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  • From the CE: Our focus for the next 12 months

    Kia ora tātou, 

    "To help providers of international education to build back onshore offerings" is Focus Area One of the New Zealand International Education Strategy. There are nine key short-term actions in Focus Area One. Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao is the lead Government agency in four actions and has an important role to play in eight of the nine. It can be no surprise then that for the next 12 months, and our next financial year starting in June, that the majority of ENZ's energy, time and resources will be focused on attracting learners to study with New Zealand. 

    This is no small challenge. Our borders have been open now for just eight months. And while students are returning, the latest visa application numbers I've seen report in the order of 43,000 applications (offshore and onshore), the recovery is variable at best. Even within the university sector, that on the face of it looks to have recovered better than others, the experience is mixed. Within the PTEs and English Language schools we have a long way to go to reach the levels of 2019 and early 2020. In such a highly competitive market, it is going to take some time to regain awareness with learners and overcome the head start other countries gained. 

    All our budgets are tight. At the very time we need to be investing and getting offshore to renew partnerships and networks, we are all resource-constrained and having to watch every cent. ENZ is no exception. 

    This means that for the next 12 months, more than ever, we need to focus. We need to focus our limited resources to where they have the greatest impact, and we need to be aligned as one with the sector. 

    India is an excellent example of a partner market that is worthy of focus. I have just returned from leading an ENZ delegation to India. India is forecasting economic growth of 6-7% every year for the next three to five years. They know, and their national education strategy makes it clear, they need educated, skilled and talented people to realise this opportunity. I repeatedly heard, "They want their people back".

    That five Deputy Vice Chancellors joined the 23 sector representatives tells you how important India is. As one of the five said to me, "India today is what China was 15 years ago".

    To be successful we need to agree that India is important. It is. We need to go there together. We will. We also need to work with our colleagues in other Government agencies to ensure they are aligned. This is what success looks like for me. And this is the level of focus on building back, and the level of partnership with the sector, that I expect from my ENZ teams over the next 12 months.

    I will also work with them to secure the many gains we have made in government-to-government relationships, scholarships, diversity, equity, and inclusion, social licence, and in building a sustainable future. All the good work of the past two years remains important for the long-term future, set out in Focus Area Two: Building a new future for international education. 

    We are all very passionate about international education and its ability to transform lives. In 2023/24 when the sector is stronger than today, all of us will be better placed to address the short term and the medium to long term. Today our focus must be the immediate needs.

    He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka

    A choppy sea can be navigated

    This proverb acknowledges the changing and challenging environment that we currently find ourselves in and how it can be navigated by collaboration and innovation.

    Ngā mihi nui,

    Grant McPherson

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  • Final ENZ Chair speech to plenary session 17 Aug 23

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  • Aotearoa sharpens Sherpa’s ambitions on conservation in Nepal

    The Everest region of Nepal is his home, and he has seen first-hand the impact of climbers and climate change on the world’s most famous mountain environment.  

    The former international student to New Zealand is a columnist in the Kathmandu Post, readily highlighting successes and calling out failures on a range of environmental issues impacting Nepal. He is part of a generation determined to find solutions. 

    Tsewang recently completed his Master’s in Environmental Management at Lincoln University, an international education experience made possible by the Mingma Norbu Sherpa Memorial Scholarship. Mingma was an early graduate of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Khumjung School, an alumnus of Lincoln University, and one of the leading voices on conservation in Nepal and Bhutan through his work with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) before his untimely death in 2006. 

    His legacy is a scholarship jointly funded by WWF, Lincoln University, and the Greater Himalayas Foundation which supports students from remote regions of Nepal committed to careers in conservation to study at Lincoln. 

    Tsewang says the links with New Zealand which date back to the work of Sir Edmund Hillary, and his belief in the importance of education for future generations, are a driver for many Nepalese students seeking to improve their opportunities in life.   

    “The connection is very strong,” he says. “Sir Ed Hillary is such an icon and I feel that the students who come to New Zealand to study are continuing to strengthen the relationship established by Sir Ed and Mingma”.  

    Fulfilling the dream of a New Zealand education 

    “The scholarship allows you to fulfil a vision of having a higher education in New Zealand, but more than that, it connects many people already working in the conservation sector in New Zealand, Nepal, and other parts of the world.”  

    Tsewang spent two years in New Zealand, arriving just before the border closed in 2020 and is grateful that his studies were largely unaffected by the pandemic. He says he has learned much about New Zealand’s approach to conservation and gained a better understanding of te ao Māori and the concept of kaitiakitanga (guardianship and protection).  

    “I am a Sherpa. We are renowned as mountaineers, but we are also an ethnic tribe with a strong connection and respect for nature and a strong desire for environmental stewardship.  

    “Seeing Māori taking ownership of preserving and retaining their culture was an important learning for me. These are taonga (treasures) which we should be taking from one generation to another. 

    “Through my education I want to promote empowerment of local people on conservation issues,” Tsewang says. “Studying in New Zealand made me realise that this is already happening in Nepal, but we just need to find ways to make it more effective.” 

