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  • COVID-19: How ENZ is communicating to students, agents and providers

    On our own channels, ENZ’s communications with students are focused on the following streams of work:

    1. Keeping students updated with official government information about the COVID-19 situation in New Zealand, and how this affects them
    2. Supporting international students who are in New Zealand through this difficult time, with content to keep them connected and support their wellbeing.
    3. Keeping New Zealand top of mind for prospective students and providing information about studying here, so we are well positioned to recruit new students when the crisis period is over and borders reopen.

    Agents are a key audience for ENZ, as they are often a student’s first port of call when an issue comes up. Since February 2020, AgentLab has been our primary information channel for communicating with agents updates on COVID-19. The platform has 2,697 users, and has seen a surge in registrations (733 new) in the past three weeks alone.

    We recognise that New Zealand education providers are also communicating with their international students regularly. ENZ hosts a dedicated COVID-19 page for education institutions and stakeholders, and has developed messaging for international students at both a tertiary and secondary school level that providers should feel free to recut for their own channels.

    Finally, ENZ is communicating regularly with institutions and peak bodies through regular meetings and email updates. 

    ​What we’re doing on our student web platforms

    NauMai NZ is our central information for hub for international students in New Zealand. Here, students can find out how to access healthcare, open a bank account, find a rental property, and more.

    Since February, NauMai NZ has hosted a dedicated COVID-19 page that is regularly updated with key information relevant to international students.

    Beyond immediate information updates, our content focus on NauMai NZ for the next few months will be on creating new content to support international students throughout their time in self-isolation and beyond. Wellbeing will be a key theme, as well as helping students stay connected through sharing their stories.

    NauMai NZ COVID-19 information page

    The Study in New Zealand website has a banner at the top and midway down the page that directs to the NauMai NZ COVID-19 info page.

    Tohu the chatbot is available (who lives on the Study in New Zealand website, NauMai NZ and on Facebook Messenger) to answer a number of COVID-19 related queries.

    What we’re doing on student-facing social media

    Our strategy for our student social media pages is first and foremost to ensure COVID-19 information is easy to find for anyone who visits our social pages.  Across our student-facing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Group and Weibo pages, we have ‘pinned’ informative posts and links directing to the NauMai NZ COVID-19 page, for up-to-date, relevant information. On WeChat, we have a site tab with regular updated COVID-19 information.

    Over the coming weeks and months, our social media content will also focus primarily on supporting the wellbeing of current international students. We’ll be working with our Kiwi Ambassadors and other students to share their stories, experiences and tips, helping to keep students connected with each other.

    Student emails

    Most of the emails our marketing team sends out to students and prospective students are automated well in advance. It was therefore important for ENZ to review all of our emails to ensure they are relevant in the current national and international environment. 

    • We have paused all of our automated emails except enquiry emails that link prospective students through to institutions they are interested in.
    • We have emailed our current student and prospective student databases to acknowledge the situation and link them through to the NauMai NZ COVID-19 page.
      • Our key message here was that the safety and wellbeing of international students in New Zealand and New Zealand students who are overseas is our top priority at this time, and we look forward to welcoming new international students when borders reopen, and life starts getting back to normal.
    • We will be considering our ongoing automated email stream options over the coming weeks, and re-assessing any necessary content changes.

  • Cancellation of NZIEC 2020

    The decision was made following discussion and consultation with sector representatives in relation to COVID-19.

    Although we are disappointed to have to make this decision, the health and safety of international education sector representatives is of paramount importance.

    While August may seem some time away, the nature of conference planning timeframes mean that a decision was required now. This decision provides certainty for all involved and also allows us to focus on other priorities during this unprecedented time.

    We will continue to look for ways to keep international education professionals informed and connected in the coming times. Keep an eye on E-News for the latest information.

    We look forward to being in touch later in the year as we start preparing for NZIEC 2021. 

  • Meet the team: Miranda Herbert

    Hi Miranda. Could you tell us a bit about your professional background?

    Quite a few people who work in education say that they ‘fell into’ education. I’m the same.

    When I was younger I was always interested in languages. I did Japanese right through high school, I decided to continue with it at university. I asked my Dad what other language I should study, and he said I had to learn Chinese because it’s going to be an important language in the future.

    I then spent four and a half years living and working in China, and became quite involved in education. I ended up working for a PTE in New Zealand, and then I moved to the University of Auckland. There I worked my way up to the deputy director of international.

