From the CE: Building Back Better: How we’re balancing our efforts on the road to recovery

The current COVID-19 surges are a reminder that we face a long road to recovery and rebuild of the international education sector, a point highlighted during ENZ’s recent appearance at the New Zealand Parliamentary select committee.

ENZ remains strongly focused on the goals of the New Zealand International Strategy 2018-2030: sustainable growth, an excellent education and student experience, and increased global citizenship for New Zealand students. It is important that we rebuild with those goals front of mind.

At ENZ, we are fully committed to supporting other agencies and the sector in progressing the re-entry of students. ENZ staff have been seconded to other government agencies here and overseas to support these initial steps towards the recovery.

We have been increasingly asked about the place of ‘transformation’ within our recovery. The simple answer is it complements and reinforces our ability to attract students to New Zealand in the future.

This work enables us to connect with education partners and students that we otherwise wouldn’t reach. The work is about growing the pie for all the international education sector and for New Zealand, rather than competing with existing efforts.

Through this work we will collectively be more competitive in attracting students as student mobility opportunities emerge, and in anticipating the accelerating changes in the delivery of and learner engagement with education globally.

Although each part of the Government’s Recovery Plan may progress in different ways at different times, we are committed to progressing them collectively and for the benefit of our sector as a whole.

Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi

With your food-basket, and my food-basket, the people will be well.

Ngā mihi,            

Grant McPherson

Chief Executive Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao