Leaders from the University of Otago in New Zealand are looking forward to visiting its partner institutions and alumni during their first visit to Fiji and Samoa this month.

It will be the first time in three years staff will visit the Pacific nations, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release issued by the university on Monday.

The University of Otago Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Murdoch, said it is good reconnecting again with colleagues and friends after a three-hiatus brought on by the pandemic.

 “It is a great opportunity to follow-up on some of our ongoing projects and to see our colleagues and friends whom we haven’t seen since the COVID-19 pandemic,” Prof. Murdoch said.

 They will first spend three days in Fiji where they will meet with alumni, senior leaders at Fiji National University and Pacific Theological College, and the New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, Charlotte Darlow.

That will be followed by four days in Samoa, where they will meet the New Zealand High Commissioner to Samoa, Dr Trevor Matheson, Prime Minister of Samoa, Dr. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa and other Government Ministers, and leaders at the National University of Samoa (NUS) and the University of the South Pacific (USP) Samoa Campus. 

 They will also sign a memorandum of understanding with Malua Theological College and host a symposium with the NUS and the USP Samoa Campus to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship.

 The trip aligns with the University’s Pacific Strategic Framework which values equal access to higher education for all, inclusivity in all aspects of University life, and being responsive to a diverse Pacific and New Zealand population. 

There will be visits to other parts of the Pacific region in the near future.