21 May 2004
‘What’s the Story?’
Chinese Educational Journalists visit New Zealand
Media interest from China about international education in New Zealand is always high, and it is likely to increase
following a visit by four Chinese educational journalists to New Zealand for 10 days during May.
The visit, involving journalists from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan, will allow the journalists to experience
first hand the educational opportunities available for Chinese students in New Zealand, and talk to a range of Chinese
students who are studying in this country.
‘It can be hard for journalists overseas to get a balanced impression of what is happening in New Zealand’ says Stuart
Boag, Strategic Promotions Manager for Education New Zealand. ‘By bringing the journalists to see for themselves what we
offer, we can help them to get a first hand look at our system, rather than relying on second-hand and often anecdotal
information. There is intense interest in New Zealand and our institutions from Chinese students and the public, and we
are confident that the journalists will be favourably impressed by what they see’.
‘The journalists will be visiting different types of institutions, from language schools to universities, throughout New
Zealand’ says Stuart Boag. ‘They will see for themselves the depth of our educational providers, the commitment to
quality and the results that are being obtained by students from across China. They will also get the opportunity to
meet with key Government and industry people and discuss with them the full range of international education issues.’
‘The Chinese educational relationship is extremely important to both countries’ says Stuart Boag. ‘This media visit is
very timely, coming as it does just a couple of weeks on from Hon. Trevor Mallard’s trip to China with a group of
education officials. The opportunity to fly our educational flag and let our results speak for themselves is one that we
are very keen to take’.
This visit is one of a series of visits by representatives of the international education media run by Education New
Zealand with the support of industry funding and NZTE. Previous visits have included journalists from South Korea and
Germany.
ENDS