, and enthusiasm they need when speaking to students about New Zealand. This is exactly the kind of impact we, as ENZ, need to continue delivering.”

• Brazilian champions Māori world view to design students globally

  So transformative was the experience, that the former international student is determined that design leaders globally learn from AUT’s success embracing Māori knowledge in tertiary design studies.  

  Marcos came from Sao Paulo to study for his PhD in Design at AUT in 2015. He always felt that Aotearoa was “calling” him and was drawn to the concept of practice-led research, which allows students to be assessed by their creative work alongside a supportive piece of writing. 

  “This means that your practice is your contribution to knowledge,” he says. “I was fascinated by the idea.” 

  Practice-led research has been around for many years but is still not widely used. AUT, now considered a world-leader in its implementation, developed the approach under education “disruptor” Professor Welby Ings, who believes thinking outside the box can be the key to success for many learners. 

  Embracing the natural world from a Māori perspective 

  While Marcos enjoyed the early months focusing on his photography, it was an introduction to respected Māori scholars Professor Hinematau McNeill and Professor Robert Pouwhare late in his first year which really rocked his world.  

  “They shared their love and knowledge and introduced me to Māori views of the natural world. Their way of thinking and seeing the world completely resonated with me. I understood how ignorant I was in terms of expecting to be able to explain the world through a Western perspective. I learned from them that there is so much beyond it that we cannot see.” 

  “I learned how the world can be seen from an indigenous perspective, and I felt really bad that my own culture has more than 300 indigenous tribes and we never learn anything about them.” 

  He says he became really connected with Māori epistemology (theory of knowledge) and committed to understand and incorporate Māori elements in a substantial part of his thesis. “I try my best to captivate the complex Māori concept of mauri (life force or essence) in my work.” 

  Incorporating the Māori view of the natural world in practice-led research is attracting and retaining students who might not otherwise thrive in a university environment, Marcos says.  

  At AUT’s Manukau campus, the majority of students are Māori and Pasifika. “These students have natural storytelling talents, and they love graphic design, photography, street art, and all forms of contra-culture expression (outside mainstream media).  

  Māori and Pasifika students feel sense of belonging 

  “They feel a sense of belonging to the university with this approach. ”Last year saw the biggest increase in the number of students continuing from undergraduate to postgraduate study in Communication Design, using the practice-led approach.  

  Driven to promote this diversity of thought and boost the status of indigenous cultures and language elsewhere, Marcos is using his connections in Brazil to share Aotearoa’s success with South America and beyond.  

  A former colleague, Professor Sérgio Nesteriuk Gallo, is now head of a postgraduate programme in Art and Design at Anhembi Morumbi University (UAM) in Sao Paulo where students are increasingly using practice-led methodologies. “We agreed when I left for New Zealand that the knowledge I gained in practice-led research we would share and promote in Brazil,” Marcos says.  

  “We promised we would create an event every year to build a body of knowledge about practice-led research into the future. I know that many people, especially those from an indigenous background in Latin America are keen to take up this form of research.” 

  The first symposium was held in 2016 and attracted 10 exhibitors. Last year’s online symposium drew in 400 submissions from 13 universities around the world. 

  Planning is underway to take 10 of the most influential Māori practice-led researchers to Brazil for this year’s conference in December, called LINK2022 Moana Crossing, where they will run a series of workshops and launch a special edition of the journal incorporating original manuscripts from the Māori scholars and from collaborative partnerships with non-Māori practitioners. 

  Aotearoa New Zealand leading the way 

  “We have at least half the leading scholars in this field,” Marcos says. “Sharing this knowledge will hopefully influence the approach of those who teach elsewhere in the world.” 

  The new model of undertaking research and presenting knowledge must be more considerate of alternative approaches. “Māori traditions can enhance our understanding of research, practice, and the intricate connection with te taiao (the environment).” 

  He says he is committed to elevating the practice-led approach connected to Māori and first-nation knowledge, “taking our thinking to the world and giving a voice to indigenous cultures elsewhere”. 

  

  Piha at Sunset by Marcos Steagall.

• BizVenture winners tackle youth mental health with "It's Okay" clothing range

  The innovative business entrepreneurship scheme is a pilot initiative led by Education New Zealand, Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), and Japanese partners to give students in both countries real-life experience in developing business solutions that address one of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

  Forty students collaborated in a three-day virtual exchange, where they chose a challenge tackling some of Japan’s pressing social issues, before designing and presenting a business plan in a “Dragon’s Den” style pitch to judges.

  The winning New Zealand team - Hamish Robinson (Taradale High School, Napier), Benjamin Young (Tauranga Boys’ College), Daniel Blight (Waimea College, Napier), Kaiah Sherriff (Southland Girls’ High School), and Abirami Kabilan (Pakuranga College, Auckland) - chose to come up with a strategy which would directly enhance the mental wellbeing of Japanese teenagers.

  The UN SDGs are some of the biggest problems facing humanity today, so working on them was a pretty full-on task” – Pakuranga College student Abirami Kabilan

  It is a topic which directly impacts young people in both countries, as UNICEF ranks Japan 37th among 41 OECD countries for the state of children’s mental health, and New Zealand one lower, at 38th place.

  Insights into business and culture “eye-opening”

  To succeed, the students had to gain a thorough insight into Japanese culture, youth behaviour, and business practice. Ahead of their pitches, the teams joined interactive workshops with New Zealand and Japanese guest speakers, cultural mentors, and language coaches.

  Abirami Kabilan describes the exposure to Japanese business and societal culture as “eye-opening”.

  “The UN SDGs are some of the biggest problems facing humanity today, so working on them was a pretty full-on task.”

  “One of the most interesting things about this cross-cultural experience was seeing how the Japanese students approached the same problems. Young people around the world will have such different ways of approaching these problems too. Imagine the ideas we would come up with if we all worked together.”

  The winning team successfully pitched a clothing brand called 大丈夫, which translates in English to “It’s Okay”, to get the conversation about mental health out in the open among Japanese youth, and hopefully gain the support of high-reach Japanese influencers to help push their critical wellbeing message.

  They decided the best way to break into the Japanese market would be with “in your face” messaging using symbols of strength, such as dragons and samurai, to promote their message.

  “This is something that has not been done in Japan before and we’re ecstatic to be winners,” Hamish Robinson says.

  BizVenture promotes global competency

  The BizVenture programme will allow students to understand the Japanese business context and increase their global competency, says Young Enterprise Scheme lead Elizabeth Pittman.

  “New Zealand youth have such a strong interest in sustainability and improving social outcomes within their communities and abroad, and this challenge allows them to explore that interest in a business context.” 

  International education adapts to changing needs of learners

  Education New Zealand is keen to build on the success of this year’s pilot BizVenture programme as international education adapts to meet the changing needs of learners. International research shows that students are increasingly seeking programmes and content that is relevant to real world problems and which will allow them to make a real difference.

  The programme also builds on New Zealand’s diplomatic relationship with Japan while travel for international students remains limited.

  “Over many decades Japan and New Zealand have benefitted from an enduring partnership,” says Hamish Cooper, New Zealand Ambassador to Japan. “Education has played a really important role in fostering people-to-people ties, and supporting the development of what are now, in 2021, very close connections between our two countries.”

  “Before the pandemic, more than 10,000 students from Japan studied in New Zealand every year, making an important economic contribution, but also enriching our schools and communities, and helping New Zealand students become more globally connected.”

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• Hardship information for students Provider version 1May2020

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