The PIE: There has been a lot of press about the negative impact the Christchurch earthquakes and economic crisis have had on New Zealand’s ability to attract students, how has AUT fared?

“The events in Christchurch definitely haven’t had an impact on us”

FL: It’s interesting, people talk about New Zealand having a hard time. The earthquakes were in Christchurch which is a long way from us. It’s like saying earthquakes in Glasgow affected London. It did not impact on Auckland at all. Our numbers have grown steadily each year. So the events in Christchurch definitely haven’t had an impact on us. Christchurch is going to surge ahead. The rebuild is in progress. It’s a beautiful city and it’s a fantastic place to study.

The PIE: Auckland receives about 70% of all international students doesn’t it?

FL: Yes, we have a very strong international student hub in the centre of the city. Two of the universities are located in Auckland, and three academic colleges which are feeders for higher education, are located in the city centre. There’s a significant student hub there and it’s exciting.

The PIE: Where does AUT sit in the field of New Zealand HE?

FL: AUT is the second largest in New Zealand. It’s a comprehensive university that’s very strong in business, health sciences, engineering. Student mobility is one of our key strategic objectives. We’re very small right now and we’re looking to grow this inbound and outbound mobility significantly.

The PIE: Would you say there’s healthy competition between you and the other university in Auckland?

“There are exciting times ahead and the support from Education New Zealand is fantastic. Long may it continue”

FL: Yes. We’re two very different universities. One is research driven and AUT positions itself as a university for the changing world. We teach new disciplines for emerging growth opportunities for young students. For example, we merge  communications, design, animation and computer science together to offer a degree in creative technologies.

The PIE: What’s next for the sector in New Zealand?

FL: We have tremendous support from Eduction New Zealand which we’re excited about and we can only see growth going forward. What’s happened is that the various areas of the government have finally come together to work as a unit.

You’ve got immigration, you’ve got tourism, you’ve got education. It can only strengthen. These immigration policy changes are an example of how all areas of government can work together to achieve the best possible outcomes for New Zealand. And we’re growing transnational education more and also offshore delivery of products and services. There are exciting times ahead and the support from Education New Zealand is fantastic. Long may it continue.