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Collaboration in the air

A reflection by Te Wai Collins, Pouārahi Māori, Executive Director Tiriti Partnerships & Māori Success, on her recent trip to Xi'an, China:

Walking around the museum in Xi’an, you are immersed in the long and glorious history of this ancient Chinese city. At the same time, the most poignant part of my short walk was seeing records of the devastation Xi’an experienced in the mid-twentieth century. 

One of the oldest cities in China, Xi’an is one of four ancient capitals - famous for being the resting place of the First Qin emperor and the home of the Terracotta Army. 
 
Starting in 1937, Xi'an was subjected to seven years of bombing raids by the Japanese air force. In all, 145 air strikes were dispatched, with 1,106 planes dropping more than 3,440 bombs. A total of 1,244 people were killed and 6,783 houses destroyed.
 
So how did this proud city respond to this sustained aerial invasion? By building a world-renowned aviation sector of course. Here, aviation isn’t just a programme; it’s a part of their identity.
 

I visited Xi’an earlier this month to celebrate the opening of the new Xi’an–Wintec College, our newest Joint Institute in China with Xi’an Aeronautical University, and to acknowledge the first-ever cohort of international students.

Te Wai Collins joined the opening of the new Xi'an-Wintec College in China.

The College has an approved capacity of up to 1,200 students across three undergraduate programmes: Information and Computing Science, Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation, and Automation. The arrangement allows for up to 300 new students each year, 100 in each programme. 

This is a promising start to what we intend to be a longer-term relationship - one that connects education, people, industry, and potentially applied research between China and Aotearoa New Zealand.

We know that Xi’an University has strengths and industry connections in aviation, engineering, advanced manufacturing, and technology. Wintec brings its own applied, industry-connected approach to education.

Looking to the future, there’s room to explore broader collaboration around staff and student mobility, curriculum and teaching innovation, applied research, and industry engagement. For our ākonga, that could translate to opportunities to experience a highly advanced aviation and engineering environment and to study in a very different cultural context.
 
From my brief trip to China, I can say that I have the greatest respect for the people of Xi'an: their determination to rebuild after devastation while remaining grounded in their historical purpose. Their whole Kaupapa carries the spirit of 航空救国, the belief that aviation can safeguard and strengthen the nation.