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• Php Te Pukenga at NZ Study Expo

• Haere ra Afiqah, Haere mai Vikram

  We spoke recently with the former NZISA National President for 2021, Afiqah Ramizi, and with the National President for 2022, Vikram Selvaraj. 

  Afiqah Ramizi, NZISA National President 2021

  Afiqah has been in New Zealand since 2015, when she left Malaysia to undertake tertiary study here.  After completing a foundation course at ACG (now known as UP International College), Afiqah started on a six-year medical degree at the University of Auckland (UoA) and is now in her final year.   

  Afiqah’s advocacy work started during her time at ACG, when she was selected to represent the college under an International Student Ambassador programme, run by the New Zealand Police in Auckland. The main focus was to support engagement with the student community, and lift students’ understanding about how to keep themselves safe in a foreign country and what support is available.  

  At university, Afiqah joined the Malaysian students’ association and became Vice President.  In 2019 and again in 2020, she was elected as the International Students Officer for the UoA Students Association.  During these years, she became involved with NZISA through their multiple lobbying efforts and community engagement. Afiqah was elected NZISA’s Vice President in 2020, before being elected National President in 2021.   

  Looking back on her experience at NZISA, Afiqah says she is proud to have been involved in making sure that the voices of international students were heard as New Zealand responded to COVID-19, amongst many other achievements of NZISA since 2017. 

  “Last year we were successful in lobbying for temporary changes to international students’ maximum working hours, so they could work more during alert levels 3 and 4,” Afiqah says. “This was really important for students at a time when their studies were disrupted, and some students were facing financial hardship. This temporary increase was also appreciated by local employers, as they were needing more people able to work full-time, to keep their businesses running.”  

  In her role as National President, Afiqah was involved in supporting the groups of international students coming back to New Zealand while the border was closed. Her team’s continuous advocacy to government bodies saw more international student cohort border exceptions announced, which meant more international students were able to return and resume life in New Zealand. 

  “Staying in managed isolation and quarantine was a big extra cost for these students, and we know many hesitated to return because of that.  By talking with the institutions involved and advocating for subsidies, we were able to encourage them to cover part of the costs for their returning students. This was a win-win for both the universities and the students.” 

  Supporting students over the holidays was another key focus for NZISA during the past two summers, primarily to help onshore students who couldn’t reconnect with their families while borders were closed.  

  “We worked with ENZ and our regional networks to encourage summer internships, to remain connected in the international community and to indulge in the real Kiwi summer,” Afiqah said. 

  Afiqah herself spent the last summer at the coalface of the COVID-19 response work, drawing on her medical knowledge to support public health. She was initially working to find the source of COVID-19 when contact tracing was a key focus, and through the Omicron surge, she has learned other public health skills as the nature of her work changed from eliminating to managing COVID-19.    

  Now it’s time for her to pass on the baton to the 2022 President, and an opportunity to focus on her final year of medical school! 

   

  Vikram Selvaraj, NZISA National President 2022

  

  Now in the final semester of a Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree at University of Canterbury, Vikram came to New Zealand in 2018 from Singapore with his partner and began studying here the following year.  

  “The Bachelor of Criminal Justice was a new degree, and I realised it was exactly what I wanted to study,” Vikram says. “It combines law with a range of other subjects, all related to criminal justice.” 

  Vikram is the eldest of three siblings and the sole breadwinner for his family, having lost both parents. His two siblings are still living in Singapore, and Vikram has continued to run a hairdressing salon there during his years in NZ. It’s more than three years since Vikram last saw his family in Singapore, but he isn’t planning a trip home any time soon, because of the risk that border settings might change again.  

  Vikram brings a range of relevant experience to his new role as NZISA National President.  At University of Canterbury (UC), he was a UniLife Leader, the first to be in charge of mature students, both domestic and international.  It was his role to support them, provide pastoral care and a voice on the issues they were facing.  His work was recognised with a Blues Award from UC Students Association in 2021, for Outstanding Achievement in Community Engagement.  

  Vikram is excited about his new role as NZISA National President.  He was elected in December and took up the role in late January, along with an all-new executive team of eight students.   

  “We’re planning a number of projects for the year ahead,” Vikram says. 

  UC joined NZISA last year and continuing to increase membership will be one of the priorities for Vikram and his team this year.   

  “We also have ideas for a range of projects for students that different members of the team will lead during the year.  This includes working with NZ Police to help students understand the risks of scams and online gambling; supporting students with resources to combat racism and discrimination; and empowering women.” 

  Vikram says it’s his belief that he can do something that has brought him to where he is today.  He’s very conscious of the challenges faced by many international students, for example when their financial situation changes, and they find it hard to get the support they need.  

  “Kiwi students aren’t always aware that international students are paying a premium price for their studies,” he says.   

