Search Results » Education NZ (2024)

In addition, Agent Seminars also help to keep agents informed with the latest official information and is an important tool that Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) and other NZ Inc agencies use to share such information. According to recent Immigration New Zealand (INZ) data, agents in China have a high approval rate for student visa processing.

Tēnā koutou katoa

Earlier this month a New Zealand business publication ran a column that challenged the role of international education in delivering ourGovernment’s objective of double the export earnings. As you might expect, I could not let the challenge go unanswered. You can read the full response on the ENZ website, but I thought there was merit in highlighting a couple of the key points along with some of the excerpts as they provide a good summary of the state of international education in New Zealand today.

The first point I made in my response confirmed that students are returning. We recently published the Ministry of Education’s enrolment data for 2023 (part-year) which firmly backed this up.

“Students are returning to New Zealand. In the first eight months of 2023 international student enrolments topped 59,000 with all sectors experiencing growth except wānanga. Accepting that it is from a low base, comparing 2023 to 2022, Universities have bounced back strongly reporting a 15% increase from 24,040 to 27,535.“

“In the first eight months of 2023 English Language Schools saw the greatest percentage increase in international enrolments, increasing by 347% from 1,565 to 7,001. Schools reported a 114% increase from 5,925 to 12,662. NZIST Te Pūkenga, a 32% increase from 4,955 to 6,560 and Private Training Establishments (funded and unfunded), a 13% increase from 5,000 to 5,671.”

Of these enrolments, students from India continue to provide the second highest number of enrolments in New Zealand. In recognition of our valued partnership, I am delighted to announce that the Republic of India will headline as Country of Honour at NZIEC KI TUA 2024.

The designation of Country of Honour at NZIEC KI TUA celebrates our international education connections with partner countries and I am pleased that we can celebrate the growing education connections between our two countries in this way. You can read more about this announcement along with a call for speakers in our E-News story here.

The second point from my response that I would like to reiterate is that: We have a plan and the sector is working together to deliver.

I highlighted that “The New Zealand International Education Strategy, revised in 2022, sets out a multi-year action plan to develop a high-value, resilient and innovative education sector for both international and domestic students. Further the new Government’s manifesto made clear their vision and priorities for international education. “

“I can also assure you that the sector is working together to achieve its goals, that all eight universities participated in a recent ENZ-led delegation to India, is just one example of the co-operation.”

It was very timely that I then received a wonderful note of appreciation from a Dunedin City Councillor this week for the work of the many people within ENZ and the sector involved with the recent Korean agent famil. This was further evidence that we are working collaboratively as a sector and delivering benefits to the international education ecosystem and our regions.

Councillor Christine Garey said “The input from ENZ has helped over the years to establish and maintain an international education ecosystem in the city. It’s encouraged transitions between school and tertiary education and supported a strong growth agenda with increased higher quality students staying longer.

However, of particular benefit has been access to inbound/outbound famils and delegations. ENZ’s support in bringing agents to our city has been especially valuable and allowed us to showcase what Ōtepoti, Dunedin has to offer. There is no replacement for this in person experience and we look forward to these visits continuing to rebuild relationships globally.

Study Dunedin and the international education ecosystem are in good heart here in Ōtepoti Dunedin, working collaboratively and effectively. We look forward to ENZ’s continuing support and especially, we warmly look forward to welcoming future famils to our city.”

Keep up the great work, everyone.

He manawa tītī

Endurance is a virtue that cannot be understated.

Dr Linda Sissons

Acting Chief Executive

Over 50 international education agents at the ICEF ANZA workshop held in Ōtautahi Christchurch from 22 to 24 April experienced Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao's (ENZ) education pathways prototype (Stage 1). The prototype was designed to introduce students to the huge global opportunity around sustainable food design and production, and the world-leading education pathways from New Zealand institutions that can open employment doors into a wide range of exciting careers.

“In New Zealand, you can learn from top experts and study in the heart of where food is grown, technology is advanced, and industry opportunities abound."

This pilot came about in response to agents’ demand for more information about what expertise sets New Zealand apart from other destinations and makes a New Zealand education unique.

To develop the pilot, ENZworked with Jix Reality – a Christchurch-based tech company headed up by an ex-international student to New Zealand – using virtual reality to provide an immersive and engaging experience, including examples of real New Zealand study environments. The user journey involved a visualisation of the full breadth of the food production value chain, illustrating how this goes well beyond agriculture to encompass other domains and careers such as food engineering, value chain management and marketing. The experience went on to highlight New Zealand’s credentials as one of the world’s top food developers and exporters, and allowed the user to browse relevant study programmes and consider which one could lead them to their desired future career.

