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= Why do Arabic/Muslim students decide to come to New Zealand instead of another country? =

General consensus suggests that at least 2000 to 2200 of Muslims in Canterbury are Kiwis or residents and this figure is gradually on the increase.
"Saudi Arabia is vigorously upgrading its national skills base and is therefore building up capabilities for its students, and also extending the knowledge base of its university staff," says Erik Lithander (International Office). "It is now looking to build partnerships with countries that have the expertise it seeks to acquire." The Saudi Arabian government sends 4000 students a year on full scholarships to the United States, and is now seeking also to explore other academic destinations for its students. "New Zealand has a reputation for high quality in education," says Erik, "and has proved welcoming to Muslim students in general and Saudi Arabians in particular. "Over the last two or three years asmall number of scholarship students started arriving, who now number 160 throughout New Zealand. Partly as a result of the positive experiences of these first groups, the Saudi Arabian government is looking to increase the number of students coming here." Saudi Arabian students studying at The University of Auckland will normally complete a year of english at the English Language Academy, and then a further Foundation year run through the Auckland Colleges Group, before embarking upon their degrees. The whole programme is managed by the University, which can then oversee their pastoral care. This is particularly important for young students adjusting to a new culture. "The learning environment at a New Zealand university is very different from that of a high school in Saudi Arabia," says Erik. "In an integrated programme such as this University offers, students can be given quite specific tuition in how to manage the new environment." The delegation, comprising top government officials, chancellors and professors of three major universities, and the Ambassador and Cultural Attaché from the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Canberra, was in New Zealand for a week, meeting with several New Zealand universities and with the Ministries of Education, Health, and Science and Technology. The visitors had a strong interest in health sciences and biomedical and biological sciences, as well as basic sciences such as chemistry and physics. They were also interested in finance, accounting and a whole range of engineering specialisations. With 40 percent of the Saudi Arabian population under 14 years of age, there is a strong need to gear up now for a rapidly growing tertiary sector. Forward thinking is also needed to prevent shortages in professional fields so that the nation will be well-served across the occupations that will help it grow and develop. The New Zealand universities will be holding discussions with the Saudi Arabian government in the coming weeks to agree on the mechanics through which these scholarships can be administered
 * ||  || **A delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, led by the Minister for Higher Education, Dr Khaled Al Anqari, visited on 7 April to meet with the Vice-Chancellor and senior staff, to be briefed on some of the University's expertise and to discuss establishing links with the University.**

**New Zealand: New mosque inaugurated**
Auckland, Dhul Hijja 24/Mar 19 (IINA) - There are a number of mosques in New Zealand, and there are scattered in a number of cities where are there concentrations of Muslims. The 40,000 Muslims of New Zealand are comprised of three ethnic groups: the early immigrants who have become naturalized New Zealanders, the ethnic Europeans, and the later immigrants. Among the most important mosques is that of the capital, Wellington, and the second one in the city of Christchurch, with the third one in Dunedin. But recently another mosque was inaugurated in Lekhars Bay. This mosque also has an area for female worshippers. There are four Islamic centers that are quite active in New Zealand, and the five Islamic schools teach Arabic in addition to Islamic Studies. There are several other organizations working in helping Muslims and Islam in one way or the other. Most of the Islamic organizations come under the umbrella of the Federation of Islamic Organizations of New Zealand.

International inbound Muslim travellers in New Zealand  ** According to the New Zealand International Visitors Survey, it is believed that the Muslim inbound market in New Zealand is mainly from the Middle East (especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), and from Malaysia and Indonesia (NZTB, 2001). However, the exact number of Muslims travelling to New Zealand is unknown since visitors are not asked to declare their religion on the New Zealand visitor arrival card (NZTB, 2001).

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Our homestay Students They choose to come to New Zealand because they want to learn the English language and know that they cannot do this with a lot of their own culture talking their own language amongst themselves. They go into homestays where they can learn the language and practice the language they need to help them get further in their jobs. There are many highly qualified Arabic students and in order for them to get further in their country they need to be able to speak and read English. In many jobs this is a requirement with many businesses trading with English countries and many more English speaking people living in their countries. They love the relaxed Kiwi culture and the beautiful landscape in New Zealand. Arabic students are supported by their country to study English by receiving a Government scholarship which assists them towards lviing expenses and study expenses while studying english. In return they must show that they have learnt the language and gained the necessary qualifications to show this.

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