Ara hosts Futian delegation to explore fashion and technology partnerships

_{Members of Ara's Global and Local Marketing team were delighted to host the delegation}

Ara Institute of Canterbury welcomed a high-level delegation from Futian District, Shenzhen, China, to its Christchurch campus today.

The visit provided an opportunity for both parties to share insights and explore future collaboration in education, fashion, and technology.

The Futian delegation introduced the district’s dynamic role as a hub for commerce, innovation and creative industries within the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area.

They highlighted Futian’s thriving economy, advanced infrastructure and reputation as a cutting-edge city that integrates fashion with technological innovation. The delegation also shared examples of education partnerships already forged in China and abroad.

Ara showcased its strengths in creative education, detailing the wide range of programmes offered in fashion and design, the state-of-the-art facilities available to students and the institute’s strong industry connections.

These include partnerships with leading New Zealand fashion bodies such as Macpac and Remain - ensuring graduates are well-prepared for global careers.
Discussions focused on opportunities for student exchange, applied research collaboration and innovation in fashion technology.

Both sides expressed interest in establishing a regular exchange mechanism to foster creativity and technological advancement.

This visit marks an important step toward building international partnerships that connect Ara’s expertise in creative education with Futian’s innovation-driven approach.

The delegation was given a tour of the Ara studios before the group headed to Te Ōhaka on the city campus where the group explored the Ministry of Awesome start up hub hosted by Chief Executive Officer Graham Scown.

The visiting delegation was lead by:

邓 俊 Deng Jun: Member of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Futian District Committee of the CPC, Director of General Office of Shenzhen Futian District Committee of the CPC, Director of General Office of Futian District People's Government of Shenzhen Municipality
唐 斌  Tang Bin: Director of the Cadre Team Development and Planning Office, Organization Department of CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee
梁中原 Liang Zhongyuan: Executive Vice-Chairman of Shenzhen Futian District, Federation of Industry and Commerce
王 巍 Wang Wei: Director of Shenzhen Futian District Education Bureau
张 鑫 Zhang Xin: Deputy Director of Shenzhen Futian District Development and Reform Bureau
林瑞欣 Lin Ruixin: Project Manager of Innovation Ecosystem Partnerships of Shenzhen China - Europe Innovation Centre