Robert Stevens, chief executive of Education New Zealand attributes the rise to the tendency for people to stay in education for longer or re-enter tertiary education from the labour market during times of economic hardship.

However, the rise may also be due to some intensive marketing strategies implemented over the course of the last few years. Stevens said that his organisation and other education providers had worked hard to attract new students from China, India, Vietnam, North America, Brazil and Germany last year.

One notable campaign saw Education New Zealand run secondary school cricket competitions in New Delhi. Stevens said: “Those competitions really helped put New Zealand on the map for education options and it was through a very simple marketing campaign.” Although he added that it was too early to have any firm statistics about the success of such campaigns he also said that anecdotal evidence and feedback had been very positive.

Similar to Australia, the bulk of international students in New Zealand come form China, Japan and India with the majority choosing to study English. However there were also significant numbers studying business and tourism. New Zealand and Australia have traditionally been very popular destinations for international students because of the high standards of education and equally high standards of living in the countries but it would seem that current difficulties with Australian student visas are encouraging more students to choose New Zealand as their study destination.

Have you chosen to study in New Zealand over Australia? Let us know what influenced your decision.

Kapil Sibal, India’s Minister for Human Resources Development, signed the deal yesterday with Anne Tolley, the Education Minister for New Zealand. The agreement is the result of talks between the two nations earlier this year in Delhi, which should lead to the exchange of officials and personnel.

The deal will also include teacher training, distance learning, development and quality assurance and collaboration on educational projects between India and New Zealand.

“A formal agreement such as this is a significant achievement for New Zealand considering the relative size and scale of our two nations and is testament to our high quality education system,” said Tolley, remarking that India’s large, young population could provide a key education market for New Zealand.

Education is the fifth largest export for New Zealand, and has proved vital to the healthy growth of their economy.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said: “It’s essential we maximise our opportunities in this area and that we are able to compete with other countries for international students.”

To find out more about studying in New Zealand, read the latest i-studentadvisor New Zealand edition.

In fact, whilst applications from traditional markets in the Far East have declined in the past year, the number of students applying from India to study in New Zealand has risen by 42%.

Education New Zealand has attributed the increased interest as proof that diversifying the market has had a positive impact, citing not just the rise in Indian applications but also the surge from other locations such as South America and the Middle East.

In the last two years the number of international students in New Zealand has risen by over 8000.

The rise in Indian applicants has also been encouraged by Immigration New Zealand, who recently amended their application processes to reduce the visa application period from as much as five months down to just 22 days.

With the number of young Indian people under the age of 25 now at the 500 million mark, the market for Indian students is vast, and New Zealand are eager to see numbers rising.

Education New Zealand chief executive Robert Stevens said: “New Zealand is seen as a safe, welcoming country by most Indian students and we enjoy a good reputation in India for the quality of our institutions.”

John Key announced that the government will be assessing the education market in New Zealand to ensure that the $2.78bn the nation spends on tertiary (higher) education is being used effectively, and determining where New Zealand can get more value for their money.

Courses will be re-examined to ensure that they teach relevant skills necessary for employment, in order to ensure students have the knowledge and expertise required in the job market. Students themselves will also come under the microscope; those who fail to put in the required work and effort may find their applications for student loans and allowances refused in a move designed to ensure that government aid is only granted to those who are serious about their education.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce confirmed that the details of the edcuation reform have not yet been finalised, but has assured students and families that New Zealand’s policy of zero interest student loans will remain in place:

“The Prime Minister has signalled previously that the principle of the student loan scheme as zero interest remains the same. What we are looking at is around the edges where there are potentially issues in terms of whether it’s being used effectively to advance people’s studies or not.”

The New Zealand governments draft education strategy has also proposed funding institutions based on the performance of their students and their ability to satisfy key skills demands in the graduate sector.

Find out more about studying in New Zealand in our latest i-studentadvisor guide.

Since the 1950’s the Harkness Fellowships programme has been funded and run by The Commonwealth Fund, an American philanthropic foundation.

For forty years Harkness Fellowships supported study in a wide range of fields, but since 1997 have been restricted to the field of health care.

All of that has changed, however, thanks to former prominent alumni who have become leaders in fields such as business, politics, media and education. Together they have raised funds and support that will once again open the Harkness Fellowship to a range of subjects.

The new Fulbright-Harkness Fellowship will be offered annually and is valued at NZ$15,000 (US$10,000) towards the cost of a fellowship in the US for a minimum of six weeks.

All applications for this years award must be received by March 15th 2010. More information and an application form can be found on the Fulbright New Zealand website.

You can find out more about studying in the US and New Zealand through our online guides here at i-studentadvisor.com

The study was carried out in 12 major cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Jinan, Dalian, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Changsha, Qingdao and Shenyang. Researchers surveyed nearly 6,000 students in both middle school and university, as well as their parents.

The report found that the most popular destinations for Chinese students are the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Singapore and Germany. Of those nations the most favoured was the US, with 43% of respondents favouring it, followed by the UK with 19% and Australia with 12%.

BIEI also found that the most popular courses for Chinese students overseas are finance and accounting, marketing, and business administration with approximately 70% of British-bound Chinese students planning to study business.

For information on studying abroad visit our online study guides to the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Team JET, a team of three computer science students at the University of Canterbury (UC) in New Zealand, have come out on top for the second year in a row in a national programming contest.

