New Zealand may have only eight universities, but by working together, they’ve helped position the country as an enticing option for international students seeking a quality education with the chance to migrate. With an election approaching and a national international education strategy in the works, Universities New Zealand is working to ensure it stays that way, says executive director Chris Whelan.
The PIE: What does Universities New Zealand do?
CW: We’re the peak body for the New Zealand university sector, made up of eight universities. Our roles are one, quality assurance; two, coordination – we have a whole range of committees, made up by the different universities; and three, we act as a kind of interface between universities and the government.
The PIE: As New Zealand moves towards a new international education strategy, what would you like to see included in that strategy?
CW: We have three key priorities for the country’s international engagement strategy. The first is to continue to focus on attracting genuine, high quality students seeking a great education from our universities. We also want to see increased outward student and staff mobility, to grow their capability and connections in international settings. And we want to continue to grow opportunities for research collaboration with comparable international institutions.
The PIE: Are those the same issues you want to see politicians prioritising in the run up to this year’s election?
CW: New Zealand has been experiencing record migration, which has put some pressure on housing and infrastructure. Unfortunately, these issues have been conflated into a populist policy to dampen skilled migration which has unintentional impacts on genuine, high-quality international student migration.
“Unfortunately, these issues have been conflated into a populist policy to dampen skilled migration”
Given the wide-ranging economic and social benefits of attracting and retaining international students, Universities New Zealand is encouraging the government to continue to welcome high-quality international students and to focus on the high entry standards already in place. We also want to see many of these students remain here after graduation as valued migrants, filling skills gaps and contributing to our economy and society.
The PIE: Are you concerned about the impact recent changes to migrant visas might have on the international education sector?
CW: We are concerned about the impact, given market sensitivity to immigration policy changes, as seen in America, Britain and now Australia. We’re particularly concerned by the introduction of a salary threshold to be met by early career graduates. We’re discussing these concerns with government.
The PIE: You talked about filling skills gaps – is that the thinking behind offering subsidised fees to international PhD students?
CW: Yes, so for PhDs, we are unusual in that we give international students domestic fees. That’s a real point of difference for us – to the point that about half of our PhD students are now international students.
“Five years out, about 30% of international students are living and working in New Zealand”
We as a country rely on being able to attract very bright, young people from around the world to come and live and work in New Zealand. And we know that five years out, about 30% of international students are living and working in New Zealand. So that’s incredibly important for us.
The PIE: Are there initiatives happening at the regional level to attract that talent?
CW: Yes, one area where that’s happening is in Wellington, where the Chamber of Commerce is desperately keen to see more skilled migrants and international students, so they’re looking at running things like employment certification courses. Local businesses are offering internships to international students offering courses in how to live and work in New Zealand [the Work Ready in Wellington program]. It’s really fantastic to see local government, businesses and the university sector working together.
The PIE: Is the opportunity to stay and work a major draw for international students?
CW: Yes, exactly. We can’t pay often the salary rates of other countries when it comes to say academic staff, but we are extremely good at simply offering lifestyle, and we get a lot of academics who want to come and raise their families in a safe, clean and green country. So we’re very lucky in that where we exist in the world is very attractive to both staff and students.
“The words students thought best describe New Zealand: ‘green’, ‘friendly’, ‘welcoming’”
It’s a big part of our brand. We talk pretty regularly to international students about what their experience is like and I was looking at a word map a while ago from a focus group of students from Indonesia, who were giving the words they thought best describe New Zealand. The biggest word was ‘green’, the second largest was ‘friendly’; words like ‘sunny’, ‘welcoming’, ‘lovely’ – exactly the kind of things you want people to think about your country.
The PIE: Does that kind of data gathering help you to position yourself as a destination?
CW: We think so. We contend with countries like the UK, which has such a large reputation globally, everyone knows its universities. But our universities are small enough that all the universities work together, and we work with government as well, to make sure we’ve got a pretty compelling product.
The PIE: Are there particular regions universities are targeting for international student recruitment?
CW: We’re very aware that we are part of the Asia Pacific region, and the less air links there are, the less likely students are to seriously consider you as a study destination. So we’re very focused on Asia: China, Vietnam are key markets. But we also get a lot of US students because we’re safe, we have an interesting geography – we get a lot of students interested in geology, for example.
The PIE: And is India a large market too?
CW: Yes. We have a big Indian community in New Zealand, though only a small number of students from India study at the university level, and interestingly, most – 83% – are studying at postgraduate level.
“We hope that the market can differentiate between New Zealand universities and these rogue operators”
A lot of Indian students are keen to come and explore living in New Zealand, so we’re very focused on giving students good advice about how to land the best jobs either in New Zealand or at home.
The PIE: Are you concerned about the reputational impact on universities of the deportations of some Indian students last year?
CW: Universities weren’t involved in any of this fraudulent behaviour. We are, however, always concerned that the unscrupulous behaviour of a small minority of sub-degree providers may damage New Zealand’s wider reputation as a high quality study destination. We hope that the market can differentiate between New Zealand universities and these rogue operators. These issues don’t appear to have had an impact on recruitment, as we’ve seen a further increase in international student numbers this year.
Universities are pleased that government acted last year to halt the use of short, sub-degree level courses, offered by a few rogue for-profit providers, being used as a back door route to gain residency, especially by Indian nationals.
It’s important to note that all eight universities have stringent measures in place to ensure students have the necessary financial resources, English language skills, academic background and the potential to succeed in their studies. The universities also work closely with their agents and have good relationships and training to ensure they appreciate our robust standards and strong ethical environment.
