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  • From the CE: The next phase

    One of the first projects to be discussed in the early days of lockdown, the Future Focus Programme, was launched last week.

    The programme has reallocated $1.2 million of our existing funding to provide our sector peak bodies with the support to reimagine international education in a post COVID-19 world. ENZ has already approved funding for two peak bodies.

    Initially, funding will assist peak bodies in developing an innovation plan with their sub-sector. Once planning is complete, funding may also be provided to support the introduction of innovation projects.

    ENZ’s Industry Team will work in close contact with the sector on the programme, and although it’s a little while away, I’m looking forward to seeing what creative initiatives come out of it.

    Since my last update, we have also stood up an internal group who will be charged with preparing and planning for ENZ’s role in any possible relaxation of border controls for international students.

    This group will work with other Government agencies and representatives from the international education community to develop an understanding of what the challenges are in reducing border restrictions and implementing strict quarantine requirements, as well as how the sector can prepare.

    We are aware that some international students are experiencing unusual hardship because of changes to their personal circumstances due to the global impacts of COVID-19. The Government has established a hardship grant fund for international students to address urgent, temporary needs, which ENZ will administer.

    The $1 million fund is designed to meet emergency, temporary needs, and must be both applied for and administered by either an education provider or a community group. You can find out more information on the ENZ website, International Student Hardship Grant Fund. Applications opened yesterday.

    I would like to finish with a whakataukī that has been in high rotation around ENZ.

    He waka eke noa (we’re all in this together).

    Ngā mihi,

    Grant McPherson

    Chief Executive

    Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao

  • Around the world in five

    AUSTRALIA

    Australia to consider July entry for international students

    International students may be the first cohort of international travellers that will be exempt from Australia’s current travel ban according to the latest three-step process for exiting lockdown that PM Scott Morrison has outlined.

    Read more

    GLOBAL

    Early lessons from moving ELT online: start with what makes your school special

    Students – and agents as well – are now faced with a wide range of new online language programmes, and are still measuring the quality of instruction and student experience on offer.

    Read more

    CANADA

    Canada: new flexible post-grad work rules

    Canada’s government has announced “flexible” post-graduation work permit rules for international students studying at a distance, while individual institutions have introduced millions of dollars in support funds to help students struggling financially as a response to Covid-19.

    Read more

    JAPAN

    COVID-19 hits student finances, amid calls for wider reforms

    Many students in Japan have been forced to give up university studies for financial reasons, after the country’s coronavirus emergency and lockdown resulted in the loss of part-time jobs and problems with family income.

    Read more

    CHINA

    China's top universities cancel entrance exams for overseas students

    Universities in China have begun canceling entrance examinations for overseas students, citing coronavirus concerns, as the central city of Wuhan reported a new cluster of cases for the first time since its lockdown was lifted.

    Read more

  • Agents key to NZ’s international education recovery

    Education agents have been playing a crucial role in ensuring that international students and their parents have accurate information about the impact of COVID-19 on New Zealand. Many international students will approach their agent for support and advice, ahead of their study provider.

    Looking ahead, agents will play an even more important role in the recovery of our international education sector and visibility of New Zealand as a study destination.

    ENZ’s General Manager – Partnerships & Marketing, Paul Irwin, says our partnerships with education agents will be essential for the international education sector’s recovery.

    “Education agents play an important role in students’ New Zealand education experience and are key information sources for both prospective and current international students. In most cases, they are the main interface between international education providers and students. Working with agents is a significant focus for ENZ and most providers as part of our COVID-19 recovery phase.”

    This view is shared by the sector. For example, at a recent SIEBA (Schools International Education Business Association) webinar, 77 percent of participating SIEBA members said recognised that education agents would be more important to the sector through the post COVID-19 recovery phase, while 33 percent said agents would be important.

    In response to COVID-19, ENZ has upped the frequency of communications and engagement with agents have the information they need to advise current and future students and their families.

    A key tool is AgentLab, ENZ’s special resource for education agents. Over 3500 agents around the world are registered to use AgentLab. It supports agents with regular COVID-19 updates, and a dedicated COVID-19 FAQs section to answer agent queries.

