Tauranga businesses and schools forge partnerships
Thirty education and business leaders met in Tauranga in August 2010 to explore ways to strengthen links between schools and businesses to raise Asia Awareness in the Bay of Plenty region.
The Tauranga forum is the third to be held since the launch of the Asia:NZ Business Education Partnership (BEP) last year. The first forum was held in Auckland in May 2010, followed by a second one in June in Shanghai, China. The Tauranga forum served as the official introduction of BEP in the Bay of Plenty region.
To address the scarcity of knowledge about Asia in the school curriculum, Asia:NZ’s education programme has focused on the the Bay of Plenty as one of five New Zealand regions where it will help grow pilot partnerships between schools and businesses.
Priority One and Instep have done a lot of groundwork in the Bay of Plenty so far, bringing together secondary schools and businesses. Both schools and businesses involved feel that BEP is a channel through which Asia content can be easily facilitated.
A speech on behalf of Priority One CEO Andrew Coker stressed the vital importance of local businesses like ZESPRI and Comvita – both a significant part of the region’s economy and both recognising the need to build a presence in Asia’s fast growing markets.
Robert Mangan, Principal of Tauranga Boys’ College (pictured with Asia:NZ young leader Helen Cheng at the New Zealand Pavilion in Shanghai), spoke of his recent trip to the Shanghai World Expo as part of the Export Bay of Plenty delegation. He found that an in-country experience can do a lot to increase cultural understanding, empathy and awareness.
Business people at the forum stressed the importance of face-to-face contact in Asia, through school trips or a wider use of current technology to conduct video conferences with sister schools in Asia. Another idea was extending the “Principals’ Big Day Out” concept of visiting local businesses to include teachers and students and to add an Asian focus.
The group identified concrete skills and competencies that can distinguish an Asia-aware student. Other key issues participants talked about in the working sessions were the importance of Asia for New Zealand’s economy and opportunities or constraints in building practical partnerships.
In addition to Priority One and Export Bay of Plenty, representatives of leading local businesses were present including Beca , Port of Tauranga, Fonterra, Carter Holt Harvey, Norske Skog and ANZ National Bank. There were also teachers and principals from Bethlehem, Katikati, Otumoetai, Tauranga Girls’ and Tauranga Boys’ Colleges and Te Puke High School.
“The collective focus seen here today makes it reasonable to expect successful future business education partnerships in the Bay of Plenty,” concluded Asia:NZ Executive Director Dr Richard Grant.
Building up on the momentum generated at the forum, Asia:NZ will return to Tauranga in September for follow-up meetings with businesses and educators to plan the implementation of ideas put forward at the forum.
