On June 14, President Zhang Junfeng attended the “Looking into the Future: New Zealand-China High-level Education Forum” in Auckland, New Zealand. At the forum, he delivered a keynote speech during the roundtable discussion and signed MoUs with partner institutions.

The forum, under the auspices of education ministries from both countries, saw significant attendance. Chinese Premier Li Qiang and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attended the forum’s closing ceremony and delivered speeches. The roundtable discussion was co-chaired by Chinese Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng and his New Zealand counterpart Penny Simmonds. Participants included representatives from 11 Chinese universities and 8 New Zealand universities. The discussions covered four key topics: bilateral exchanges of students and scholars as well as training of high-level talent; high-level joint research; the role of higher education in developing an innovative economy and enhancing productivity; and cooperation in digital education.

During the roundtable discussion, President Zhang made a keynote speech on high-level joint research. He highlighted that OUC has established friendly cooperative relationships with several New Zealand institutions, conducting academic exchanges and collaborative research in marine science, marine drugs, marine food, and computer science. These collaborations have resulted in the publication of influential academic achievements and the development of innovative talent through international cooperation projects. He noted that future collaborations would focus on marine drugs and smart aquaculture technology with Victoria University of Wellington, and on polar research with the University of Waikato through the establishment of a joint marine science research center. He underscored the importance of leveraging joint research to promote student and faculty exchanges, collaborative education, and the commercialization of sci-tech achievements. Regarding high-level joint research between China and New Zealand, he suggested building world-class research institutions through key platforms such as joint research centers and participating in multilateral international scientific programs to explore the frontiers of human knowledge.

Witnessed by Minister Huai Jinpeng and Minister Penny Simmonds, Zhang signed two MoUs on behalf of OUC with Alister Jones, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waikato, and Nic Smith, Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington.

Zhang visited the University of Auckland, where he had in-depth discussions with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Erik Lithander on bilateral cooperation. He toured the university’s faculties of Medical and Health Sciences, Education and Social Work, Science, and Engineering. He also met with OUC alumni in Auckland.