Tokyo fair sparks excitement around New Zealand study opportunities

Earlier this month, Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) delivered a two-day event in Tokyo that brought New Zealand education to the forefront for Japanese students, families, and education agents. 

The ENZ Fair attracted around 600 prospective students and their parents, while more than 150 education agents attended the seminar. The strong turnout and enthusiastic engagement reflected growing interest in New Zealand as a study destination. 

A total of 62 New Zealand education providers took part, representing schools, universities, English language institutions, private training establishments (PTEs), and New  Te Pūkenga New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (Te Pūkenga) providers.  

The school sector led the charge, with 52 providers represented, highlighting the increasing demand for secondary education pathways. 

Attendees heard from inspiring guest speakers who shared personal stories and connections to New Zealand. Fumiaki Tanaka, a former Japan national rugby player and the first Japanese athlete to play Super Rugby with New Zealand’s Highlanders, spoke about his journey as an international student. Yukiko Chiba, Executive Officer and Director at Sekai Bunka Publishing, offered a parent’s perspective, reflecting on her child’s life-changing experience studying at a New Zealand high school. 

Agent seminar 

At the agent seminar, ENZ provided a New Zealand market update with the latest information, guidance and promotional materials. 

The seminar also included a session focused on building long-term relationships between New Zealand and Japanese institutions. Headon John Paul, who represents the Oceania region for Ritsumeikan Uji Junior and Senior High School, and Ritsu Hidume, a New Zealand alumni now studying at Ritsumeikan Uji, shared their insights and advice with New Zealand education providers.  

A roundtable discussion with four education agents and members of the Japan Association of Overseas Studies (JAOS) explored how agents support New Zealand education, current trends in the study abroad market, and opportunities to strengthen collaboration. 

ENZ Senior Market Develop Manager Takako Tominaga said the feedback from New Zealand providers was overwhelmingly positive.  

“We were really pleased to hear that New Zealand providers were impressed by the quality of the agents who attended, and that Japanese families showed genuine enthusiasm and interest in learning more about studying in New Zealand.”