On May 30, Massey College, NWAFU’s first Sino-foreign cooperative education institution, was officially launched.

Massey College of Northwest A&F University is a Sino-foreign cooperative education institution established under NWAFU without independent legal-person status. It is located on the university’s campus and is planned to enroll 300 students annually. The college adopts a “4+0” model, under which students complete their entire degree program in China. This allows them to benefit from high-quality international education in agriculture and forestry that combines the strengths of China and New Zealand without having to study abroad. Upon completing their studies, students will receive a graduation certificate and a degree certificate from NWAFU, as well as a degree certificate from Massey University of New Zealand. The college’s first three undergraduate majors are Plant Protection, Horticulture, and Agricultural and Forestry Economics and Management.

In his remarks, Wu Pute noted that NWAFU is deeply rooted in China and committed to serving agriculture, rural areas and farmers. The university has consistently contributed to China’s efforts to build itself into a leading agricultural power. The establishment of Massey College is more than the addition of a new educational institution; it is a strategic initiative through which the university responds to its mission in the new era, engages with the evolving global agricultural landscape, and serves national strategic needs. As the global scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation continue to reshape agriculture, international cooperation is urgently needed to address shared challenges such as food security, climate change and environmental protection. NWAFU will make every effort to develop and operate Massey College successfully, turning it into a model of China-New Zealand educational cooperation and a distinctive example of internationalized agricultural higher education in western China.

Pierre Venter thanked NWAFU for its careful preparations and warm hospitality. He noted that the two universities had built a strong foundation through more than a decade of cooperation in education and research, and that the launch of Massey College marked a significant step in upgrading and deepening their partnership. Agriculture and forestry are essential to addressing global food security, environmental sustainability, climate change and rural revitalization. Massey College will focus on global agricultural challenges, promote high-quality international talent development and collaborative innovation across industry, education and research, and cultivate highly skilled professionals with a global outlook who can respond to the challenges facing international agriculture. The partnership represents not only academic collaboration between the two universities, but also an important vehicle for mutual learning between Chinese and New Zealand cultures and closer people-to-people ties. Venter expressed hope that the universities would continue to expand cooperation in student and faculty exchanges, joint research and other areas, achieving mutual benefit and shared development.

Dr Ron Xavier, representing the Embassy of New Zealand in China and Education New Zealand, congratulated NWAFU and Massey University on the launch of the college. He noted that Yangling, a national hub for agricultural innovation and research, offers distinctive advantages for high-level international cooperation in agricultural education. Massey University is internationally renowned for its work in agriculture, horticulture and agribusiness, while NWAFU has a strong research foundation and close ties to China’s agricultural development. By combining their strengths, the two universities can provide students with a high-quality learning environment that integrates practical expertise with a global outlook. The launch marks an important step forward in China-New Zealand cooperation in agricultural education.

The launch of Massey College is an important measure through which NWAFU is implementing the China Education Modernization 2035 plan and advancing educational opening-up in the new era. It also represents a practical contribution to rural revitalization, the development of China into a leading agricultural power, and the deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and New Zealand. The launch marks a new stage in the substantive, institutionalized cooperation between NWAFU and Massey University in agriculture-related fields, including plant protection, horticulture, and agricultural and forestry economics and management. Focusing on China’s agricultural development needs and global agricultural governance trends, Massey College will advance internationalized talent development in agriculture and forestry and cultivate versatile, high-level professionals who understand international rules as well as China’s national conditions and agricultural sector. In doing so, it will provide strong talent and intellectual support for safeguarding national food security, advancing ecological civilization, and promoting the internationalization of agriculture, while contributing NWAFU’s strengths to the opening-up of higher education in agriculture and forestry.

Translated by: Tian Yiyun

Proofread by: Yan Xianhui