    In addition ENZ has held 11 well-attended COVID-19-specific webinars since February, reaching over 2000 agents. Topics have included measures taken by New Zealand in response to COVID-19, the importance of education agents in a post COVID-19 world and a Schools sector update on the support available to international students during this time.

    Agents also receive a fortnightly update from ENZ’s Chief Executive Grant McPherson, and a monthly electronic newsletter to ENZ’s 305 Recognised Agencies.

    Agents are also supported with market-specific webinars and live social interactions by ENZ’s internationally based teams, who are the first point of engagement for overseas agents.

    ENZ’s Manager – Education Agents, Geneviève Rousseau Cung, education agents are highly engaged with COVID-19-specific resources and communications to date.

    “We have seen 1081 new education agents register on AgentLab since late March (when New Zealand moved to lockdown under Alert Level 4). This is a huge 30 percent increase in registered agents in just seven weeks.

    “We are seeing high attendance for our COVID-19 specific agent webinars, which have emerged as one of our key communication channels with agents as they facilitate direct interactions and let us respond to a range of market-specific queries.”  

    Agent webinars are also a good opportunity for to run quick polls to measure agent sentiment on key topics.

    In a recent webinar, poll results showed that the perception of New Zealand’s COVID-19 response in agents’ countries or regions was overwhelmingly positive (84 percent). Just over 51 percent of agent participants said that their prospective students (with an offer of place to New Zealand institutions) were willing to defer their start date to 2021 (and 38 percent were undecided as yet).

    “At such a critical, unprecedented time, it’s great to see education agents playing a crucial role in ensuring that international students and their parents have access to the necessary information and advice regarding COVID-19,” Geneviève says.

    ENZ is planning a series of webinars involving ENZ teams, other New Zealand government agencies and the international education sector. If you would like the ENZ team to engage with you regarding a potential agent webinar, please get in touch with us at agenthelp@enz.govt.nz.

  • Meet the Team: Lisa Futschek

    Hi Lisa. Could you please outline your own role and the role of the International team?

    ENZ’s International Team delivers on the strategies our organisation sets to best position New Zealand as an education partner in our key offshore markets. It’s a two-way flow with our skilled offshore teams not only delivering a vast array of in-market initiatives, but also providing crucial market intel contributing to the setting of our core strategies and objectives.

    We ask a lot of our teams. Not only do they bring crucial language skills and a deep understanding of the cultural context, but they are also marketers, event organisers, Government-to-Government experts, relationship managers, skilled communicators and more. They need to be as comfortable talking with a Minister as they are with a student seeking an education in New Zealand.

    My role is to set the direction, to coach, mentor, energise, and to ensure that the output of our team plays its part in realising the overall vision of our organisation.

    How is the COVID-19 pandemic impacting your team’s work?

    The impacts of COVID-19 on the International Team’s work have been wide-ranging.

    The first order of things related to the closed borders and the need to cancel, postpone or re-imagine the large number of in-market events that had been planned.

    At the same time, there was a square focus for both ENZ’s off- and onshore teams to support the experience of those international students who remained in New Zealand or had been unable to get here. This included everything from their access to online learning, accommodation needs, physical and emotional wellbeing, support through hardship, visa queries and connection to repatriation flights.

    Throughout all of this, the offshore teams have been heavily engaged in communicating with a full range of stakeholders – students, parents, agents, industry partners, NZ Inc partners and governements – to keep them abreast of developments and to assist in responding to their wide-ranging information needs. 

    Can you tell me a bit about your own professional background?

    I’ve always been interested in international relations. I spent 18 years as a career diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), living and working in Chile, Germany and New York City.

    Through those 18 years at MFAT, I gained an understanding of New Zealand’s place in the world. There is no doubt that we punch above our weight. Positioning our nation globally through diplomacy is highly rewarding but it is also a long game.

    What I have found particularly satisfying since joining Education New Zealand in 2013 is the short gap between effort and result. We get to see very quickly the impact of our work on thousands upon thousands of people whose lives have been transformed by  a New Zealand education. I’m proud to be able to play a part in that.

    People might think that diplomacy is something which happens exclusively at embassies and at a Government level. But in fact, education diplomacy is part of our organisaton’s DNA. And through our alumni we have created an enormous international network of ambassadors for both a New Zealand education as well as everything else our country has to offer.