Edwin Flores, Joey Scarr and Thomas Steinke were named New Zealand champions once again in this year’s ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC), and placed second overall in the South Pacific regional finals. The regional finals, sponsored by IBM, were held in early September at nine sites across Australia and New Zealand. More than 70 teams competed for the chance to represent their country in the contest’s world finals, to be held in Harbin, China from 1 to 6 February next year.

The team is coached by Associate Professor Tim Bell and Dr Richard Lobb (Computer Science and Software Engineering).

Professor Bell said the back-to-back national titles were a testament to a tight unit.

“To win the national competition twice in a row reflects this team’s strength. Between them they have a variety of skills and, most importantly, they can work as a team to make sure that they get the benefit of each member’s talent,” Professor Bell said.

The three students represented New Zealand in April in Stockholm, Sweden, for the 2009 ACM-ICPC World Finals, where they put their programming skills to the test competing against the top 100 teams from around the world and gained a respectable 49th equal placing.

The competition involves teams of three tertiary students attempting to solve computer programming problems over a five-hour time period, with the winners being the team who correctly solves the most problems in the least time. The finals, also sponsored by IBM, are one of the world’s oldest, largest and most prestigious programming contests.

In addition to training, the team is also focused on drumming up financial support to fund their airfares to China. Those interested in sponsoring the team can contact tim.bell@canterbury.ac.nz

To learn more about studying in New Zealand, read the i-studentadvisor New Zealand magazine, available at: www.i-studentadvisor.com/newzealand

Next week will see the launch of i-studentadvisor’s first issue of i-LASH, the online magazine to promote courses and institutions in the fields of liberal arts, social sciences and humanities internationally.

The liberal arts, social sciences and humanities and the subjects encompassed within, continue to be popular study options for both international and domestic students.In particular, psychology and politics remain in the top 15 subject choices for international students in the UK in 2009, whilst history, sociology, geography and philosophy also feature highly.

The social sciences are about people and how they behave, both individually and collectively, as part of society. The role of the social scientist is to question and attempt to understand the environmental, social, biological or cultural factors which shape, change and diversify societies and the individuals within. Similarly, the humanities encompass academic disciplines, which study the human condition. This is done using methods that are principally analytic, critical or speculative, rather than empirically focused.

For those students not wishing to focus on one specific subject, the liberal arts are a good choice. This indicates a curriculum which imparts general knowledge, rather than specialising in one particular field. Study areas include languages, literature, history, philosophy, mathematics and science, designed to develop an individuals rational thought and intellectual capabilities. Throughout the US, there are many public and private colleges and universities emphasising undergraduate study in 
the liberal arts.

A critical mind is essential when studying in the field of liberal arts, social sciences and humanities and you can expect to be equipped with the skills to analyse, scrutinise and question issues of society, culture and humanity.

Many liberal arts, social sciences and humanities graduates pursue successful careers in teaching, research and public service or policy. Whilst others go on to become psychologists, counsellors or to work in human resources or other business sectors. Alternatively, almost 50% of humanities and social science graduates go on to further study.

In this issue we have collaborated with writers, professionals and academics within the liberal arts, social sciences and humanities sectors to create a guide to the individual subjects in these fascinating fields and the endless career possibilities that follow.

The i-LASH issue will be online on Wednesday 7th October at www.i-studentadvisor.com check the website on Wednesday to get the first look at the issue our subscribe free to get all the latest i-studentadvisor issues direct to your inbox.

The report, conducted by the New Zealand Ministry of Education shows that despite the 23% rise in fees from 2003 to 2008, that fees are now even more affordable for students. The report states that the affordability is a result of the Governments freeze on fees from 2001 to 2003. The figures are good news for students and families looking to reduce the costs of their higher education amidst the current recession. The average New Zealand tuition fee is lower than those in the UK, USA and Australia.

However, the report findings come after a bleak month for New Zealand’s universities. Recent budget cuts introduced by the new conservative National Party have seen NZ$10 million cut from special projects and scholarships and a further NZ$20 million deducted from funding for increases in staff salaries.

To learn more about tertiary education in New Zealand, read our i-studentadvisor New Zealand guide.

Villagers in four Cambodian rural communities can now drink fresh water thanks to AUT University’s MBA Leadership classes in New Zealand.

In 2006, Leadership Lecturer and Author John Tan donated students each a copy of his book ‘The Inspirational Leader’ and refused to accept any payment. Instead, students donated money to two villages near Siem Reap in Cambodia to build much-needed wells.

Three years and six classes later, the well-building continues with an additional four wells built in Kok Thmey, Prey Kroch, Rokayear and Leandai.

Tan says before getting their own wells, the villagers collected dirty water from dug-out ponds.

“These communities are an hours drive away from the historic city of Siem Reap and are very poor places,” he says. “Dirt roads lead into them and become inaccessible mud pools when it rains. The villagers live in run-down shacks or little thatched houses and they couldn’t have built the wells without the generosity of AUT MBA’s students.”

He says the villagers appreciate access to an ongoing supply of uncontaminated water.

“The water they get now comes from 15 meters underground and is clean,” he says. “I’m privileged to be a part of our students’ efforts in making a difference to the lives of some people in Cambodia and am very moved by their generosity.”