Hon Steven Joyce
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
17 November 2015
NZ and Viet Nam universities celebrate partnerships
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce has today joined representatives from the
University of Waikato, Victoria University of Wellington and Auckland University of Technology (AUT) to witness the
signings of their new strategic partnerships with selected Viet Nam institutions.
The new agreement between the University of Waikato and the University of Economics will see collaborative educational
opportunities made available for both students and staff, including degree pathways, curriculum sharing and professional
learning. The new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is the University of Waikato’s fourth formal partnership agreement
with institutions in Viet Nam.
Victoria University of Wellington’s new partnership is a joint programme with Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.
The arrangement involves the joint delivery of Victoria’s Master of Arts in Teaching English for Speakers of Other
Languages, to begin in 2016, and will be offered both in New Zealand and Viet Nam.
AUT signed two MOUs today; one with Saigon University focusing on education discipline, as well as a new collaboration
with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in the areas of language and culture, hospitality and tourism, and
social policy.
“The new partnerships represent significant milestones in our education relationship with Viet Nam. These agreements
will deepen the level of engagement between our two countries and enrich our students’ learning,” says Mr Joyce.
“Partnerships and internationalisation are two things that are very important to New Zealand as a country, and to our
tertiary education system. To prosper both economically and as a 21st century nation we rely on global partnerships and
the international exchange of ideas.”
“International education gives students the opportunity to learn the nuances of studying, working and doing business in
different countries and with people of different cultures. Students need to be exposed to international thinking and the
new ideas that collaborative partnerships and academic exchanges bring to our classrooms. This exposure and experience
is vital for our graduates to succeed in the increasingly globalised world we live in.”
The new institutional partnerships form part of the New Zealand - Viet Nam Strategic Engagement Plan on Education signed
by Mr Joyce in Viet Nam earlier this week, designed to deliver economic, social and cultural benefits to both countries.
The Official Signing Ceremony for the New Zealand - Viet Nam Strategic Engagement Plan on Education took place in Ha Noi
on 15 November and was witnessed by Prime Minister John Key alongside Viet Nam’s Prime Minister Nguyn Tn Dũng.
ends