A group of teachers hailing from Invercargill to Whangarei will swap their classrooms for the skyscrapers, bustling streets and traditional alleyways of Shanghai on an Asia New Zealand Foundation study tour.
The 12 primary, intermediate and secondary teachers head to Shanghai this weekend [May 21] to participate in a week-long business forum. The annual forum provides on-the-ground insights into China’s business environment, inspiring educators to include more content about the country in their teaching.
The group will be briefed by New Zealand Consulate General and trade officials, and companies such as Zespri, Spring Airlines and Fonterra. They will also visit Shanghai factories, interact with New Zealand expats working in the city, and have challenges to complete – such as finding a Kiwi meat pie and visiting the Shanghai World Financial Centre.
The Shanghai forum is part of the Foundation’s wider work aimed at increasing the amount of Asia-related content in classrooms as New Zealand’s demography changes and its ties to the region grow.
The participating teachers are:
- Noeline Ashby, Northcote College, Auckland
- Richard Blogg, Whangarei Boys’ High School
- Fiona Duncan, Rangiwaea School, Taihape
- David Grocott, Shirley Boys’ High School, Christchurch
- Richard Jolly, Linwood College, Christchurch
- Navin Kumar, Rosmini College, Auckland
- Caroline Paynter, Freemans Bay School, Auckland
- Sarah Puttick, Somerville Intermediate, Auckland
- Paul Redmond, James Hargest College, Invercargill
- Gary Rouse, Carmel College, Auckland
- Chris Langley, Fairfield College, Hamilton
- Marietjie Van Schalkwyk, Wellington High School.
Asia New Zealand Foundation director of education Jeff Johnstone says previous Shanghai trips have helped change educators’ perceptions of China. “Many teachers are aware of a growing need to teach their students more about Asian countries and cultures, but it can be challenging for them if they have had little exposure to these cultures themselves. Getting teachers on the ground is really effective in terms of opening their eyes and giving them more confidence to talk about China in their classrooms.”
Mr Johnstone says teachers who have previously participated in the programme have undertaken a range of initiatives to build awareness about Asia in their schools, including new resources, student trips to China and suggesting their schools introduce Chinese language into the curriculum.
The Shanghai Forum is part of the wider work done by the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s education team to help educators equip their students to thrive with Asia. The Foundation also offers teaching resources, “Experience Asia” evenings for educators in New Zealand, and tours to other Asian countries.
“The Foundation knows from its research that most New Zealanders appreciate the importance of Asia to New Zealand – but two-thirds of us say we know little or nothing about the region. We see schools as a vital part of changing this picture,” Mr Johnstone says.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation with a range of programmes designed to equip New Zealanders with first-hand experience of Asia and to forge valuable links to the region. Founded in 1994, the Foundation works in five main areas - business, arts and culture, education, media and research. It also runs a Leadership Network and takes a lead role in track II (informal diplomacy) bilateral and multilateral dialogues in the Asia-Pacific region.