$2.7 million for international education in regions and new markets

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced that the Government will be investing an additional $2.76 million into initiatives to boost the international education industry in regional New Zealand, and help develop new international markets.

The Export Education Levy funding will strengthen regional partnerships and diversify the spread of international students across New Zealand.

“Regional diversification is key to the resilience and further growth of the international education industry,” says Mr Joyce.

Education New Zealand’s Regional Partnership Programme will receive $2 million to help grow international education which will be focused on growth in the regions beyond Auckland, where 62 per cent of international students chose to study in 2014.

“We have set an ambitious target of doubling the value of international education by 2025 and we need to be smart about where we invest in order to reach this goal.”

“Education Hawke’s Bay is a great example of what regional partnerships can achieve. The regional group has a goal of doubling the value of international students to the region by 2025. The latest full year data for 2014 shows that international education in the region grew by 8 per cent compared with the previous year. This success has been based on collaboration between primary and intermediate schools, thirteen secondary schools, four private training establishments, the Eastern Institute of Technology and Hastings District Council.

“The Hawke’s Bay regional group has developed a strong education brand, Learning Hawke’s Bay, with a marketing approach designed to promote and position Hawke’s Bay not only as an education destination of choice for international students, but as a desirable destination to begin the pathway for on-going education and employment in New Zealand. We want to replicate successful regional partnerships like this one through the additional investment,” says Mr Joyce.

The additional funding will also focus on market diversification, exploring new education partnerships, particularly in countries like Colombia and the Philippines around the Asia-Pacific region that have the potential to become significant international education markets for New Zealand. Activity will also be stepped up in markets where New Zealand has existing educational ties, including Viet Nam and the United States.