EIT student couple from China return to Hawke’s Bay, where their path to marriage began

Wine Science Programme co-ordinator Cryn Russell (left) with EIT Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science graduates Yimeng Cao (Yee) and Han Hao (Hans) with School of Viticulture and Head of School Sue Blackmore.

Hawke’s Bay has a funny way of bringing people together, even if they grow up more than 10,000km away.

When Yimeng Cao (Yee) and Han Hao (Hans) first met at EIT in 2019, neither imagined it would one day lead to a wedding.

The two international students had both been living in Qingdao, a major coastal city in China’s Shandong Province, before separately moving to Hawke’s Bay through articulation agreements between EIT and their universities.

Hans had studied at Binzhou Medical University in Yantai and arrived at EIT in 2017, while Yee moved a year later after studying at Qilu University of Technology in Jinan.

The pair first crossed paths in 2019 when Hans, already enrolled in the Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science, was asked to share his experience with new students, including Yee, who had just begun her English language preparation programme.

The two stayed in touch casually, adding each other on WeChat but continuing on separate paths.

That changed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hans returned to China at the end of 2019 and couldn’t return to New Zealand for a year and a half.

While stuck in China, Hans had to delay his studies which meant he was now a classmate of Yee.

“We studied together, we laughed together,” Hans said.

By mid-2021, just as they started dating, Yee moved to Auckland to study a master’s degree in food engineering.

Within two weeks, Hans made the decision to join her.

The couple married in China at the end of 2024 and now live there.

They returned to Hawke’s Bay this year as part of their honeymoon, taking the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, visit the campus, and reflect on where their journey together began.

“EIT is the most important part of our love story,” Hans said.

“It means a lot to us, so we had to return. We even went to see the vineyard and the winery again. It brought back a lot of memories.”

Dr Cryn Russell, School of Viticulture and Wine Science Programme co-ordinator, recalled meeting Yee and Hans in China.

“As educators, we often speak of learning journeys and sometimes those journeys lead to something even more life-changing,” Russell said.

“Watching Yee and Hans grow academically and personally, and seeing their paths intertwine at EIT, reminds us that education doesn’t just shape a career, it can shape lives.”