    What has it been like in Beijing during the outbreak of COVID-19?

    I was actually in China when SARS broke out, 20 years ago, too [while at a previous role]. This time seems quite different to then. The level that China has mobilised this year has been quite amazing to experience firsthand.

    It’s been really surreal, particularly during the January and February months. Despite Beijing having a population of over 20 million people, for weeks we saw no-one on the street - you could cross the road with your eyes closed, which never happens here. At other times, it could get quite depressing having to stay in all the time.

    Now, things are starting to get back to normal. It really varies across China, but here in Beijing, businesses are opening again, people are starting to go into the office for work, people are going to restaurants and dining out – while still following physical distancing etiquette.

    We feel really lucky that we were able to stay here, because safety comes first and foremost in China. There’s still a lot of temperature checks, for example, if you order food on the receipt it will tell you the temperature of the chef and the person who delivered it to you.

    Most of Team China is working at home, and will come into the office when they need to. We’re working our butts off at the moment to keep things rolling. We’re involved in digital events almost every day. And although we’re not going out to meet people, we’re working closely alongside our agent contacts and partnership network.

    What would you advise to people trying to conduct business in China?

    You have to be patient and not expect results straight away. You have to nurture relationships. It’s about understanding that cultural difference, because the way China does business is quite different to back home.

    A profile of Miranda wouldn’t be complete without you introducing us to your cats. Could you tell us about them?

    I have two cats, one boy and one girl. They are my babies. I don’t have real babies, I have cats.

    The boy is called Nonga; he’s a real big personality, everyone around here knows him and he’s becoming famous on WeChat! Even though he has stage four renal failure, he still makes us laugh. My girl is called Missy Moo – she’s more shy and is quite happy to stay at home on your lap.

  • ENZ Board welcomes Shruthi Vijayakumar

    In her role as a Future Director, Shruthi will bring her voice to discussions around the board table and be mentored by longtime Board member Lyn Provost. Her first meeting will be this April.

    “Essentially, I’m part of the ENZ Board to learn how an amazing Board functions, and what good governance looks like,” Shruthi says. “I think all the Board members have such fascinating experience. They’re really good governance role models.”

    ENZ Board Chair, Steve Maharey, says the Board decided to participate in the Future Directors programme in order to support young talent.

    "We also wanted input and insight from a recent international student like Shruthi," he says. "She brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to the position, and has already proven to be a great asset to the Board and ENZ."

    An alumnus of Oxford University’s business school and finalist for New Zealand’s Young Person of the Year, Shruthi has built an impressive resumé within the world of social innovation and leadership development. She co-founded the Emerge Institute, and currently runs her own coaching and facilitation business, teaches at AUT, and consults at Callaghan Innovation.

    “Education has been a passion of mine for a long time,” she says. “It’s one of those things that has a long-term impact. It shapes young generations for the challenges that are coming our way. It goes beyond being just a commercial thing.”

    Shruthi also believes that learning will remain in her future. She wants to continue developing and growing in her career as the rest of society does.

    “The world is changing so quickly,” she says. “It doesn’t really make sense to me to decide now where I will spend my time in the future – there are so many paths. I’m so open to changing directions and continuing to reflect on how I can best contribute.

    “All in all, I'm very grateful and excited to be joining the ENZ Board and looking forward to being a part of such important work and contributing as best as I can.”

  • An update from ENZ’s international teams

    Instead, they’ve been taking proactive steps to support and connect with the international education sector safely, in line with local COVID-19 restrictions.

    Communicating with stakeholders

    For ENZ, ensuring the wellbeing of international students who remain in New Zealand over this lockdown period is a key priority. A factsheet outlining New Zealand’s support for international students has been developed and translated into the languages of key priority markets.

    Our teams overseas have been communicating with a range of stakeholders from local government and institutions to providers and agents, and in some cases directly to students and parents to ensure they have the latest information.

    ENZ staff have been recommending students enrol on NauMai NZ and asking international partners to pass SafeTravel information on to New Zealand students they may have on campus.

    The International team is able to tap into these networks for market-specific insights to help inform the New Zealand international education industry’s next steps during this rapidly-evolving and unprecedented situation.

    Anecdotally, the response in New Zealand has been well received overseas. New Zealand’s proactive approach to communications has been noted by partners.

    Doing it digital

    For our teams offshore, fairs, conferences and other international education events have had to be cancelled or postponed. As a result, they’ve ramped up their online activities.

