RIYADH: New Zealand Ambassador Hamish MacMaster launched the “Your Summer in New Zealand” social media competition on Tuesday to cement New Zealand as a great destination for Saudi families wanting to travel and undertake English language study over the extended 2016 summer.

“The #WhyNewZealand competition gives Saudi students a chance to win one of six scholarships to study English in New Zealand for six weeks, accommodations, and flights sponsored by Emirates Airlines. “The #YourSummerinNewZealand competition reinforces New Zealand’s commitment to providing safe, exciting and affordable education and travel experiences for young Saudi Arabian students,” said Ambassador MacMaster.

“New Zealand is also closer than ever with direct flights via Dubai through Emirates Airlines, and we are delighted to partner with Emirates in offering a world-class travel experience.” The competition coincides with social media English language influencer Loay Al-Shareef’s visit to New Zealand in April to profile New Zealand’s English language opportunities, in association with UTurn entertainment.

New Zealand has emerged as a summer English language destination, offering free visa entry for Saudi citizens for up to 12 weeks and direct flights from Dubai to Auckland via Emirates Airlines. It is the third safest country in the world, and it is an international experience — students from over 180 countries choose New Zealand.

Students can enter the competition by visiting www.whynz.com and also follow Education New Zealand’s Twitter https://twitter.com/nzeducationsa channel. The competition is open for three weeks until May 3, 2016.

New Zealand hosts more than 5,000 Saudi students who are reading in various universities and colleges, some of them with their families. They study at various universities which include Auckland University, Auckland University of Technology, Massey University, Waikato University, Victoria University and Otago University.

In February, the Kingdom and New Zealand signed an air services agreement to set up a comprehensive regulatory framework for air transport, operating on a safe and organized basis.

The deal was signed at General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) headquarters here by Captain Abdulhakim Mohammed Al-Badr, assistant president for safety, security and air transport on behalf of GACA, and by Ambassador MacMaster.

According to MacMaster, “New Zealand attaches great importance to relations with Saudi Arabia, and the bilateral aviation agreement adds another strand to a growing relationship.”

Commenting on the salient features of this cooperation, he said, “The agreement provides access to carriers in both markets and establishes rights to form a code-sharing partnership and move air cargo.”

He underscored that this agreement builds on an already strong relationship between GACA and New Zealand which includes New Zealand’s state-owned Enterprise Airways Corporation training of Saudi air traffic and safety controllers.