New Zealand builds presence in the Philippines

More than 40 local education agents and 15 providers attended the agent seminar, held at the official residence of David Strachan, New Zealand’s Ambassador to the Philippines.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) provided local market updates and a student visa application training session to agents, while ENZ provided an overview of its 2017 activity.

ENZ also used the event to launch an Agent Activity Fund, designed to maximise agents’ resources and activities in promoting New Zealand education in Manila and Cebu. ENZ has invested NZD 20,000 into the fund, and called for co-investment proposals from local agents.

Ben Burrowes, ENZ’s Regional Communications & Strategic Relations Manager for Southeast Asia, said the Philippines has been one of New Zealand’s fastest growing student recruitment markets in recent years.

“We saw a slowdown following the Rule 18 change but we’ve been greatly encouraged by the high-quality student visa applications coming in,” said Ben.

“For the first two months of 2017, the numbers show a strong percentage increase compared to the same time last year.”

ENZ also joined New Zealand providers at IDP’s Study in Australia and New Zealand Fair in Ortigas on 11 March, where ENZ and INZ used a seminar session to present to more than 500 prospective students and parents.

The following day, ENZ and some 20 providers joined Golden Summit Immigration Consultancy (GSIC) for their Pure New Zealand Study Expo, which attracted more than 500 visitors.

“ENZ will continue to promote New Zealand’s world-class education offering, and we look forward to working alongside our providers and agents to further build our profile in the Philippines,” said Ben.