Recently, New Zealand Prime Minister, Rt. Hon Jacinda Ardern, and many other dignitaries and representatives from the wine, research and viticulture sectors gathered on the NMIT (Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology) Marlborough campus to celebrate the opening of The New Zealand Wine Centre, a new facility which sits alongside the wine and viticulture teaching and research facilities of NMIT. Jianhang Zhou, a student of the joint educated program between Beijing University of Agriculture and Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology in New Zealand, participated in the reception as an international student representative. He also got to meet the New Zealand PM and took a ‘selfie’ with her. He said it’s such an great experience to be in this special event. 

Jianhang Zhou studied Brewing Engineering in BUA from 2018 to 2022. He  successfully passed the examinations and went to NMIT for further study in July 2022.     

Since 2013, BUA and NMIT have started cooperation in ‘3+1’ undergraduate  program, and later in ‘3+1+Master of Applied Management (MAM)’ program with the majors of Viticulture & Wine and Aquaculture. Up to now, 15 BUA undergraduate students have studied at NMIT and obtained their bachelor's degree, 7 of which continue to study at NMIT and obtain the "3+1+Master of Applied Management (MAM)" degree. In October 2022, BUA, NMIT and other two international universities jointly initiated ‘Talents Training Program for the Internationalization of the Grape and Wine Industry and the Revitalization of the Rural Area’. This Program won special support from the Chinese National Scholarship Council.