International students welcomed to Auckland city

MEDIA RELEASE

3 March 2004

International students welcomed to Auckland city

Nearly 2000 new international students who have chosen to study in Auckland city were welcomed by Auckland’s Deputy Mayor David Hay at two civic ceremonies at Auckland’s Town Hall today.

The students, who will be studying at high schools, language schools, private training establishments and tertiary institutions across the city, experienced a powhiri and kapahaka as part of the civic welcome.

“Auckland is a fantastic place for international students to take advantage of our world class education system and great way of life,” said Mr Hay.

“In turn, international students help to make Auckland a cosmopolitan and vibrant city to live in.”

Auckland City works closely with partners like Study Auckland, schools, universities and tertiary education institutions to ensure the level of international education in Auckland grows in a sustainable way.

“We take a strategic view of the international education industry to ensure that it continues to be an important growth sector of the Auckland economy,” said Councillor Mark Donnelly, chairperson of the council’s Strategy and Governance Committee.

“To achieve this, we recognise that the quality of the student experience must be of the highest standard and that this includes both the academic and social experiences students have,” he said.

Over the past few years the international education industry has seen phenomenal growth.

International education is a $1.7 billion industry for New Zealand, $900 million of which is estimated to go into Auckland’s economy.

“At the moment, we are seeing a consolidation in the international education sector in Auckland,” said Mr Donnelly.

“This was predicted as a normal path for the industry in a report commissioned last year by Auckland City from Infometrics Consulting entitled ‘International students – their impact on Auckland City’.”

“It is positive because we are seeing increasing professionalism, student support and reduced exposure to risk in the industry.”

Ends

Study Auckland
Study Auckland represents all schools, tertiary institutions and private education providers who enrol international students in the Auckland region. It is part funded by Auckland City and Manukau City, and is a division of Tourism Auckland.

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