New Zealand’s international education industry grew six per cent to 131,609 student enrolments in 2016, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith has announced.
The International Education Dashboard for 2016 shows an overall increase of 7,245 international student enrolments from a broader range of countries, and that a majority of regions in New Zealand experienced growth.
“As a small nation that relies on trade, international education offers significant value to New Zealand’s society and economy. It provides jobs and incomes for thousands of New Zealand households,” Minister Goldsmith explained.
The economic value of the sector in 2016 is now estimated to be NZ$4.5 billion, an increase of NZ$200 million on 2015 student numbers. This is made up of NZ$4.2 billion onshore education delivery and NZ$242 million in offshore education delivery in such areas as publishing, consultancy services and digital products.
The new figure consolidates international education’s place as New Zealand’s fourth largest export sector, supporting more than 33,000 jobs across New Zealand.
“As Minister, I’m committed to supporting sustainable growth in the sector, and ensuring that international students have a high-quality experience while studying in New Zealand, and return home promoting New Zealand,” Mr Goldsmith says.
Auckland continues to be the main destination for international students with 63 per cent of enrolments. Regional market share also remained stable.
Other highlights included:
– 27,640 international students studied at New Zealand universities in 2016 – up 6 per cent, with an increase in post-graduate enrolments at all levels.
– There were 2,912 primary student enrolments, up 16 per cent (393 students).
– The Indian market saw a 3 per cent decline (down 996 students to 28,154 total) in student enrolments as it undergoes a rebalancing from volume to value.
Article published 7th June 2017