Message from the CEO
Although we have students in New Zealand from over 150 different countries, it seems like everyone is talking about two in particular: China and India.
For a number of years China has been our largest source of international students, and last week the Dominion Post reported on the “return of Chinese students” to New Zealand with first-time visas increasing year on year for the last three years.
Meanwhile, the Indian media continue to report on new immigration rules in Australia and the UK which appears likely to have a major (negative) impact on their large numbers of migration-minded international students.
China and India will continue to be the markets to watch throughout 2010 and beyond. The world’s two most populous countries are still a long way off from having the internal infrastructure to educate all of their own young people – and they will be sending students overseas for many years to come. Both markets continue to be a major focus of Education New Zealand’s generic promotion and industry-initiated research programmes.
Understanding these markets and positively promoting New Zealand as a study destination during these times of turbulence in our competitor countries will pave the way for New Zealand’s future in export education.
Agent and Media Familiarisation Visits
Thanks to all the institutions who have already registered to participate in the agent inbound familiarisation visits co-sponsored by Air NZ and ENZ.
We have had an excellent response from the industry. More information is available online HERE and online registrations can be submitted HERE. The registration deadline for these visits is 28th of February for Brazil, Germany, China and Korea.
The first groups of Japanese agents are arriving on the 28th February followed by our Hong Kong agents on the 7th March.
Should you have any questions regarding this project, please e-mail agents@educationnz.org.nz.
ENZ Offshore Report - USA
Greetings from sunny California. I'm Nigel Morris.
The dominant issue in the USA over the past year or so has been the deteriorating economic situation. At its peak some 780,000 workers lost their jobs, and around 250,000 homes were foreclosed per month. While those numbers have reduced considerably, unemployment is still between 10% - 13%.
The impact of the economic downturn may well manifest itself in decreased student mobility in 2011 and for that reason New Zealand institutions would be well advised to keep a weather eye on the US economy over the coming months.
An interesting consequence of the economic turmoil has been a significant increase in enrolments at US 2 and 4 year colleges – more people are studying because of the lack of jobs.
There is a common myth that community college students are not suitable candidates for international learning experiences. However, research confirms that the predominant issues preventing community college students from studying abroad are not student interest, inability to travel, or programme costs. Rather, it is a shortage of programme offerings, a lack of awareness of existing programmes and an absence of long-term planning. View full research at: http://www.iienetwork.org/page/91081/
New Zealand continues to enjoy a great reputation in the US. The primary driver for students to choose New Zealand as a study destination is environment and lifestyle, and some 75% of US students search for study options on-line. Education New Zealand activities over the next quarter will capitalise on these two areas of interest.
To that end we have just completed a joint on-line promotion with Immigration New Zealand featuring the fantastic NZ lifestyle. We captured detailed information on some 1,500 US students interested in studying in New Zealand and we are currently following up with those students. Nearly 600 of those students joined a Facebook page. You can join and contribute at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/NewZealandNow?ref=ts
We have also set up a Student ambassadors program. The idea is to get US students who have studied in New Zealand to act as informal sources of information for students considering NZ as a destination. We currently have 7 ambassadors ranging from a high school student to PhDs. We will be posting their profiles and contact details on-line soon. They tell some fantastic stories of why they chose New Zealand.
In May we will be holding a ‘Kiwi Experience’ event at the Consul General’s residence in Los Angeles. US students who have shown a keen interest in full degree study in New Zealand will be invited to experience a taste what New Zealand offers. Tourism NZ, Immigration and NZTE will all be involved.
We will of course also be involved in NAFSA – the world’s biggest gathering of international educators. This year’s event will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, in June.
Come Along to the Shanghai World Expo!
As previously reported in E-news Education New Zealand has confirmed a New Zealand Education promotion within the New Zealand Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo on Tuesday 15th June 2010.
During the six months the expo will be open it is expected to draw in excess of 70 million visitors.
