University of Brunei Darussalam

I greet you: Your Excellency Minister of Education Pehin Dato Seri Haji Awang Abu Bakar Apong; Vice Chancellor of the University, Dr Zulkarnain; Distinguished Guests otherwise, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I begin with the New Zealand Māori greeting, "Kia Ora" and in the context of this event, I add the greeting: “Salaam Wailaikum”.

It has been with pleasure that my wife Susan and I have accepted the invitation to visit the University of Brunei Darussalam as a part of our State Visit.

I would like to take this opportunity to speak of the potential for education linkages between New Zealand and Brunei.  In my brief address, I want to emphasise three key points. 

The first point is that education is a key element of the bilateral relationship between Brunei and New Zealand and while there are many linkages between our countries’ education systems, that the potential for further development is now significant. 

The second point I want to emphasise is that the people-to-people ties are of the most importance. It is these ties that bind us together and create understanding between the peoples of our two countries.  In creating those people-to-people ties, education plays a key role and there is room for more student exchanges and relationships between the education systems of Brunei Darussalam and New Zealand.

New Zealand and Brunei have a long standing relationship, with last year being the marker of 25 years of full diplomatic relations.  Our two countries share many common interests, and we will increasingly share a common future in an increasingly integrated and dynamic Asia-Pacific region.

The first foundation of the relationship between Brunei Darussalam and New Zealand lies in our mutual involvement in multilateral organisations, such as, the Commonwealth and in regional organisations, particularly ASEAN.  The relationship with ASEAN is a key  pillar of New Zealand’s foreign policy and is central to our closer engagement with the East Asian region. The ASEAN group, which Brunei Darussalam joined in 1984, is now New Zealand’s third largest trading partner.  

The economies of New Zealand and Brunei are also linked through the “P4” agreement which includes Chile and Singapore.  That agreement forms the heart of an ambitious economic relationship currently being negotiated between the original signatories, and the United States, Australia, Peru, Viet Nam and other Asia-Pacific countries.

There is also a significant defence relationship and today we visited the Royal Brunei Armed Forces military academy and officer cadet school.  This country provides important opportunities for New Zealand soldiers to train in tropical conditions alongside soldiers from Brunei.  New Zealand has, in turn, hosted officer cadets and more senior officers from Brunei to study and train in New Zealand. 

The third of those foundations that ties the others together are the people-to-people connections, most notably in education.

Statistics published earlier this year by New Zealand’s Ministry of Education indicate that more than 93,000 international students were enrolled at all levels in New Zealand.  While those students come from almost every country on the globe, students from Asia account for more than half of all student visas issued. 

The reasons for choosing New Zealand are many and varied.  New Zealand has a world-class education that is responsive and modern.  It produces people equipped to cope with sophisticated technologies, and with the complex workplaces of the 21st century.  New Zealand is consistently placed among the highest performing group of OECD counties, including in subject areas like science, mathematics and reading.

New Zealand tertiary institutions have an international reputation for excellence.  There are eight New Zealand universities but all are highly regarded and offer internationally-recognised qualifications of many kinds.  Each of them has their particular strengths.   All of this is offered in a country that is safe, clean and which has lots of open spaces for the pursuit of outdoor activities.

Furthermore, for those students from Brunei thinking about doctoral studies, New Zealand is a logical choice.  PhD fees for international students are based on domestic fees, making New Zealand one of the most cost-effective PhD options available. 

I am advised that in 2009, there were about 68 students from Brunei enrolled in New Zealand, most of them at one of our universities.  One of those students, for example, is His Majesty The Sultan’s neice, Her Royal Highness Princess Izzul, who has decided to pursue further tertiary studies at the University of Auckland. 

In addition, several relationships have been established in recent years.  I understand the University of Otago has a Memorandum of Understanding with Brunei in which it takes students studying medicine and dentistry.  Massey University has recently signed a year teaching contract with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces for a Postgraduate Diploma in Defence and Strategic Studies at the Brunei Defence Academy.    In the other direction, Brunei regularly recruits New Zealand teachers, and I understand more than 50 are working here.

Even so, there is much potential for these relationships to be significantly enhanced, especially given Brunei Darussalam’s move last year to implement a revised national education system with the aim of developing a more knowledge-based society.  

I understand Brunei’s former Minister of Education, Hon Pehin Dato’ Abdul Rahman Mohammed twice visited New Zealand in recent years to learn more of New Zealand’s education system in light of these reforms.   Likewise, education officials from Brunei visited New Zealand earlier this year  to learn about e-learning policy and programmes.

Brunei Darussalam is well placed to take advantage of these initiatives and changes.  With more than 270 schools, college and tertiary education institutes, Brunei has established a strong educational structure that would be the envy of many other nations. 

The potential for an enhanced education relationship between New Zealand and Brunei Darussalam fits well with our broader ties with Asia.  Those ties are solid and longstanding and are increasing at a rapid pace.  They are built upon vital political, trade and economic realities and an understanding that what happens in Asia affects New Zealand more and more. 

As well, they are built on strong people-to-people links that have been enhanced by immigration policies that have seen more immigrants coming from Asia than anywhere else over past decades.  Some are recent immigrants while others, such as myself, were born in New Zealand and whose parents or grandparents migrated south from Asia many years ago.  More than nine percent of New Zealanders are of Asian decent.   In the Auckland region, that figure rises to 19 percent. 

As I mentioned, significant numbers of Asian students have also studied in New Zealand over the years.  All this has meant that New Zealanders today have a growing affinity with the people and cultures of Asia.  Festivals such as Diwali and Chinese New Year are increasingly celebrated by New Zealanders of all ethnicities.  The Asia New Zealand Foundation, of which I am the organisation’s Patron and a former deputy chairman, assiduously promotes New Zealand’s ties with Asia both generally and in the nation’s schools.

In conclusion, the potential for an enhanced educational relationship between New Zealand and Brunei Darussalam fits well within the wider and growing relationship between our two countries. 

For the value of such exchanges is not only in knowledge and skills, but in greater cross-cultural understanding between peoples of different races, ethnicities and religions.  In a world where the internet, information technology and high-speed transportation are transforming the global economy, being able to successfully navigate cross-cultural interactions is an equally valuable skill.   The mediaeval European ruler, the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne once said that: "To have another language is to possess a second soul."   If I could adapt that slightly, I would add that knowledge of another’s culture also enhances one’s knowledge of your own culture.

And on that note, I seek to close in New Zealand's first language Māori, offering greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours.  No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.