  “Sometimes students feel homesick, or experience racism – whatever the particular challenge, it’s important for them to know that someone is listening to them.” 

  Fun fact about Vikram:  Vikram has a Japanese Spritz dog called Tiger that he brought with him to New Zealand.

  Sahinde Pala, ENZ’s Director Student Experience & Global Citizens, says ENZ sets great store by our relationship with NZISA. 

  “We have really valued the contribution Afiqah has made during her years with NZISA, and we look forward to working closely with Vikram and his team over the coming year,” Sahinde says.

• The Education New Zealand Journalism Fellowship for US students

  An independent report from the Economist Intelligence Unit recently ranked New Zealand’s education system as the best in the world for preparing students for the future.

  All eight of our universities are ranked in the top 2.5% of the world (QS World University Rankings 2018) and New Zealand has the seventh highest performing graduates in the world, ahead of graduates from many elite universities in the US, Canada and England (2016 OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies).

  Education New Zealand will work with recipients to structure a programme of interviews and visits that most interest you, and can help suggest potential story ideas and angles and interviewees.  

  We will cover the cost of return economy class flights from the US, internal travel within New Zealand, shared meals and accommodation. Recipients will also have the opportunity to experience some uniquely New Zealand cultural and environmental visits.

  Students will be expected to produce at least two news stories or one feature article, to be published in the US.

  The student who is most successful in placing their stories will also be awarded the prestigious Top Education New Zealand Journalism Scholar award, and US$500.
  
  

  Who can apply?

  Students currently enrolled in US institutions or recent graduates working for media outlets. Applicants who are not working for publications should either be enrolled in a journalism programme and/or write for media outlets. Successful applicants must be available to travel to New Zealand for a week in June, 2018.

  For more information please email: Lucy.Johnston@enz.govt.nz 

  Click here to apply. 

• Fun and games at Christchurch student welcome

  The event was held at the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, and offered free food, games – including jenga, table tennis, and a Rugby 101 workshop led by the BNZ Crusaders – as well as a number of live music and cultural performances such as kapa haka, Indian Bangara dancing and a traditional Chinese lion dance. 

  Canterbury’s community groups and tourism operators were also on hand to greet new students, alongside Christchurch Deputy mayor Andrew Turner, who gave a welcome speech.

  ChristchurchNZ International Education Programme Manager Bree Loverich was pleased to see such a strong turnout.

  “This event was a fantastic opportunity to bring together new students, international education staff, homestay families and volunteers to celebrate our different cultures and showcase all there is to see and do in Christchurch and Canterbury,” said Bree.

  

  

  

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• NZ forges fruitful partnership with Paraná state, Brazil’s education powerhouse

  Following a visit to New Zealand universities in September by a delegation of authorities from Paraná state, Brazil, the Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence organised a reciprocal trip for a group of New Zealand educational representatives to go to Curitiba, Paraná’s capital city. The purpose of the visit was for the New Zealand delegation to get a closer look at the research structure of this southern Brazilian state and discuss future pathways for collaboration between Brazilian and New Zealand students and researchers.  

  The public higher education system of Paraná is made up of seven state universities and three federal institutions spread across several cities, with in-person and distance learning. They are quality research and teaching institutions, with substantial scientific production capacity and academic prestige. Paraná state has a population of roughly 11 million people. 

   

  

  New Zealand delegation meets with representatives of the State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Higher Education of Paraná and deans of state universities.

   

  During the meetings in the capital of Paraná, held in mid-October, there were several discussions with deans and vice-deans of state universities, representatives of the State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Higher Education and the Araucária Foundation, a state-funded institution that focuses on promoting high-level scientific research. 

  

  New Zealand delegation at the Araucária Foundation, which funds scientific research

  The meetings were attended by Secretary Aldo Nelson Bona and his team; market development manager of Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) in Brazil, Bruna de Natale; Nicole Freeman, from the Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence; as well as representatives from 3 of the 8 New Zealand universities: Frank Bloomfield, from The University of Auckland, Leonel Alvarado, from Massey University and Jannik Haas, from the University of Canterbury. 

  Frank Bloomfield is deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation at the University of Auckland. During the visit he highlighted the importance of collaborating internationally with other universities to undertake research and how one cannot conduct research in your own country alone. 

  "I’ve had the pleasure of leading two delegations to Brazil this year. Firstly, in April for the Faubai conference, when we also had the opportunity to talk to some professors from leading Brazilian universities. And now this visit.  

  “Despite our differing geographic and population sizes, the research priorities of our countries are very similar. We have heard from our colleagues here in Brazil that we have similar priorities but also similar problems,” said Frank.  

  “An example of this is in agriculture and how we need to think about using new techniques and new technologies such as genomics to improve our productivity in agriculture. This also applies to a whole host of different areas in which our priorities are similar including freshwater and culture, engineering, and chemical sciences, for example,” added Frank.”  

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