    What do you do in your spare time? Can you tell us about the choir you sing in?

    Yes! I’ve been in a local choir called the Doubtful Sounds since 2014. It’s wonderful. It’s complete “me time”.  It’s away from work, it’s away from the family, it’s an escape from the normal preoccupations of life. I find it completely joyful.

    I love making music with other people. We’re not too serious; it’s not an auditioned choir and reading music is not a pre-requisite. I love the fact there’s a whole range of people involved. Our choir master Bryan Crump (of RNZ fame) is a brilliant musician and arranger of music, and is very active in getting us in public. We sing at  weddings, flash mobs in the street, the Fringe Festival, slots on RNZ. We sang last year in the Wright’s Hill gun implacement and at this year’s Newtown Fair. 

  • Physically distant, digitally connected

    Since early March, the team’s strategy for student-facing content has prioritised three areas: keeping students updated with official information about COVID-19 in New Zealand, supporting their wellbeing, and keeping New Zealand top of mind for prospective students, so we are well-positioned to recruit new students when borders reopen.

    Our main focus is on supporting and connecting with international students within New Zealand, and helping them connect with each other.

    The campaign takes a three-pronged approach to this through: 

    1. Growing our audience on NauMai NZ through a digital advertising campaign so that we can offer more students information and support to enhance their experience. The ‘Stay well, stay connected’ page on NauMai NZ is a main landing page for website traffic coming through the campaign.
    2. Connecting students through our International Student Support Facebook Group. We have transitioned the ‘Ask New Anything’ Facebook group into the ‘International Student Support Group (NZ).’ This private group is a space for international students in New Zealand to connect with one another, ask questions, find help and offer advice. The group currently has 2,300 members including 475 new member who have joined in the past two weeks. 
    3. Concentrating on content created by students, for students. We are predominantly using content made by students on our channels to present their own authentic experiences, through blog and video content and weekly Instagram live Q&A sessions.

    Check out our YouTube playlist ‘International students in lockdown in New Zealand because of COVID-19'. As we move out of lockdown and into Alert Level 2, we will continue to support students with relevant content.

    China channels 

    To ensure we’re reaching our Chinese students on the channels that they use, we are running a Chinese version of the campaign specifically for this audience. We are doing this by: 

    New content

    Keep an eye out for new content across our platforms and social media channels, including NauMai NZ, Study in New Zealand, our Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube, WeChat and Weibo.

    As you can see, there is a lot happening in the student content space at ENZ. We are working hard to ensure much needed information and support is provided to the many international students who are still in the country, as well as continuing to engage with the prospective students in our database and across our social media channels.

  • An update from ENZ's Events team

    Many of you are working closely with our international teams on in-market initiatives and programmes of work. The following update refers to the events as listed on the events calendar on our corporate website and does not include additional in-market activity.

    If you’ve confirmed to attend any of the upcoming ENZ calendar events for the second half of this year, the team will be in touch as soon as they can to update you on how the event will proceed.

    Events framework

    We are developing an events framework that will initially support events planned until the end of 2020 and look at alternative ways we can deliver events and fairs in New Zealand and overseas. This framework is in response to the current situation and the need to adjust how we do events over the next 12-18 months.

    We are aware delivering events virtually is a high priority, but we also understand that not every event will translate well to virtual delivery, and each market has its own challenges requiring a bespoke approach. The framework will consider each countries’ restrictions. It will also look at the viability of events taking place virtually or whether a hybrid approach could be used and be more effective.

    Virtual events platform

    To assist us in making the right decisions in event delivery, we are undertaking an initial scoping exercise of digital platforms that facilitates the delivery of events, fairs, and conferences online. 

    Our goal is to ensure our education industry has access to ‘best-in-class’ digital events options that align with our student audience needs. In order to align with your recruitment goals we will consult with industry partners to better understand what your requirements are for digital events, and whether an integrated ENZ platform could strengthen our ability to recruit students to New Zealand.

    Attendance at virtual fairs

    We are all receiving invitations to virtual fairs and we are assessing which events we will attend as it is essential New Zealand remains visible during this period. To help inform these decisions, the events team would welcome information on the events you will be participating in through to the end of 2020. Please email them at events@enz.govt.nz with this information, or if you have any further queries.

