New Zealand funds schools to deepen relations with China

Ten schools across New Zealand will receive assistance to deepen their China sister school relationships, said Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith in Beijing on Tuesday, according to a New Zealand government release.

The New Zealand-China Sister Schools Fund operates on a co-funding basis to enable schools to further deepen their existing links with Chinese partners. Each school will receive up to 5,000 NZ dollars (3,450 U.S. dollars) from a fund administered by Education New Zealand.

"Through initiatives like the Sister Schools Fund and the Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia, we're giving young Kiwis the opportunity to develop skills," said Goldsmith.

The fund recipients include seven New Zealand primary and intermediate schools and three high schools.

Most of the schools are planning to take groups of students to visit their sister schools in China. Many have indicated that this funding will subsidize some students who would not otherwise be able to access this opportunity.

The year of 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and China.

"Education has played, and continues to play, an important role in the overall bilateral relationship," said Goldsmith. Endit