Chinese teaching group visits WITT Te Pūkenga, first since borders re-opened

(From back left): Yu Gang, Xia Hui, Cheng Wenhong, Li Shunhua, Fang Qian, Zhou Jialing, Wang Shunan, Zhan Hanzhong, Zhu Fengbo, Chen Feng, Rita Zhang, Nita Hutchinson, Linda Dravitski, Zheng Baisong, Daniel Fuemana and Jiang Lingna.

For the first time since the borders opened, WITT Te Pūkenga has welcomed a group of international teachers,

The 12-strong teacher delegation came from the architecture school of Huanggang Polytechnic College, located in the eastern part of Hubei Province, China.

They will spend eight days in the region, learning about the content and delivery of the New Zealand Diploma in Architecture Technology. The trip includes class observations, workshops, meetings with industry figures and a site visit to Project Maunga, the hospital rebuild project.

WITT Te Pūkenga academic director Nita Hutchinson says WITT has a long history of hosting international teaching delegations.

“We’re pleased to be opening our doors again and sharing our experiences of education delivery with our counterparts from a polytechnic college in China.”

Before the pandemic, Taranaki was a second home to nearly 1000 international students, 750 of whom were tertiary students.

In 2018, international education supported 330 jobs and contributed around $50 million to the economy in Taranaki. China is the largest source country of international students for New Zealand, with almost 12,000 currently studying in the country.

“While the visit is centred around architecture and construction, we are using the opportunity to showcase our other programmes and the manaakitanga we are known for,” says WITT Te Pūkenga director of trades training in primary and creative industries, Daniel Fuemana.

Welcomed with a pōwhiri, the group was guided through their stay in Taranaki by senior members of staff at WITT and experienced local culture and a showcase of Taranaki food and beverages.

WITT Te Pūkenga interim operations co-lead Allie Hemara-Wahanui says cultural exchanges are rewarding for everyone.

“The possibilities of how we can build on these relationships have the potential to be very exciting.”