New Zealand Centre Welcomes the New Advisory Board Chair Mr Stuart Morriss

09/03/2018 - The New Zealand Centre at Peking University welcomed the new Advisory Board Chair, Mr Stuart Morriss, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Operations at Massey University，and Ms Adele Bryant, Education Counsellor of the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing, on their first visit to Peking University.

It is with great pleasure that New Zealand Centre at Peking University welcomed the new NZC Advisory Board Chairperson, Mr Stuart Morriss, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Operations at Massey University，and Ms Adele Bryant, Education Counsellor of the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing and Education New Zealand Regional Director for China and North Asia， on their first visit to Peking University on 9 March.

As the first part of the visit, Ms. Zhou Manli, Vice Director of the PKU Office of International Relations, and her colleague Mr. Cui  Zhe, Deputy Chief, Division for Exchange Programs, had a meeting with AVC Stuart Morriss and Counsellor Adele Bryant at Linhuxuan, PKU presidential reception house, along with Professor Liu Shusen, Director of New Zealand Center at Peking University. They warmly welcome the visit of AVC Stuart Morriss and Counsellor Adele Bryant, and then both sides briefly reviewed the ten-year history of the NZC and the existing collaborations between PKU and Massey, including the three-brother programme with Shihezi University. Then they discussed some possible ideas for further collaboration under the leadership of the Advisory Board.

Mr Morriss and Ms Bryant welcomed by Ms Zhou Manli and Professor Liu Shusen at Linhuxuan 

Then A/Professor Liu Hongzhong, Secretary of New Zealand Centre, and Mia Chung joined the working lunch as the second part of the visit, when further discussions were made on some details for the past and ongoing programmes, including the official summer programme for PKU students to study in New Zealand and intensive winter programmes for NZ students to study at PKU.

Following the Spring Festival celebrations, this visit marks a prosperous beginning of the year of the Dog, and the 2018 academic year. The opportunity was taken to share in the Centre’s recent successes, and plan for an exciting year ahead.

The Centre’s 10th Anniversary last year, and the signing of the University Memorandum of Understanding at the Great Hall of the People in 2016, highlight the growing significance of New Zealand Centre at Peking University. NZC is looking forward to further developing this unique partnership between China and New Zealand through increasing opportunities for the academic exchange of visiting fellows and students.

The programme of visiting NZC fellows to PKU this year reflects the increasing number of senior academics from New Zealand, who wish to take up the opportunities of research cooperation. NZC puts a high priority on sustaining the relationship between visiting and hosting academics, in order to facilitate the mutual exchange of both academics and ideas between New Zealand and China and to foster sustained collaborations.

There is also a renewed emphasis on increasing opportunities for student exchange. The eight New Zealand member universities will continue to host a summer school program for Peking University students during their winter season. NZC will also continue offering the annual New Zealand Culture and History course at PKU, as well as internship opportunities for New Zealand students.  The particular value of the internship opportunities is to enable New Zealand students studying in Beijing to contribute to and support the very mechanisms by which this special relationship is maintained.

Such initiatives between Chinese and New Zealand universities support the Centre’s aims of fostering interest in New Zealand within China, as well as an understanding of China within New Zealand. Through strengthening the relationships which underpin the NZC, NZC also intends to create a forum for exchanges and collaboration between the two countries.

On behalf of the NZC Board Mr Morriss extended a warm welcome to all new staff and students and wished everyone a successful Year of the Dog.

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