  • International Student Hardship Fund

    Thank you for all the applications we have received.

    The Fund has now been allocated and we are no longer able to accept applications. 

     

    The Government has established a $1M hardship fund for international students to address urgent, temporary needs, for example temporary inability to access cash or because of reduced part-time employment.

    Criteria

    We welcome applications from education providers and organisations to apply for grants of up to $20,000 (GST not to be included) to enable you to provide eligible international students with direct financial relief or other support, including food parcels and support towards living costs.

    Organisations can apply for grants up to $20,000.

    Applications can be made from 21 May until funding has been allocated.

    Which organisations are eligible to apply to ENZ for grants?

    • Education providers who are signatories to the Code of Practice
    • Community groups
    • Peak bodies, or
    • Other organisations who currently work with international students and have the mechanisms and experience to support international students with hardship requests.

    Individual students and education agents may not apply to ENZ to access the fund.

    What grants are available?

    • Eligible organisations may apply for grants of up to $20,000 (GST not to be included) per request to the fund.
    • Grants are one-off; however, the same organisation may make additional requests after using their initial funding (subject to the availability of funding).

    What can grants be used for?

    The grants may be used to:

    • scale up existing student hardship initiatives
    • support eligible students through:
      • Direct cash grants
      • The purchase of resources on behalf of international students, such as food parcels, where this is appropriate.
    • The maximum amount that can be applied for is up to $1,000 per international student your organisation is supporting.
    • Funds may not be used for:
      • Salaries or staff administration costs
      • Funding for flights home
      • Tuition fees
      • Granting individual students support of more than $1,000 in cash or kind.

     Which students are eligible for support?

    • Grants can only be used to provide support to eligible students.
    • An eligible student is:
      • A current fee-paying international student, or enrolled as a fee-paying international student as at 23 March
      • Currently in New Zealand
      • In genuine, temporary hardship[1]
      • Not eligible for other government financial support.
    • International PhD students paying domestic fees are eligible for the government’s domestic student hardship fund and should be encouraged to seek help from that scheme in the first instance.

     Table: Summary of eligible and ineligible students

               Eligible students

               Ineligible students
    • A current fee-paying international student, or enrolled as an international student as at 23 March.
    • In genuine, temporary hardship. 
    • International PhD students paying domestic fees.
    • International students who are not currently enrolled or who were not enrolled as an international student as at 23 March.
    • International students who are eligible for other government support.

     

    How do organisations apply?

    • To apply for grant funding, organisations must complete and submit an online application form to ENZ.
    • Organisations will need to provide the following information:
      • Their strategy and approach to identifying students in need, including outreach efforts and ensuring eligibility criteria are met
      • Estimated number of international students and basic demographics (e.g. age range, sector, nationalities, region)
      • Total amount requested, what it will be used for, and how it has been calculated
      • The organisation’s resources to ensure appropriate distribution
      • Agreement to meet reporting requirements (including publication) and to repay any underspend within 12 weeks of having been granted the funds
      • Invoice and bank details for payment.
    • Process –  Applications are now closed.
    • Assessment of applications will be completed within five working days. Approval will be notified by email, as will confirmation of distribution of funds.
    • Any queries about the International Student Hardship Fund can be sent to response@enz.govt.nz or raised with Sahinde Pala, Director of Student Experience & Global Citizens at Education New Zealand.

     Reporting requirements:

    • Organisations will need to report to ENZ on:
      • The number of students assisted, and basic demographics (e.g. age range, sector, nationalities, region of New Zealand)
      • The type of assistance provided
      • How much was provided.
    • To demonstrate programme outcomes, and as part of its commitment to ensuring value for money from expenditure, ENZ will publish reports from participating organisations in whole or part.

    Closing date

    Applications can be made from 21 May, until funding has been allocated.

    Further information

    Frequently asked questions are available here.

    Any queries or concerns about the International Student Hardship Fund can be sent to response@enz.govt.nz or raised with Sahinde Pala, Director of Student Experience & Global Citizens at Education New Zealand.

    Thank you for your assistance in helping to support international students currently studying here during these unprecedented times.