We welcome industry members to join us at this exciting event to celebrate and expand upon our relations with Chinese officials and 30 of the top performing New Zealand Specialist Agents.
More information about the networking event and an opportunity to submit your contact details for further updates is available HERE.
PACE 2010 Update
South American Mission, 9 April – 17 April
This is the final reminder before registrations close on Friday 26 February. Further information and a link to register online are available for Bogotá and Expoestudios Santiago. For further information please contact Rahael.
New Zealand Education Virtual Fair, Germany, May
This is the final reminder before registrations close on Wednesday 24 February.
This event uses a new format to the PACE calendar, an online fair. We have chosen to target Germany based on the high uptake of the use of online tools and social media and high rates of internet usage there. The Virtual Fair will run for the entire month of May, with three live 3 hour sessions on Tuesday 11, 18 and Thursday 20. The Virtual Fair format has worked well in other industries and we would like to see it succeed for Export Education.
The participation fee is only $1,500 + GST which is a great deal considering there are no travel expenses involved; participants get easy access to chat to interested German students from the comfort of their computer. Event details can be accessed HERE.
For more information please contact Laurette.
New Zealand Education Fairs, Vietnam, 4 - 7 June
This year the New Zealand Education Fairs in Vietnam will precede Thailand, to ensure we avoid the Vietnamese school holidays later in June. In June 2009 over 1,400 Vietnamese visitors attended the two fairs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The schedule this year is as follows:
Hanoi Agent Seminar, Briefing and Welcome Function – 4 June
New Zealand Education Fair, Hanoi – 5 June
New Zealand Education Fair, Ho Chi Minh City – 6 June
Ho Chi Minh City Agent Seminar - 7 June
The Welcome Function on the evening of Friday 4 June will include a presentation ceremony for Vietnamese agents receiving their New Zealand Specialist Agent certificates.
To register for the fairs or for further information click HERE. Other online information includes the 2009 Final Report and the Market Profile for Vietnam, available HERE or contact Rahael.
New Zealand Education Fairs, Thailand, 10 – 15 June
The largest set of events on the PACE calendar in terms of industry participation, these Fairs and Networking Function provide plenty of opportunities for marketers to raise their profile, recruit students, and develop relationships with active agents and relevant education officials in this important market. Last year’s events recorded over 3,000 visitors keen to check out options for studying in New Zealand. The dates for 2010 are:
Welcome Function & Briefing (Bangkok) – 10 June
Chiang Mai – 12 June
Bangkok – 13 June
To register and for further information click HERE. Other online information includes the 2009 Final Report and the Market Profile or contact Rahael.
CLESOL 2010 Conference
The 12th National Conference for Community Languages and ESOL (CLESOL) is being held in Dunedin for the first time. The theme for CLESOL 2010 is “Context & Communication: Mediating Language Learning”
The conference provides opportunities to hear the latest research and trends in language teaching and learning from early childhood to adult education. It also attracts those involved in the wider sphere of English and international education – Immigration and Ministry of Education officials, migrant and refugee workers, private trainers and Non-Government Organisations.
Featured Speakers
David Nunan: Vice President for Academic Affairs at Anaheim University, California; and Emeritus Professor at the University of Hong Kong Merrill Swain: Professor Emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Canada
Pauline Gibbons: Associate Professor, University of Technology, Sydney Rosemary Erlam: Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland
Jill Hadfield: Senior Lecturer, UNITEC, Auckland
Charles Hadfield: Teacher Training Coordinator, ELA, University of Auckland
Key Dates
Call for Papers closes 1 April 2010
Registration opens 1 March 2010
Conference programme will be confirmed in May 2010.
For further information see the conference website:
http://www.clesol.org.nz/2010/home.html
E-news is a newsletter for the Export Education industry, compiled by Education New Zealand. You can access previous E-news newsletters on our website at www.educationnz.org.nz .
With Regards.
Education New Zealand
www.educationnz.org.nz