Wellington popular with international students

Wellington is fast coming the number one destination for international students heading to New Zealand.

Recent figures show that the number of international students who enrolled to study in NZ’s capital grew by 12 per cent between January and August 2016, compared to 10 per cent in Auckland and 9 per cent nationally.

The data reveals that Wellington secondary schools saw their international student intake increase by 29 per cent, polytechs saw a 16 per cent increase, and university enrolments were up by 6 per cent.

One of the main reasons for the capital’s success in attracting international students can be put down to the Wellington International Student Growth Programme. This is a multi-year initiative designed to increase the amount of international fee-paying students in the region. Through the programme, some of Wellington’s major lifestyle advantages are promoted overseas. Namely an affordable lifestyle, part-time work opportunities and smaller immigrant communities.

The Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (Wreda) is one of a number of agencies involved in delivering the programme.

Wreda chief executive Chris Whelan said that the programme, founded in 2015, has engaged over 100 agents with links to 12 countries in its first year, to increase their awareness of Wellington’s education offering.

In total, international students contributed about $198m to the Wellington regional economy in the 2015-16 financial year.

Article published 28th February 2017