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Letter from the CE: Welcoming new ENZ whānau
As a result, we have established some new and revised roles at ENZ. Please join me in welcoming them to the ENZ whānau.
International appointments include:• Lisa Futschek – General Manager, International
Lisa will be developing our international operations and integrating the work of all our international staff with the Partnership and Marketing team, in particular. Lisa has been with ENZ since 2013, after an 18-year diplomatic career with MFAT which included postings in Chile and Germany. At ENZ, Lisa has spearheaded initiatives such as the Generation Study Abroad and Go Overseas scholarships and Game on English; has championed the development of local language and tailored marketing materials; and has led the establishment of a permanent ENZ presence in Tokyo, Los Angeles and Bogota.• Amy Rutherford – Regional Director, Americas and Europe (based in Washington DC)
Amy joined ENZ back in April 2013 as the International Market Manager (IMM) for China. She subsequently picked up IMM responsibility for the USA and in that capacity spearheaded ENZ’s approach to North America. Since January 2016, Amy has been ENZ’s Senior Market Development Manager in the US, based initially in Los Angeles and now in Washington, DC. Amy joined ENZ with substantial experience in international education having worked for the International Office at the University of Otago and later for IFSA (a US third-party study abroad provider).• John Laxon – Regional Director – South and South East Asia Regions (based in Singapore).
John’s role has been expanded to encompass all of Asia including China, Japan and Korea. John had previously held responsibility for the South and South East Asian regions and the Middle East and has previously been based in Saudi Arabia. John has been with ENZ since 2014, having previously held roles at the Tertiary Education Commission, The Treasury and as a Ministerial Advisor.• Miranda Herbert – Director, Greater China
This China-based role will be responsible for managing, leading and supporting ENZ’s Greater China teams and leveraging opportunities with other NZ Inc agencies both in-market and New Zealand to promote New Zealand education. Miranda was previously the Deputy Director International at the University of Auckland (UoA) where she led UoA’s internationalisation work. Miranda’s leadership in transnational education projects and understanding of the Chinese student journey will be invaluable as we continue to evolve our ENZ China strategy. Miranda is a fluent Mandarin speaker, having graduated with a BA (Hons) in Chinese from the University of Waikato and spent four years living in China working in the education sector. Miranda will relocate to Beijing in July.
Sector and student-related appointments include:• Paul Irwin – General Manager, Partnerships and Marketing
Paul will be responsible for strengthening the connections between education providers and international students by bringing together ENZ’s international marketing, brand development, industry development and channels teams. Paul was previously General Manager Student Marketing, having joined ENZ from advertising agency FCB Wellington where he led the Wellington office for almost five years. He has extensive experience in marketing strategy, digital marketing, international marketing and team management, honed during the past 15 years in a range of management roles.• Laura Simpson – Director, Industry
Laura will be responsible for leading and managing initiatives to build the capability and capacity of New Zealand’s international education industry. Laura has a breadth of experience in the education and health sectors and is currently at the University of Auckland where she is the Associate Director for the MBA and Post Graduate Diploma programmes. Over her career, Laura has developed strengths in programme development and leading innovation and change in complex organisations, systems and teams. Laura will start on 8 July in our Auckland office.• Dan Smidt – Director, Channel Services & Partnerships
Dan joined ENZ in October 2017 on a two-year contract to revitalise and manage ENZ’s agent programme. This new role includes Dan’s previous responsibility for managing agents and developing our agent strategy, plus assumes responsibility for managing our events team and exploring channel partnership opportunities. A big focus in this role will be how we evolve and optimise our non-digital channels to improve impact and efficiencies while better meeting the changing needs of students, industry and agents. Dan will work closely with digital marketing teams to ensure all our non-digital channels are working efficiently alongside our digital channels and integrated with our data strategy.• Sahinde Pala – Director, Student Experience and Global Citizens
Sahinde will be managing the student experience (SX) and scholarships teams and shaping ENZ’s approach to Student Experience and Global Citizens within ENZ as well as with the education sector and government agency partners. Sahinde has been involved with ENZ’s student experience work for over three years, making important contributions to the development of NauMai NZ and the New Zealand International Education Strategy. From her time in ENZ’s Industry Development team, Sahinde brings great connections with education providers, peak bodies and regional agencies.
