Edogawa University students return to Massey

Edogawa University began sending students to Massey’s Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE) in 1990 for three weeks every year to study English and experience New Zealand's culture. The last visit occurred in 2019 and was a celebration of the 30-year partnership between the two institutions.

This year, 19 students from Edogawa University have travelled to New Zealand to spend time in Tāmaki-Makaurau and visit Massey's Manawatū campus. The students are experiencing English language and cultural tuition, as well as sightseeing and engaging in sports experiences. As they are accommodated in home stays, the students get extra insight into life in New Zealand.

So far, the student have reported that their favourite part about New Zealand has been the friendly people and delicious food. They have also remarked that the lack of tall buildings makes the sky seem so much wider than what they are used to.

Edogawa was one of the first universities to recognise the myriad of advantages of international travel for their students and the promotion of international understanding in general. The partnership with Massey was established as an option for Edogawa students studying in the School of Applied Sociology and Mass Communication. In 1992, the overseas study component became compulsory, and since then Massey has hosted more than 1500 students from Edogawa in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan.

Due to the success of these programmes, PaCE has used the Edogawa model with other Japanese universities and internationally over the last 30 years.