Responding to the announcement of a Government target to double international students' contribution to the economy, ACT Tertiary Education spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar says:

"Tweaks to visa rules and a new marketing campaign might entice some students. But if we are serious about hitting the Government's target, universities will need to improve their offerings.

"With countless other countries vying for their money, New Zealand needs to work hard to stand out. But currently, only the University of Auckland makes the top 100 in the QS world rankings.

"Our universities must ensure they are offering education that is globally relevant. But we've seen New Zealand universities become increasingly inward and Treaty-obsessed.

"We have to ask the question, why would someone come here from Korea or China to be forced to study local indigenous traditions, and to participate in bizarre rituals that offer no relevance to their careers abroad?

"Compulsory Treaty courses, the creep of tikanga into science and law, exclusionary study spaces, and race-based opportunities all send the wrong message to would-be students.

"We need less pandering to local politics and more focus on excellence. Less woke, more world-class. We must decide: do we want to be a serious player in international education or a navel-gazing backwater?

"Ultimately what international students want is a world-class university experience. That is what they pay for. Unlike local students, international students pay full fees –tens of thousands of dollars a year. They effectively subsidise the university system for everyone else, and we should respect their intelligence."

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