Grant McPhersonENZ Chief Executive
- ENZ Quarterly Report 1 January 2024 31 March 2024
- Wellington next
- By Colin McDiarmid 2798 1 v2
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You’re invited! Find out about Brazil international education trends in upcoming webinar
Join us to dive into the results of the 10th edition of the Brazilian Educational & Language Travel Association (Belta) Seal Survey, the most comprehensive study on international education trends in Brazil.
The study surveyed 586 education agencies and 1,780 students from across Brazil to understand trends, behaviours, and preferences in the international education sector, showcasing Aotearoa New Zealand as one of the fastest-growing destinations among Brazilians seeking an international education.
Hosted by ENZ, hear from Belta President, Alexandre Argenta, who will share the survey’s results and the main factors driving the choice of New Zealand as a destination for students from Brazil.
Date: Thursday 7 August
Time: 8:45am – 10:00am (NZT)
Registration link: https://enz.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bt7353-iTJ2Ru5rj8Rqv-w
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New Zealand to be Country of Honour at China Annual Conference for International Education and China Education Expo 2025
CACIE is the largest international education conference in China connecting professionals, researchers and international education stakeholders. The 2023 Expo hosted 18 national pavilions, attracting 364 institutions from 34 countries and regions with a total of 28,980 visitors, including prospective students. New Zealand has participated in CACIE for 19 consecutive years.
The Expo is scheduled for late October 2025 in Beijing, China.
Michael Zhang, Regional Director Greater China, ENZ said, “Being Country of Honour is not only a privilege, it is a significant opportunity to raise awareness of New Zealand’s education offerings to China and a wide audience, including government leaders and officials, education providers, agents and students.”
The invitation builds on the momentum from high-level education engagements with China in the past two years since the borders reopened, including Premier Li’s visit to New Zealand in June 2024, and two visits to New Zealand by Education Minister Huai Jinpeng in 2023 and 2024.
China is New Zealand’s largest source country of international students accounting for 35 per cent of enrolments in 2023, and a top destination for New Zealanders on the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia.
Zhang said, “Education links are an important part of New Zealand’s relationship with China. Being Country of Honour is an opportunity to support our international education sector to strengthen their links with Chinese counterparts and build new connections. This will help enhance student mobility, academic and research collaboration, and people-to-people links.”
Education New Zealand leads New Zealand’s education engagement with China and supports our providers in-market. This includes managing bilateral education cooperation initiatives such as high-level dialogues, sectoral forums, student mobility channels, national-level education events and research programmes such as the long-standing Tripartite Partnership Programme.
- Alumni photo with a few alumni
- Connect roadshow 2017
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New Zealand alumni mentor prospective students in Korea
On 5 June, the mentoring session in Seoul brought together 15 New Zealand-educated alumni who offered practical tips and advice to 55 prospective students interested in studying in New Zealand.
ENZ worked with the Kiwi Alumni Group members, who volunteered to mentor students (with parents also in attendance) at the session.
The mentoring session was held at the residence of the New Zealand Ambassador to South Korea, Philip Turner, who welcomed the students and alumni mentors.
“The session was a great example of NZ Inc agencies working together and leveraging our networks. It was fantastic to see such strong interest in the session from students and parents,” Turner said.
ENZ’s Senior Market Development Manager – Korea, Kay Lee, said she was pleased with the success of ENZ’s first mentoring event in Korea.
“The session was a valuable opportunity for prospective students to mingle with New Zealand alumni and learn about their experiences of studying and living in New Zealand,” Kay said.
“It was a way for prospective Korean students and parents to hear directly about authentic New Zealand experiences, and a meaningful way to engage closely with our alumni networks.”
Two Korean speakers – a former student and the mother of a former student – addressed the meeting. Kiwi Alumni Group member, Susan Cho, spoke about how her New Zealand education experience positively influenced her career and life, while Sejin Oh, whose son studied in Tauranga for two years, talked about the value of a New Zealand education from a parent’s perspective.

Mentor Sejin Oh, who lived in New Zealand for her son’s education in Tauranga.
The event also included a networking session, where attendees had the opportunity to ask alumni a range of questions about life and study in New Zealand.
- PR International Student Enrolments August 2023 final