Jonathan Austin, New Zealand's ambassador to China, visited Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) on May 15.

Jonathan Austin praised HZAU for its excellent reputation in the New Zealand higher education community. He emphasized that New Zealand's strong position in the agricultural field relies on a constant supply of talent. He expressed hope that both sides can build upon the existing cooperation foundation to expand and deepen cooperation in various areas such as student and faculty exchanges, and scientific research. He extended an open invitation for HZAU students to study in New Zealand.

During the exchange session, both sides focused on discussing the challenges and strategies for the development of digital education. Gao Chi, secretary of HZAU's Party committee, proposed that in the face of the significant impact of AI on traditional education models, efforts should be made to seek a balance between AI and human intelligence as well as create new educational concepts, content, and methods. Jonathan Austin suggested that to effectively address the challenges of the AI era, there must be a strong emphasis on the interdisciplinary integration of disciplines, with more importance placed on cultivating students' critical and creative thinking.

Gao Chi and Jonathan Austin engage in a discussion. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]

During his visit to the university, Jonathan Austin also engaged in face-to-face exchanges with more than 30 student representatives from the Joint Institute of HZAU and Lincoln University, encouraging students to study diligently, deepen their understanding of New Zealand culture, and become messagers for cultural exchanges between China and New Zealand.