Wintec business students head to China with Prime Ministers Scholarship

Six Wintec business students will head to China in March after being awarded the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia recently.

Students Joshua King, Simon Young, Ezra Hirawani, Kristie Dawson-Smith, Frances Foxx and Ben Gomas will head to Shandong University of Technology for semester one next year. They make up part of a wider group of 160 tertiary students from across New Zealand heading to educational institutes around Asia.

The six scholarships are worth a total of $73,000 and cover study fees, flights, accommodation and living expenses. The students will study international business and language at the university with credits being transferred back to their programmes at Wintec.

Recipient, Simon Young is looking forward to experiencing a new culture and learning environment.

“I’m over the moon to be offered this opportunity. As an adult student, I thought my age would count against me,” he says.

“I have a passion for workplace health and safety. I hope that I get a chance to experience the business culture in China around health and safety and bring back some fresh ideas to use in Hamilton.”

Ezra Hirawani has always wanted to go to China.

“I thought I’d be bound in New Zealand until I finished studying. Now I’ll have the best of both worlds,” he says.

“I’m really looking forward to building international connections and understanding the beautiful Chinese culture, both its history and in business. I can’t wait to learn new a new language, new customs and make new friends.”

Wintec’s chief executive Mark Flowers says: “We’re delighted that our students have been given this opportunity. It will allow them to bring back to New Zealand a new perspective of international business while experiencing the Chinese culture first-hand.

“It will also strengthen Wintec’s student exchange and pathway agreements with our longstanding partnership with Shandong University of Technology.”

The students were chosen for their academic strength and personal attributes including independence, initiative, maturity, confidence and their ability to represent New Zealand positively.

The Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia is funded by the New Zealand government and administered by Education New Zealand. It aims to strengthen New Zealand’s ability to engage with key Asian trading partners and build the international skills of the New Zealand workforce.