Photo caption: International education agents from China, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh are welcomed to UC by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Professor Catherine Moran [centre left] and Director of Future Students, Ryan Thomas [back row].
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury's (UC) 2026 International Agent Famil has wrapped, with a cohort of education agents from China, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh spending a week on campus and around the city.
Now in its third year, the Famil is part of UC's wider international recruitment approach, strengthening relationships with education agents and deepening their understanding of what it’s like to study here.
Throughout their time with us, agents experienced the people, places and opportunities they speak about with prospective students and their families. They met UC students, academics and support teams, explored the University's campuses and facilities, and learned more about UC's academic offerings, employability focus and connections with industry.
The programme also took the agents beyond campus to experience Christchurch for themselves, giving them a stronger sense of the community, lifestyle and opportunities available to international students who choose to study here.
For students considering an education thousands of kilometres from home, that first-hand knowledge can help agents explain not only qualifications and study options, but what living, learning and becoming part of a new community could actually be like.
Assistant Vice-Chancellor Engagement Dr David Craig says the event is particularly valuable, as there is only so much that can be communicated through websites, brochures or conversations online.
"Being here gives agents something different – their own experience of UC, and something of this place to take home with them. Their confidence in UC matters to us, and so does our responsibility to keep earning that confidence."
Dr Craig says the value of the Famil flows both ways.
"Our agents know their students, families and markets extremely well, and the questions, feedback and perspectives they bring us help us better understand what matters in different parts of the world.
"International education is built on strong relationships, and the best partnerships give us the opportunity to listen and learn from each other as well as share what we know."
The week concluded with a Waka on Avon experience, followed by a celebration recognising the agents' partnership with UC and the connections strengthened during their time together.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Professor Catherine Moran, who welcomed the agents to campus at the start of the week, says UC's ambition is for its students – international and domestic – to leave with a qualification and the knowledge, skills, confidence and capability necessary to navigate a changing world.
"We're not preparing students for one job. We're preparing them for careers that may change many times over a lifetime, with the skills, experiences and confidence to keep learning, adapt and recognise new opportunities.
"Giving agents a first-hand experience of that approach is at the centre of our Famil. It enables them to speak more confidently with students considering study in Aotearoa New Zealand, because they now know not only what can be studied here, but the kind of education and experience students can expect - and their families can feel confident about."
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