19 June 2002

Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education) Steve Maharey, and Rimutaka MP Paul Swain announced today that the Heretaunga campus, located in Upper Hutt, is to become a multi-campus education facility for the education of international students.

The Heretaunga campus will be renamed the New Zealand International Campus. An anchor tenancy has been negotiated with Campus Group Holdings. Campus Group expects to have 1,000 international students on the campus within the next two years but has estimated that the campus could climb beyond 5,000 in the longer term.

“The Government wants to talk with prospective tenants that are willing to take up the challenge of making the New Zealand International Campus a success,” said Steve Maharey.

“The size and nature of the campus lends itself to having more than one tertiary provider on it. In addition to Campus Group Holdings a cluster of local tertiary providers had earlier expressed interest in teaching international students on the campus and the model agreed between Campus Group and the Government provides plenty of scope and potential for other tertiary education providers to come onto the campus.

“The international student market is strategically important. The New Zealand International Campus is well placed to play a role in growing the attractiveness of New Zealand as a destination for international students. International students currently contribute more than $1 billion annually to the New Zealand economy and the government wants to grow this contribution in a sustainable way,” Steve Maharey said.

Rimutaka MP Paul Swain said his aim was to ensure that the Heretaunga campus, which is a valuable Crown asset, is put to good use.

“Securing a sustainable long-term future use for the campus was an important issue for Upper Hutt.

“I am delighted that a win-win outcome has been achieved for both the city and the government. Developing the campus into a facility for the education of international students provides a positive strategic focus for the continuing economic development of Upper Hutt,” Paul Swain said.

The Heretaunga campus was vacated by the Wellington Institute of Technology on 28 February 2002, following it merger with the Central Institute of Technology in July last year. Campus Group Holdings have been operating on the campus, in a trial mode, teaching English to students from Chosun University, Korea, since March 2002. The detail of the lease with Campus Group will include that, as its focus is solely on international students, it will not be eligible for government funding to educate New Zealand students.

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