    To share best practice advice and take advantage of the pause in promotional activity, they’ve developed educational webinars for sector stakeholders. 

    1. On 24 March, ENZ Market Development Manager Shelly Xu teamed up with the General Manager of UMS (a China media specialist agency), Jordi Du, to deliver a webinar for New Zealand international education staff on Chinese social media. Over 30 people attended.

    The Chinese digital space looks very different to ours. The platforms WeChat and Weibo rule, rather than Facebook and Twitter. Shelly and Jordi aimed to demystify Chinese platforms by taking providers through the Chinese social landscape and discussing what kind of posts would stand out to their target audiences.

    Watch the Zoom recording.

    2. On 17 March, ENZ Team India delivered a webinar especially for Indian agents and counsellors focused on business courses available in New Zealand.

    An incredible 177 people tuned in to hear from ENZ staff as well as guest speakers: Associate Professor Lincoln Wood from University of Otago; Dr Jens Mueller from Massey University; Ashish Suri from The University of Waikato and Andrea McLeod-Karim from Victoria University of Wellington.

    3. On 16 April, Senior Market Development Manager for Chile and Colombia, Javiera Visedo, was the guest on a Facebook Live session with the Blue Studies agency (who have over 21,000 followers) for the Latin America Spanish-speaking audience.

    She also presented at Colfuturo (a Colombian scholarship-loan non-profit organisation) for a Study in New Zealand webinar on 17 April. This week, she will participate in a virtual fair organised by Colombian agency Estudiar.

     For the chance to attend future webinars, keep an eye on E-News and the ENZ LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

    Beginning to test market sentiment

    As ENZ moves into the next phase of supporting the international sector, a new priority for our international teams is testing market sentiment.

    For example, a survey was sent out to agents in Spanish-speaking markets in March. Of the 18 responses received, most of the agents have English language students in New Zealand and 68 percent are from Colombia. The agents set out their students’ main concerns at the moment: work situation while studying, uncertainty of the global situation, and visa expiration.

    This fits with what we are hearing across all markets – agents and other institutional partners need information about New Zealand’s response to the current situation.

  • New Zealand continues to protect and care for international students during lockdown

    Providers, host families and supporting networks have been setting up additional support for international students to ensure they feel connected and safe.

    Education New Zealand is pulling together some of the great things that have been taking place across the sector. Here are just a small number that we have heard about so far.

    • Otago University has a dedicated information page for students, with students registering with Ask Otago. They can then request daily phone calls to check in and see how they are doing. University recreation centre staff are also offering virtual fitness classes.

     

    • University of Auckland has been supporting the COVID-19 response by undertaking modelling work that informs the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor and working directly with the Auckland District Health Board to help with testing capacity by using their facilities and people.

     

    • Rotorua English Language Academy (RELA) is teaching online classes to 30 students from nine different countries. Many students are worried about their families back home so in addition to support during class time, staff make individual phone calls and arrange fun activities such as the recent Easter video competition on WhatsApp. Friday full-school assemblies and farewell speeches continue to lift students’ spirits with the RELA tradition of singing ‘Now is the Hour’ – managed by the school’s director playing on the piano at home while students sing over Zoom.

     

    • Several Northland schools have been working closely with Study Northland to support the 150 international students in their care. The international students are being well supported by their schools and homestay families by keeping them busy and making them feel like an integral part of the family.

     

    • SIEBA is doing an amazing job supporting the school sector. The small SIEBA team has been working around the clock to provide advice and guidance to schools, including publishing residential care emergency guidance to help schools navigate these tricky areas. On top of all that, SIEBA is raising key issues with the Ministry of Education and alerting government agencies to emerging challenges.

     

    • Massey University’s international support staff are running virtual one-on-one support sessions which can be arranged by the students themselves. The university, like other universities, is making personal phone calls to all students to ensure they feel supported. Massey also has a range of wellbeing resources available and the recreation centres have taken their services online.

     

    • Aspire2 International has launched a number of online learning solutions that have all gained NZQA accreditation. This means English, hospitality, IT and business students can transition from face-to-face to remote learning quickly in order to complete their qualifications.

     

    We want to hear more about the great work the sector is doing to support international students within New Zealand both in enabling their learning but also supporting their wellbeing.

    Please let us know what your organisation has been doing and we will look to share this wider. Send your stories to industryteam@enz.govt.nz.