ENZ’s General Manager Sector Engagement and Innovation, Wendy Kerr, was on hand at the workshop to talk to the agents and collect feedback via a survey. Wendy said that the results were very clear – agents agreed almost unanimously that the prototype provided new and useful information about New Zealand’s strengths, study pathways for students and future employment opportunities in this field.

“92% also confirmed that this experience made it more likely that they would recommend New Zealand as a study destination.

“One agent said that they think it is a great tool to market New Zealand as students can see their future and make informed decisions while another told me that it was a great experience and the tech and approach is ahead of its time,” added Wendy.

Attending education providers also had the opportunity to try the prototype, one describing it as “a wonderful virtual reality marketing tool which is of enormous value to agents, schools and service providers. A great investment and even better you have used a Christchurch based company to develop it.”

This pilot forms part of ENZ’s Innovation and Growth programme, seeking new ways to support the diversification and growth of the international education sector. The next stage for the pilot will be for ENZ’s Innovation and Growth team to use the feedback collected to develop the prototype further. It will then be turned into a marketing tool that is more accessible, informative and scalable for agents to use with students.

If you’d like to help us with beta testing or contribute content to future stages please register your interest with tim.brown@enz.govt.nz.

In our Student Experience survey of 4,755 international students from the end of last year, more than 70 nationalities, 84 percent rated their overall experience positively, while another 83 percent said they would recommend New Zealand as a study destination.

Last Wednesday, along with our Chair, Tracey Bridges, we appeared before the Education and Workforce Select Committee comprising nine Members of Parliament. This happens every year. As a government agency it is part of reporting to Parliament. I am extremely heartened by the level of interest all the committee members had in international education. It is good to know the sector has advocates within Parliament.

Tracey has recently returned from Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines as a member of the business delegation supporting Prime Minister, Rt Hon Christopher Luxon. Education was a big part of the Prime Minister’s itinerary, and it was great to have Tracey in the delegation. Throughout the entire trip we took every opportunity to emphasise the benefits of international education to the Prime Minister. A good example was in Thailand where ENZ hosted a series of engagements, including the New Zealand Alumni Networking Event. At this event the Prime Minister met 25 accomplished New Zealand alumni, who have made substantial contributions to the bilateral relationship between New Zealand and Thailand. You can read more about the visit in our E-News article here.

New Zealanders going offshore for an experience is an important part of international education and ENZ’s work. It is pleasing then to see 60 applications for the group round of the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia and Latin America that closed 19 April 2024. Of the 60, 22 were for Latin America and 38 for Asia. The applications are being assessed and successful scholarship recipients will be determined in a few weeks’ time.

In summary it has been, as it always is, a busy and productive month across international education. May will be no different.

Waiho kia pātai ana, he kaha ui te kaha

Let the questioning continue; the ability of the person is in asking questions.

On 9-10 May 2024, Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), the Ministry of Education Malaysia, and the University of Auckland co-hosted a two-day workshop for Malaysian educators. The theme of the workshop was "Engage, Explore, Excel: Interactive Play Strategies for Effective Preschool Education".

The workshop gave approximately 50 Malaysian preschool educators the opportunity to see and experience for themselves some of New Zealand’s innovative and interactive approaches to education that start in early childhood education facilities. The workshop was also an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties between our two countries.

Professor Marek Tesar, a distinguished early childhood education expert from the University of Auckland led the workshop and shared his expertise with the group. He highlighted innovative approaches to implementing interactive outdoor play and used practical insights with theoretical foundations to enhance the educators' skills and knowledge. This included leading the group through experiential activities and thought-provoking discussions, including how outdoor play can instil a sense of environmental stewardship among teachers and children.

Ben Burrowes, ENZ’s Regional Director Asia (excluding China) and Acting General Manager International, and Emma Verry from the New Zealand High Commission in Kuala Lumpur attended the session and extended warm welcome remarks, underscoring the importance of international collaboration in advancing early childhood education in both countries.

Ben said that the workshop gave a wonderful opportunity for educators from Malaysia to come together to hear from Professor Tesar and explore the multifaceted benefits of interactive play.

“Our two countries recognise the critical importance of the formative years in a child’s development and the profound impact that quality early childhood education can have on their future success and well-being.

“Participants were all very enthusiastic about discovering new ways to engage and empower their students. We hope this will lead to more collaboration and sharing of ideas between our two countries that educators and students alike can benefit from,” said Ben.