Stephen Fleming flies New Zealand education flag in India

Taking advantage of the former Black Caps captain’s massive profile in India, ENZ organised several awareness raising events fronted by Stephen Fleming to encourage Indian students to come to New Zealand.

“Stephen has legendary status in India with the country’s love of cricket and Stephen’s own connections through the Indian Premier League where he is coach of the Chennai Super Kings. He is a very well-known and highly regarded personality and working with him to convey New Zealand’s education story has enabled us to reach a volume and quality of audience that might not have been as readily accessible otherwise,” said Ziena Jalil, ENZ Regional Director for South and South East Asia.

“As a passionate advocate for quality education with a strong belief in the New Zealand education system, Stephen does a great job in exciting students, teachers and parents about what we have to offer.”

Stephen was at all three Education New Zealand fairs in India in late August to interact with students and answer questions about studying in New Zealand. School and tertiary education institution visits in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and New Delhi attracted more than a thousand potential students.

We also secured a huge volume of quality media coverage as a result of Stephen’s promotional activities – one media briefing drew more than 50 journalists including several TV channels.

An online campaign challenged students who were already thinking about study abroad options to take the next step and actively consider New Zealand as a study destination.

Visitors who registered their interest in studying in New Zealand on the Education New Zealand campaign website were contacted by an education agent who provided them with more information about the courses, the criteria and support with the application process.

By expressing interest, prospective students were automatically in to win an exclusive dinner date with Stephen Fleming. The lucky winners enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience with the cricketer who is regarded in India as one of the best captains the Black Caps have ever had.

You can find photos of Stephen, the students and the fairs on our facebook page.

While this campaign in India is over, New Zealand’s co-hosting the 2015 Cricket World Cup (CWC) also offers additional opportunities in India from an education perspective.

If you are interested in learning more about the Stephen Fleming or CWC programmes for India should contact ENZ at: india@enz.govt.nz.