New Zealand honours Vietnamese Alumni with outstanding achievements

New Zealand honours Vietnamese Alumni for their stellar career paths

The 2020 New Zealand Outstanding Alumni Awards was celebrated by Education New Zealand (ENZ), the New Zealand Embassy, and the New Zealand Consulate General. The awards honour the outstanding achievements and the persistent efforts of six top New Zealand alumni to develop and establish themselves in their respective careers.

Ben Burrowes, regional manager East Asia at ENZ said, “We are extremely proud to recognise each individual awardee today and to celebrate the role that a New Zealand education has played in both their personal and professional lives. It is inspiring to learn what they’ve achieved since graduating in New Zealand and to hear real-life examples of New Zealand’s unique approach to learning.”

“All six awardees truly represent New Zealand’s ‘Think New’ mantra which focuses on never stopping to learn, on adapting to the challenges of an always changing world, and on being ready to create a new tomorrow.”

New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Wendy Matthews shared that, “The six distinguished alumni have shown exemplary leadership and made outstanding achievements in their careers, becoming inspirational figures for the current and future New Zealand alumni in Vietnam. We are pleased to celebrate the diversity of our alumni and the special contributions these alumni have made across a range of fields, from the business world, aviation industry, and IT to the culinary arts, the health sector, and climate change advocacy."

“The quality of New Zealand education can be seen in the quality of our graduates, and these alumni are examples of the globally-engaged students New Zealand aims to produce. New Zealand is commited to helping train the future leaders of Vietnam. We are proud of our alumni and the New Zealand alumni community who have come to be affectionately known as the 'Kiwi mafia'. Alumni play an integral role in the New Zealand-Vietnam bilateral relationship, which celebrated its 45th anniversary this year.”

Le Thi My Hanh, country representative at the Global Green Growth Institution (GGGI), one of the six honoured alumni said, “I would choose the word ‘holistic’ to describe my impression of New Zealand education. Besides academic excellence, the university experience there also equips you with social understanding and soft skills, as well as shows you how to appreciate work-life balance, be closer to nature and the community. The education that I received in New Zealand has sharpened my critical thinking and analytical skills, which have been very helpful in my career, up until today.”

New Zealand has received increasing interest from Vietnamese parents and students in recent years, achieving strong growth in students numbers in 2019.