SIT Expands China Education Links

Southern Institute of Technology has signed new partnership agreements with three Chinese universities after its CEO joined a government-led education delegation to China in late July.

Bharat Guha was part of an 11-institute polytechnic delegation that visited Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou from July 26 to 31, travelling alongside Tertiary Education Minister Hon Penny Simmonds and supported by Education New Zealand staff. The delegation met with China's Minister of Education, Minister Huai Jinpeng, who said the visit would open a new chapter in education cooperation between the two countries and called for "concrete and practical exchanges" to further that relationship.

Minister Huai flagged public health, agriculture, maritime sciences and AI as priority areas for future cooperation, and proposed a joint working group — including industry representatives — to identify and pursue those opportunities.

After the formal delegation wrapped up, Guha extended his trip to visit five universities independently. He signed memorandums of understanding with two new partners: Jianghan University in Wuhan, which ranks in the top one percent worldwide for materials science, chemistry and clinical medicine, and Shandong Jiatong University in Jinan, which specialises in transportation and engineering. Both universities will look to collaborate with SIT across IT, engineering and screen arts.

Guha also signed a renewed MOU with Suqian University — a fitting formality given Suqian is Invercargill's sister city, a relationship now 13 years old.

Guha said the standout moment of the trip was the 90-minute meeting between Minister Simmonds and Minister Huai. "The meeting was both substantive and constructive, reflecting the strength and importance of the education relationship between our two countries," he said. He noted it was "particularly impressive" to see New Zealand engaging at that level with a nation of 1.4 billion people.

Minister Huai closed the meeting by inviting Minister Simmonds and all ITP chief executives to attend the World Vocational Education Conference in China in late October 2026. Guha described it as "a significant gesture" that reinforced the value China places on its education ties with New Zealand's vocational sector.

SIT international marketing manager Michelle Zhao, who also made the trip, said the meetings were very productive. She pointed to SIT's programme mix, industry connections, affordable fees and Invercargill's safe environment as drawcards for Chinese students. "By having connections with the Chinese institutions, it provides students with learning opportunities in both worlds," Zhao said.

China is New Zealand's largest source of international students, accounting for 34 percent of all enrolments in 2025, with around 2,220 Chinese students enrolled at polytechnics that year.