    [1] Organisations will have the discretion to determine what constitutes significant, temporary hardship in accordance with their existing policies and practices.

  • Massey University’s virtual exchange programme a first for New Zealand

    The first virtual exchange with the University of North Georgia (UNG) began in the first semester of 2020. It focuses on Defence and Security Studies courses at both institutions. 

    “Students benefit by being able to take unique courses for no additional fees from an overseas partner while continuing their studies at their home institution,” Massey University’s Manager of Student Mobility, Greg Huff, says. “The universities benefit by being able to expand their offering of courses and subject areas, while also building linkages with other international partners.”

    Massey University worked with the Ministry of Education to create New Zealand’s first virtual exchange scheme in 2019, before the effects of COVID-19 began to be felt in the international education sector.

    Huff says the exchange began as a way to expand and enhance its students’ academic experiences. Massey expects the demand for virtual exchange opportunities to grow as tertiary providers around the globe continue responding to changes brought on by the pandemic.

    “As the demand for virtual learning opportunities increases due to COVID-19, this is a great opportunity for an institution with a proven track record in the virtual learning space to show institutions around the world what Massey and other New Zealand providers have to offer.” ENZ’s Director of Engagement in the US, DuBois Jennings.

    Other New Zealand institutions can also benefit by using the structure approved by the Ministry of Education to set up their own virtual exchanges.

  • You’re invited to Uiui: a market update on Latin America

    Entitled Uiui (a Te Reo Māori word meaning to investigate or examine), the series comprises two Zoom webinars with ENZ Regional Director Amy Rutherford as moderator.

    1. Uiui: LatAm Business

    When: 8:30am NZT, 30 June

    What: A conversational presentation by a panel including NZTE Regional Director Steve Jones and NZTE’s trade commissioners based in Brazil, Chile and Colombia. The panel will provide an economic overview of the region, including the challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and then take questions.

    Register here

    2. Uiui: International education’s new landscape

    When: 8:30am NZT, 2 July

    What: Speakers from the main local education agent organizations, the Brazilian Educational & Language Travel Association (BELTA) and the Colombian National Association of Education Advisors (ANEX), as well as ICEF Latin America will talk on the LatAm education landscape in light of COVID-19, as well as the current trends, strategy for recovery, and feedback from students.

    Register here

  • From the CE: A transitional phase

    First of all, a big thank you to everyone. Your insight and problem-solving on so many urgent matters, including student wellbeing and repatriation, has been invaluable.

    I’d like to reflect quickly on how we’ve worked together so far. Our activities together represent just a beginning on the long road ahead. Within ENZ, we have: 

    • Created and administered the International Student Hardship Fund, which has allocated $1m to 105 providers and community organisations, assisting approximately 11,000 students. 
    • Created the Future Focused Programme and invested $1.2 million of reallocated government funds into the future of the industry to encourage innovation. 
    • Stood up cross-organisation teams within ENZ to focus on student wellbeing and support the repatriation of school-aged students. 
    • Communicated and engaged intensively with peak bodies, education providers, agents and in-market partners. 
    • Invested in NauMai NZ and increased our communications to students within New Zealand 
    • Continued to maintain visibility of New Zealand as a high quality study destination, and 
    • We’re continuing to work closely with other agencies, who have optimised policy settings to cushion the sector from the impacts of COVID-19 as far as possible.

    Of course, a crucial step of the international education sector will be bringing in students.

    International students remain a priority group in the government’s planning for any managed border entry agreements. We’re looking forward to welcoming international students into New Zealand again, but we need to make sure we do so in a way that is safe for everyone.

    There are many details to be worked through, including practical quarantine and self-isolation arrangements, monitoring processes, and how the costs can be shared by those arriving.

    As a result of this complexity, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins has advised our sector leaders that international students will not be returning to New Zealand in July and August this year. He hopes that we will be able to safely welcome small groups of students by the end of the year and begin building up towards 2021.

    We need to have and retain public confidence in the managed border re-entry process, before we welcome cohorts of students to New Zealand.

    Finally, our work towards a sector recovery strategy continues and I look forward to sharing more with you this July.

    He waka eke noa (we’re all in this together).

    Ngā mihi,

    Grant McPherson

    Chief Executive

    Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao

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