5 August 2024 at 4:00 pm

Education New Zealand targets $4.4 billion by 2027

Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) today announced its plan to grow the international education sector over the next three years. The strategy, which aims to build the economic contribution of international education to $4.4 billion by 2027, focuses on growing and diversifying the number of international students studying in New Zealand. 

“International education has made a good start to its recovery with more than 69,000 enrolments in the first full academic year since borders reopened and universities returning to 86% of pre-pandemic numbers,” said ENZ Acting Chief Executive Dr Linda Sissons today. 

“The government has a goal of doubling the value of export earnings in ten years and international education has its part to play.” 

“In the first year of the strategy the focus is putting additional investment into markets we have identified with growth potential. These include India, Viet Nam, and the Philippines, and some specific sectors within markets like Japan and Thailand. We need to start now to grow awareness of New Zealand in these markets if we are to achieve our growth targets. Moving forward, we will continue to seek growth through diversifying markets while maintaining our strength in traditional markets such as China and India.” 

 “As a small agency with a finite budget, ENZ needs to be very smart and maximise every opportunity for New Zealand,” said Dr Sissons.  “We look to use the potential of Scale, Impact, and Leverage as the measuring rods for everything we do, as we commit to the Government’s Export Double goal”. 

The strategy is the result of extensive consultation with the international education sectors, partner Government agencies and comes on the back of a productive 12 months for Education New Zealand. 

In the past 12 months Education New Zealand student attraction activities have delivered: 

  • More than two million visits to the Study with New Zealand website 

  • Added more than 69,000 prospective students to its database 

  • More than 22,000 individuals have made enquiries to providers regarding study 

  • Our business-to-business activities targeting education agents delivered 33 webinars to over 1,800 participants 

  • 18 in-country events delivered in five countries (Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, China) 

  • The New Zealand International Education Conference KI TUA 2023 to 599 delegates 

  • 50 new indigenous to indigenous networks and partnerships 

  • Sector satisfaction with ENZ topped 77% 

ENZ’s offshore team provides significant support to overseas visits by representatives of the international education sector and the New Zealand government, building and deepening relationships said Dr Sissons. In 2024 this included a visit by representatives of all New Zealand Universities to India in February, and ENZ supporting the education component of the Prime Ministerial Trade Missions to Southeast Asia and Japan.  

The agency also supports education visits to New Zealand. Very recently this included the visit of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, which included China’s Education Minister Huai Jinpeng.   

It was the second visit by Minister Huai to New Zealand in ten months, and highlighted the strong momentum our bilateral education relationship. In 2023 ENZ also delivered the Prime Minister’s Scholarships to Asia and Latin America (PMSA/LA) which sees New Zealanders travel internationally for learning experiences and administers the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship programme for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). The Manaaki Scholarships offers scholarships to eligible citizens from developing countries to study at a New Zealand education institution or university or at a Pacific university.  

In 2023 these important programmes have awarded: 

  • 118 individual PMSA/LA scholarships  

  • 20 group PMSA/LA scholarships  

  • NZIEC KI TUA 2023 delivered with 599 delegates 

  • 861 Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships awarded 

“I am very pleased and proud of the results the team at Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao has delivered alongside the sector. We have more to do,” said Dr Sissons.


For further information:   

Justin Barnett | Director of Communications, Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao    

justin.barnett@enz.govt.nz

+64 21 875 132 

About Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) https://www.enz.govt.nz/     

ENZ is the government agency dedicated to helping Aotearoa New Zealand realise the social, cultural, and economic benefits of international education. Our role is to promote New Zealand as a high-quality education destination offering excellent education and student experiences and to encourage New Zealand students to study overseas.  

With approximately 105 staff in 16 locations around the world, ENZ works closely with New Zealand’s diverse education sector which includes schools, English language providers, Private Training Establishments, Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (Te Pūkenga), and universities. Internationally, we work with a range of education stakeholders, including government agencies and education providers to identify and encourage sustainable growth opportunities for New Zealand’s education sector.    

 

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