Leadership course enhances China-New Zealand relations

This February Victoria International hosted its fifth Victoria Intercultural Leadership Summer Course (VILSC), with 26 students from partner universities in China staying in Wellington and learning about the challenges of the globalised world.

Chinese students smile on a boat in Wellington harbour.
Chinese students visiting for the Victoria Intercultural Leadership Summer Course, photographed in Wellington harbour.

Students attended from Fudan University, Sun Yat Sen University and Xiamen University of Technology, and Victoria University students also participated to support and engage with the Chinese students to develop their intercultural knowledge.

The annual three-week course features seminars, workshops, field trips, social activities and a weekend study trip to Rotorua. The programme is based on the ethos of the Victoria International Leadership Programme (VILP) and focuses on themes of international leadership, cross-cultural communication and understanding, sustainability and the environment, regional challenges and global interconnectedness.

Victoria International Programme Coordinator Matthew Morrison says the course format is designed to encourage critical thinking from students—including a speed-dating style question and answer session, a lot of field trips that correspond with lectures, debates and speeches.

“We want to encourage these students to think critically about China’s place in the world, and to gain new perspectives on China, New Zealand, and global relationships,” says Matthew.

Student feedback has been positive, with the only complaints being the wind and the early closing hours of New Zealand shops.

Student feedback

“This programme was not only enlightening but also intriguing to all of us, we Chinese students had a wonderful experience of Kiwi culture and had a thorough reflection on international affairs.”

“VILSC is a wonderful journey to deeply explore New Zealand, showing you with not only heaps of fun and natural beauty but a very comprehensive understanding of history, culture, society, diplomacy and politics of New Zealand.”