Indigenous exchange programme set up

MAORI students at Otago will soon have the chance to experience life in indigenous communities in Australia, Canada and America, as the university finalises a new exchange programme with three other institutions.

University of Otago pro vicechancellor for external engagement Helen Nicholson told a university council meeting this week an exchange programme had been set up with Willamette University, in Oregon, La Trobe University, in Victoria, and the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

The programme was a semesterlong exchange, and students would be hosted by the local indigenous community and engage with them as well as studying at the university.

A university spokesman said the new programme was ‘‘very exciting’’.

‘‘It’s a major new initiative for this university that focuses on kanohikitekanohi [facetoface] connections between mana whenua and indigenous communities at our partner universities.’’

The university was finalising details for the first Otago student to go to Newfoundland next semester, and for a student to come to Otago from Willamette University.

This year the university senate has also signed memorandums of understanding with Bahir Dar University, in Ethiopia; the Xi’an JiaotongLiverpool University, in China; the Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e, in East Timor; and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in China.

International Office director Jason Cushen said the university now had 101 ‘‘bilateral student exchange partnerships’’ in 36 countries, as well as several hundred MOUs with other universities, governments and organisations.

The content of the MOUs varied but reasons for signing them could include research and teaching collaborations, and ‘‘student and staff mobility’’ and business opportunities.

The university has renewed agreements with six other institutions, in Taiwan, China, the UK, the US and Denmark.