    Tsewang’s Master’s research was into the effectiveness of the Garbage Deposit Scheme (GDS) initiated by the Sherpa people, in which Everest climbers pay a US$4000 deposit that’s returned only if they bring back at least 8kg of rubbish produced during their expeditions. “Working in conjunction with the aims, aspirations, and opportunities of local communities is incredibly empowering.” 

    Making a positive impact in Nepal 

    The students who have come to Aotearoa have made a positive impact in Nepal, Tsewang says. “It’s all about learning from best practice and sharing knowledge.

    As one person it’s hard to make change, but by sharing information and knowledge we can make incremental change.”  

    “We are seeing that governments globally are starting to overhaul their environmental protection policies. New Zealand has played a key role in the context of Nepal because people before me came to study and returned home to build crucial environmental education and awareness.”  

    Tsewang loved his time in Aotearoa, both inside and outside the classroom, having spent most of his free time hiking iconic tracks. “There’s so much learning that happens out in the field where you hear first-hand of the experiences of those working in conservation. 

    “This was an essential part of my education experience. You have unplanned conversations which are inspiring and hugely valuable,” he says. 

    “The last two years have been monumental in so many ways. It’s not just the academic learning, but also the personal growth. I have gained so much confidence to voice my opinion and share my knowledge. 

    “I will stay in touch with many of the people I have met and hopefully we will have the opportunity to collaborate in the future. Learning never stops. 

    “The international education opportunities with New Zealand only serve to strengthen the long-standing bond with Nepal. There’s a real legacy involved for both countries.”

  • Hine e hine Waiata Music

  • Step up to the World, Tū māia ki te ao, a forum on global citizenship education, 11-13 September

    Educators, those who work in education or anyone with a keen interest in growing their understanding of Global Citizenship Education are invited to attend this free forum. The forum aims to bring individuals and organisations together and share some of the wonderful work being done in the education sector while also looking at how we can collaborate and champion each other's workstreams in the future. 

    The forum will also support participants to:  

    • Understand Global Citizenship Education (GCED) 
    • Explore ways to honour our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi through GCED 
    • Make links between key frameworks and strategies and the New Zealand context 
    • Explore the role of GCED in Asia-Pacific contexts and in international education 
    • Connect and share best practice with local and international experts and practitioners 

    You can register your interest for the event via this form here: https://forms.gle/NiBTqGxAzt9P2VrY8 or by sending an email to: tyler.tekiri@enz.govt.nz 

  • High-level delegation visit strengthens education relationship with India

    The New Zealand India Education Week – held from 17-22 April – included senior level participation from New Zealand universities and was designed to further strengthen the strategic education partnership with India. 

    Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) Chief Executive, Grant McPherson, led the delegation across New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. 

    Demonstrating New Zealand’s overall commitment to India, New Zealand announced an investment of $400,000 towards internationalisation and student mobility initiatives, including the relaunch of the New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA). 

    The NZEA are unique scholarships designed exclusively for Indian students that are jointly funded by ENZ and all New Zealand universities. Since their launch in 2016, the scholarships have enabled more than 200 Indian students to study at one of New Zealand’s universities. 

    Another key focus for the week was to re-engage with the New Zealand Centre at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and discuss the future trajectory of the partnership.  

    New Zealand High Commissioner to India His Excellency Mr David Pine speaking at a meeting with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

    Caption: Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao Chief Executive, Grant McPherson (right), thanking Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) outgoing Dean International Naveen Garg (left) for hosting the NZ delegation at IIT.

    Erik Lithander, Deputy Vice Chancellor Strategic Engagement at the University of Auckland, signed an MoU with IIT Delhi on behalf of all New Zealand universities to continue the relationship and further develop the New Zealand Study Centre.  

    The New Zealand Study Centre was inaugurated at IIT Delhi in February 2020 by Deputy PM Winston Peters, demonstrating the importance of education as a key part of the India-New Zealand relationship.  

    The week was bookended by two education agent fairs in New Delhi and Mumbai respectively, both of which exceeded expected student attendance numbers.  

    Speaking at a media briefing held at the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi during the New Zealand India Education Week, ENZ CE Grant McPherson underlined the importance of New Zealand’s education partnership with India.  

    “India is one of New Zealand’s priority partner countries for collaborations, exchanges, and student mobility. We are excited that the announcements around the New Zealand Centre strengthening and the extensive package of scholarships under the New Zealand Excellence Awards scheme will further engagement with India,” Grant said. 

    ENZ Regional Director – Asia, Ben Burrowes, said with the sector’s focus on recovery and reconnections, the New Zealand India Education Week provided a great opportunity to refresh relationships with education sector stakeholders in India.  

    “India has always been a strong partner to New Zealand in the education space, and students from India consistently make up the second largest portion of international students studying in New Zealand.  

    “We are delighted for the opportunity that the New Zealand India Education Week offered us to reconnect and refresh our education links with India, and we look forward to building this relationship further over the coming years.” 

     

    Additional info –  

    To begin the week, sector representatives were provided with in-depth insights into the India-New Zealand relationship from High Commissioner David Pine, ENZ in-market staff and a consultant from EY. Representatives attended meetings with government departments such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) as well as B2B institutional networking events to support their university's global engagement. The delegation also met with two Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), IIT Delhi and IIT Madras.   

  • Prof Guoyuan Sang Beijing Normal University

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