New Zealand

Less than half of language schools worldwide said their enrolments grew in the second quarter of 2012 compared with last year, according to the latest language travel survey from the Association of Language Travel Organisations (ALTO). Inversely, business was up for agents with 45% reporting growth over 41%.

All English language students studying in the Canterbury region of New Zealand will now be able to work part-time to supplement their income, as the NZ government moves to shore up the local industry, which suffered a 37% decline in business last year. Industry operators strongly endorsed the decision.

Auckland, New Zealand, has unveiled an ambitious plan to attract more international students by 2025, elevating its status as New Zealand’s number-one study destination. It is keen to take a cross-sectoral partnership approach in building the city’s appeal, which fits with NZ’s wider growth plans for the industry.

Education New Zealand has published its latest international education manifesto, in light of its bid to raise NZ$5 billion in international education revenue by 2025. It has unveiled plans for a new brand image, greater focus on educational outcome, welfare and a drive to build education agent loyalty.

Authorities in New Zealand have uncovered immigration fraud in 279 Chinese student visa applications through routine random sampling of student visa applications through Immigration New Zealand’s Beijing branch. Two agencies are thought to be the source; some students already identified in the Auckland area.

In a bid to boost international numbers, New Zealand has agreed to speed up visa processing – but only if prospective students use government endorsed agents. From the end of July, international students who use a New Zealand Specialist Agent (NZSA) will have their visa applications processed within 10 working days, as opposed to 30 days.

A landmark statement on ethical recruitment by education agencies has been issued by four countries: the UK, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. While the Statement of Principles will largely be used for informing best practice and has no actual policy ramifications, the fact that four countries have agreed on quality principles for education agencies is in itself quite a milestone.

New Zealand’s tertiary education minister, Steven Joyce, is visiting the Gulf states of Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to raise New Zealand’s profile as an international study destination. He will also support education companies as he meets with local ministers and attends IECHE, a major international education fair in Saudi Arabia.

New Zealand announced yesterday that it is scrapping the requirement for international students to have full medicals from July. They will only need to be screened for tuberculosis. Immigration Minister Nathan Guy says it will save potential migrants NZ$17 million a year and help attract low-risk, high-value students.

In New Zealand, the Joint Council of Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) and Whitireia Community Polytechnic, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Whitireia NZ Ltd., has agreed to take over all students and courses of Computer Power NZ Ltd. The three-campus IT training provider is in liquidation.

International student enrollment fell by 37% last year in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, due to the fallout of the earthquakes. However, across the rest of the country, numbers increased by 6%, resulting in a decrease of just 0.5% nationwide for 2011. The government will spend NZ$5 million helping rebuild the industry in Christchurch.

Whitireia New Zealand, a government-owned tertiary training institution with multiple campuses, has been chosen by the Korean government to offer training in hospitality and tourism to up to 40 Korean students. The scholarships also include English language training...

New Zealand will be the featured country at ExpoBelta 2012, a major Brazilian education fair to be held in São Paulo in March.

The inflow of “new” international students – those applying for a visa for the first time – to New Zealand has slowed considerably since 2008/9. The total number of first time student visa applicants grew rapidly from 27,337 in 2005/6 to 41,702 in 2008/9, but fell to 38,345 in 2009/10. It grew only slightly to 38,561 this year.

Immigration New Zealand’s Chief Executive, Nigel Bickle, has been talking of his desire to improve visa issuance for international students in a bid to remain competitive with other international study destinations and grow the country’s market share. Visa application centres are also being planned in China and Hong Kong, while one opened in Mumbai, India […]