New Zealand Launches "˜Welcome2NewZealand' Initiative For Indian Students

Education New Zealand (ENZ) is welcoming more high-quality Indian students who are pursuing higher level qualificationsin New Zealand. New Zealand institutions are investing toattract Indian students to study in New Zealand, with enrolments at New Zealand universities rising by 53 per cent so far in 2017.

To encourage the best students from students from India to come to New Zealand, ENZ is announcing several initiatives focussed on specialist subject areas, scholarships, and short-term internships, to name a few. India remains New Zealand’s second largest market,as Indian students are attracted by the high-quality education experience and welcoming, safe environment that New Zealand offers.

April 2017 will be a focus month for ENZ with a range of activities planned across tier 1 and 2 markets, targeted at students, parents, influencers and education agents. The month kick-starts with the launch of a special series called ‘Welcome2NewZealand’ across multiple cities. The session in Delhi today was attended by over 20 education agents from the National Capital Region. The interactive session aims to support the great work being carried out by the local agents on behalf of New Zealand institutions and also arm them with tools and techniques to provide the right guidance to the prospective students.

Speaking at the event, H.E. Ms Joanna Kempkers, New Zealand High Commissioner to India said,“India has played a pivotal role in developing a diverse and multicultural pool of students on our campuses. With more than 25,000 Indian students choosing New Zealand for higher education in 2016, we want to continue to welcome Indian students to our world class institutions, and to live in oursafe and welcoming country.

“It has been our constant endeavour to improve our application procedures through recognised agents who provide accurateand genuine guidance to prospective students. We urge the students to get assistance from an accredited education agent to enhancetheir prospect of benefitting from the endless learning opportunities in New Zealand,” said Ms Kempkers.

The ‘Welcome2NewZealand’ series offers a platform for New Zealand government agencies in India to interact and provide guidance to local education agents and consultants.

John Laxon, Regional Director – South and South East Asia and Middle East, Education New Zealandsaid, “Indian students are embracing New Zealand’s world class education offerings,with a 53 per cent increase in first-time student visa approvals for our universities already in 2017. Students are choosing New Zealand over more traditional markets such as the United States and United Kingdom because New Zealand offers a safe, welcoming and high quality education environment. For instance, all of New Zealand’s universities are ranked in the top 3 percent world wide.

We are pleased to see this growth in interest as Indian students explore the truly global experience that New Zealand can offer. ENZ recommends that students use ENZ Recognised Agents (ENZRA) and Licensed Immigration Advisors to ensure they receive quality advice about their future studies. We hope through initiatives like ‘Welcome2NewZealand’ we will continue to support the ENZRA members in making a valuable contribution to the New Zealand education industry,” further added Mr Laxon.

The month will also witness a range of student-centric engagement activities such as New Zealand education fairs in Mumbai (22 April), Vadodara (23 April), Kochi (28 April) and Vizag (30 April). These fairs provide a one-stop solution for students and parents to interact with representatives from New Zealand institutions and get advice on appropriate courses and application procedures. Later in the month, ENZ will be organising a unique interactive activity for Pune students featuring ENZ Brand Ambassador, Stephen Fleming and Bollywood actress and ENZ influencer Soha Ali Khan.

The year will also see the announcement of innovative student-focussed specialist projects including: Sustainability Challenge profiling New Zealand’s education expertise in environmental resource management, sustainability and climate change; Fashion Symposium which will build on the successful ENZ project Runway to New Zealand in 2016 and profile New Zealand education capability in the creative and design sector; and season two of New Zealand Excellence Awards– jointly funded (ENZ and NZ universities) scholarships for Indian students in STEM-related courses.