  • Around the world in five

    CANADA

    Country briefing: Canada confirms travel exemption and emergency assistance for eligible international students

    In a normal academic year, this week would have marked the end of classes for the winter semester at many Canadian universities and colleges, followed by a transition to final exams and the packing up of campus for the summer break. Needless to say, this year has been anything but normal so far.

    Read more

     

    AUSTRALIA

    Int’l Student Support Network launched

    The Australian Homestay Network has launched an Australia wide program called the International Student Support Network to provide short-term, heavily discounted homestay to eligible international students impacted by the global crisis. 

    Read more

     

     

    GLOBAL

    Measuring COVID-19’s impact on higher education

    A new report from Moody’s Investors Services highlights the financial impacts of the pandemic on higher education institutions around the world.

    Read more

     

    UNITED KINGDOM

    A day in the life of an online student

    To further her business career, Charlotte Synnestvedt had to make a choice. She could either stay in her home country of Norway where her business education would be subsidised or she could apply for a leading business school overseas.

    Read more

     

    GLOBAL

    Vouchers over refunds could save study travel sector from collapse

    The study travel sector is at risk of imploding unless language students are obliged to accept vouchers instead of being given refunds for cancellations of their overseas study experience, industry professionals have told The PIE News.

    Read more

  • Assistance during COVID-19

    International students are valued members of our community. We want to ensure they stay safe and have access to the information, care and support they need during this time.

    Education providers, intermediary or community organisations and students can use the resources linked below to know where international students in New Zealand can find assistance if they are in urgent need of essentials like food, medicine or cleaning products.

  • ISANA NZ – COVID-19 Update

    Catch-up cafés

    ISANA NZ is offering members and friends the chance to catch up and discuss the issues they are facing.

    We have a weekly Zoom networking opportunity on Wednesday mornings from 11am. Join special guests each week including officials from ENZ, MoE, NZQA and INZ. MoE is providing responses to concerns and questions raised by the weekly events.

    Register here for this week’s Catch-up Café, or through our Events tab on the website for upcoming Cafes. Please go to our Good Ideas and Responses page to learn more and access previous Café notes and responses.

    Each week, the general Q&A starts at 11am, and special guests are introduced at 11:30am. Email contact@isana.nz to forward any questions ahead of a session.

    Looking Ahead webinar series

    ISANA NZ is pleased to announce our International education: Looking ahead webinar series.

    This series includes professional standards and self-care, enabling international student integration and work readiness, responding to racism and supporting online learning. Keep an eye out in ISANA NZ mailouts, our website and social media platforms for details of our up-coming webinars.

    Feel Good Friday 

    ISANA NZ would like to acknowledge members who are going above and beyond the call of duty.

    Every fortnight on a Friday we would like to acknowledge these wonderful people through our social media channels and give them a chance to go in a draw for a $100 gift voucher to be drawn later in the year. Please send an 100-word explanation as to why you would like to nominate your colleague and also the logo of your institute (optional) to contact@isana.nz

  • English New Zealand’s new Accredited Pathway Assessment opens up cross-sector collaboration

    Bridge International College, Kaplan International Languages and Languages International are now able to offer the Accredited Pathway Assessment (APA).

    Although there are already agreements between individual English New Zealand schools and universities, the APA puts in place a structure for acceptance of proficiency across all of the universities, English New Zealand executive director Kim Renner says.

    “This will enable greater collaboration between English Language schools and the universities,” Renner says. “With inevitable changes coming for the export education industry due to COVID-19, seamless pathways into further study and close collaboration will become more important than ever before.”

    In Australia, the rate of students who transitioned to further study is significant – according to a report released by the Australian government in January, 54 percent of English language students go on to attend an Australian university or vocational training provider. Anecdotally, we know the rate in New Zealand is much lower. There is room for New Zealand to encourage more of the 20,000 plus students who study at unfunded English language schools in New Zealand to make much more of pathway opportunities.

    Accredited schools will use the APA to attract those students who are interested in studying at a New Zealand university, but may not meet the current English Language standards.

    The APA is also a way that English Language schools can prepare students for New Zealand’s academic teaching style.

    “The assessment is built into a school’s teaching – it’s not a one-off test,” Renner says. “Key goals are to increase cross-sector collaboration and provide a great student experience.”

    This announcement is a result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by English New Zealand and Universities New Zealand in June last year. The APA is only available to English New Zealand member schools.

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