NZ universities seeking more opportunities with China

All eight New Zealand universities are in China this week as part of a Ministerial delegation led by Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce. Their goal is to deepen links between the education systems of both countries in line with the importance of international education which is New Zealand’s 5th largest export market.

Chris Whelan, Executive Director of the sector peak body Universities New Zealand says, universities have a very strong and valued working relationship with China, which goes back over 10 years.

“We are delighted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the New Zealand–China Higher Education Forum together in Beijing tomorrow.  We are also very proud that New Zealand is the Country of Honour at the China Education Expo this week.”

He says, “During the Forum, we will be looking to develop opportunities to deepen our relationship to increase collaborative research projects through initiatives such as the New Zealand China Agricultural Growth Partnership.

“We will also be looking at ways to increase numbers of Chinese students studying in New Zealand.  This includes progressing work on recognising our respective qualifications, which will help to increase the mobility of students between our countries.”

Figures show that already around 750 tertiary students or 0.2% of New Zealand’s tertiary student population are studying in China.  This compares well with the 0.1% of Chinese tertiary students currently studying in New Zealand, but universities would like to increase flows further.

Chris Whelan says that while China is obviously a much larger country, New Zealand universities have much to offer them.  “For example, all our universities are of a very high quality and are all ranked within the top 3% in the world.  We have rigorous academic quality assurance processes which ensure our qualifications are of an internationally respected standard.  We also produce good outcomes for our graduates by preparing them for their future life and career – not just their first job.  And our universities are highly regarded by our international students.”

The relationship between Universities New Zealand and the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) dates back to the first joint Higher Education Forum held in Wellington in 2005.

That same year universities also signed the pioneering Three Brothers Agreement, which brought together an Eastern Chinese university, a Western Chinese University and a New Zealand University and was the first of its kind in the world.  The first project under this Agreement, the joint sheep genomics research project between Massey University, Peking University and the Shihezi University, has been very successful.

In addition to this pan-sector approach, all of New Zealand’s universities also have strong formal and informal agreements and partnerships with Chinese Universities.

While in Beijing, the universities will also host a joint alumni event for graduates of all eight New Zealand universities.  This will be followed by a Forum and alumni function in Taipei next week.