Educators to travel to Indonesia
for Cultural Connections Trip


Eleven New Zealand educators from across the country have been chosen by the Asia New Zealand Foundation for its 2017 Cultural Connections Trip to Indonesia.
four teachers sit around talking to each other

As part of their trip, the group will visit schools in Jakarta and build connections with Indonesian educators there

“We congratulate this select group of teachers for this great opportunity they have to experience Indonesia – home to the world's largest Muslim population and Southeast Asia's biggest economy,” said Foundation executive director Simon Draper.

Open to primary, intermediate and secondary teachers, the Indonesia Cultural Connections Trip is a professional learning programme that builds teacher capacity through collaborating with Indonesian educators and experiencing Indonesia firsthand.

The participants are:
  • Catherine Allen - St. John Bosco School, New Plymouth
  • Leonie Austin - Waterloo School, Lower Hutt
  • Marcus Freke - Endeavour School, Hamilton
  • Alice Gallagher - St Peter’s College, Auckland
  • Ngaire Gow - Brookfield School, Tauranga
  • Ella Hollows - Onerahi School, Whangarei
  • Frances Quirke - St Mary’s College, Auckland
  • Krishna Ramadugu - Puhinui School, Auckland
  • Brent Strathdee-Pehi - Okaihau College, Northland
  • Melanie Sutton - Heathcote Valley School, Christchurch
  • Ainsley Whitfield - Newmarket Primary School, Auckland

As part of their trip, the group will visit schools in Jakarta and build connections with Indonesian educators there. They will also undertake cultural and historical tours of Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

The trip will also give participants the opportunity to establish sustainable online connections between their students and the students of their Indonesian counterparts.

“I would like to thank Asia New Zealand Foundation for giving me the opportunity to participate in the Cultural Connections Trip to Indonesia,” said Ngaire Gow of Brookfield School in Tauranga.

“We know that New Zealand’s future is increasingly [tied] with Asia and this trip will enable me to create and sustain online school partnerships with schools in Indonesia, which will help our school become more Asia equipped,” she adds.

The Indonesia Cultural Connections Trip is part of the Foundation’s education programme, which also offers support for Asian language learning in schools as well as teaching resources on Asia.

The Asia New Zealand Foundation is the leading non-profit, non-partisan organisation in the country on Asia. Established in 1994, its mission is to help New Zealanders gain knowledge and understanding of the countries, peoples, cultures and languages of Asia.