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• Former international student represents Aotearoa in Ecuador

  With his career as an agronomist under way, Juan Pablo came to New Zealand on an MFAT-administered scholarship in 1988, wanting to build on his agricultural qualifications. After taking English courses at Victoria University Wellington Te Herenga Waka, he completed a two-year Diploma in Rural Studies at Massey University Te Kunengaki Pūrehuroa.  

  His time in New Zealand had such a profound impact on his life that he returned home determined to establish lasting bonds between the two countries. And there is no doubt that his appointment reflects just how much he has achieved.  

  Juan Pablo says he had dreamed of coming to New Zealand long before he got here. He had read ‘Grass to Milk’, Campbell McMeekan’s 1960s account of New Zealand’s dairying management practices which was well-known among dairy farmers in Ecuador. “I read the book and decided this is the place I want to go.” 

  Learning from the best 

  Very few students travelled to New Zealand from Ecuador at that time, most went to the United States for further education, he says. “Many people asked me why I was going to New Zealand, and people still ask me about it today. I tell them I went because I wanted to learn from the best.” 

  Juan Pablo says he was inspired by his lecturers, especially the late Professor Colin Holmes, a respected researcher, mentor, and advocate of the dairy industry.  

  “I came from an education system where the teacher held all the knowledge, where it was always black or white. In New Zealand it was totally different because learning was inquiry-based. Critical thinking was the method of developing knowledge.” 

  He says his experience was transformative on both a personal and professional level.

  “The things I saw and learned, the New Zealand way of doing things, and the care and respect people had for each other had a powerful effect on me.” 

  Over the decades since Juan Pablo’s education experience in Aotearoa, he has built a highly-regarded career in Ecuador, founding and leading primary industry companies, accepting numerous board appointments, representing Ecuador in international free trade agreement negotiations, and being recognised with multiple honours for his contribution to the livestock and dairy sector. 

  Enduring ties to New Zealand 

  But he never forgot his ties to New Zealand, working tirelessly to strengthen the bilateral relationship and boost both business and education opportunities. He initially established a company to import agricultural products from New Zealand. When he later secured the role of General Manager of the Cattlemen’s Association, he passed on all his business contacts, and the organisation has been importing electric fencing components and seeds from New Zealand companies ever since.  

  “In 1988, we brought some cattle in from New Zealand for a breeding programme. Now many farms in Ecuador, including the ones I oversee, have cattle from New Zealand stock. And in the 1990s I helped to establish an education programme with Massey, which saw lecturers come to Ecuador to take short courses in dairy management.” 

  “When it comes to dairy farming, almost everything I know I learned in New Zealand - pasture management, milk production systems, electric fencing, animal welfare – and farmers have applied these practices successfully in Ecuador,” Juan Pablo says.  

  “New Zealand is top of mind for every farmer here. When you talk about New Zealand here, everybody knows about its reputation in agriculture. Going to New Zealand is on the wishlist for many people.”  

  Honoured to represent Aotearoa 

  Juan Pablo says he was deeply honoured to be asked to be New Zealand’s Honorary Consul in Ecuador, a role which is all about connections and creating opportunities which benefit both countries. 

  “I am very proud, and I’m happy because I now have the chance to advocate for Aotearoa,” he says. “The better the relationship with New Zealand, the better it is for Ecuador too. We must focus on what we have in common and make the most of it.” 

  He firmly believes international education is at the heart of relationship-building and collaboration between countries, even more than tourism and business. “You learn the values of a nation through education. Time spent studying in New Zealand will make you a better person.” 

  “International students will become New Zealand’s ambassadors to the world.” 

• From Russia to New Zealand: "I've lived two different lives"

  Home was Petropavlovks-Kamchatsy, on the far eastern seaboard of Russia, almost 7000km from Moscow, and the decision to leave was a relatively spontaneous one. “The whole experience was pretty surreal.” 

  He was introduced to the possibility of an education experience in New Zealand by ACG (Academic Colleges Group), which held a fair in his hometown back in 2008. “I had never heard of them visiting Russia before, let alone my hometown as it’s so remote.”

  Andrey admits that at the time he wasn’t keen to stay on in Russia and “jumped at the opportunity” to come to New Zealand for a six-month stint in Year 13 at ACG Parnell College.

  “Looking back on it, I really wanted to go somewhere far from home and different. I placed all my hope on it being a better place and it turned out that it was. That internal drive to explore took over and I followed my intuition.”

  Student life provides connections

  Having improved his English, Andrey went on to study for his Bachelor of Commerce in finance and economics at the University of Auckland, where he found his tribe. “Life in Russia did not resonate with me in the way that life in New Zealand did,” he says. “I think what was missing for me at home was the kind of openness and connectivity which is so apparent here.”

  Coming to New Zealand I was exposed to other people’s perspectives and backgrounds, and I really connected with that.

  "I felt a sense of belonging and that I could be who I am without judgement. Breaking away from being expected to fit a certain mould at home was a big thing for me.”

  With new-found confidence and his degree completed, Andrey travelled the world on modelling contracts before “returning to the original plan” and establishing a career in e-commerce and project management.  

  And he has the perfect credentials for his current role at The Mind Lab, helping to launch Mission New Zealand, an online education portal aimed at international students. “It provides short courses and micro-credentials as a taster of what education in New Zealand is like and what it can provide. It’s a full circle moment for me.” 

  Mission New Zealand highlights what makes an education experience in Aotearoa unique through the lens of creativity, sustainability, tech innovation, and culture. “I think it puts us on the map in terms of global education.” 

  Looking back, Andrey says he would have loved the opportunity to access a platform like this as a student travelling to a foreign country, “to really get an understanding of what it’s like on the ground”. He says he is excited to see what impact Mission New Zealand can have.

  Life-changing move 

  The decision to leave Russia for New Zealand has been life-changing for Andrey. He is now a citizen and knows his future lies here. “There is so much social and career mobility here and that’s exciting for me.”  

  He arrived determined to carve out a new path in life and he has certainly achieved that. “I have grown into a person who is more confident and assured, and not afraid to explore new opportunities.” 

  He now has plans to explore and better understand the significance of te ao Māori. “I want to immerse myself in that space. I love that in New Zealand there is more than one way of seeing the world. It is so important that there is an alternative perspective,” he says.

  “I would like to get a deeper understanding of the tenets of te ao Māori, to see the challenges we are facing and the potential solutions through a different lens.”

  His advice to students considering coming to New Zealand is to get fully immersed in the culture “and absorb it all”. “Don’t come to recreate what you had at home. If you do, you’ll miss huge opportunity for personal growth.”

  Andrey says his life now looks nothing like his old life. “It’s like I’ve lived two different lives.” And he’s not done yet.

  “Coming to New Zealand has drastically changed how I view myself in the world,” he says.“ Through international education you realise that your actions do matter, that you do have the potential to make a real impact. You start seeing yourself as an individual in a connected system.”

  “Keep exploring is my motto for the future.”

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