City Mayor And Immigration Minister Welcome International Students To Wellington

The Mayor of Wellington City, Celia Wade Brown and Immigration Minister, the Honourable Michael Woodhouse will present at an event to welcome international students to Wellington on the 27- and 28th of February. The event will be held at Wellington town hall and international students from around the Wellington region will be attending.

Education is one of New Zealand’s top five export industries, contributing approximately $2.3 billion to the New Zealand economy each year and supporting 32,000 jobs.

The event highlights Wellington’s commitment to its international students who will be welcomed by Whitireia Kapa Haka group. Presentations will be given by NZ police and international student alumni.

“Wellington hosts around 6000 international students per year with direct economic impact to the region in the order of $160m.” says Education Wellington manager Matthew Steele.

“While this is a significant number, Wellington has the potential to host many more students. This is a world-class destination for international students with very high quality secondary and tertiary institutions and a lifestyle that is second to none. Apart from an economic contribution International students contribute significantly to the cultural diversity that Wellingtonians value so highly about their region”

As well as welcoming students the event will also see the launch of the Immigration New Zealand new website NZ Study and Work. This site is aimed at both employees and students with a practical focus on rights and responsibilities as well as potential career pathways for students after study.

The event is being supported by WCC, Grow Wellington’s Education Wellington programme, Immigration NZ’s Settlement, Protection and Attraction Division, and Education NZ.

ENDS

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