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ENZ responds to international education commentary on NBR
ENZ Acting Chief Executive Dr Linda Sissons rebuts an economics commentary published on National Business Review (NBR) on Monday 25 March 2024. The rebuttal is published here on NBR and is reproduced below.

In response to your piece “International education: wrong horse to back for export growth?” my answer to the question is a hard “no”. Here’s why.

Students are returning to New Zealand. In the first eight months of 2023 international student enrolments topped 59,000 with all sectors experiencing growth except wānanga. Accepting that it is from a low base, comparing 2023 to 2022, Universities have bounced back strongly reporting a 15% increase from 24,040 to 27,535.

It is true that we have not yet returned to 2019 numbers. In my opinion, this is not a bad thing. During the pandemic years the sector lost people and capability. The recent moves of some of our competitors tell you what a sudden return to those numbers of students brings.

I want to address your correspondent’s concerns about the lack of a plan and competition within amongst universities. There is a plan. The New Zealand International Education Strategy, revised in 2022 in discussion with the sector and across Government, sets out the plan to develop a high-value, resilient and innovative education sector for both international and domestic students.

I can also assure you that the sector is working together to achieve its goals, that all eight universities participated in a recent ENZ-led delegation to India, is just one example of the co-operation.

International education is more than universities. In the first eight months of 2023 English Language Schools saw the greatest percentage increase in international enrolments, increasing by 347% from 1,565 to 7,001. Schools reported a 114% increase from 5,925 to 12,662. NZIST Te Pūkenga, a 32% increase from 4,955 to 6,560 and Private Training Establishments (funded and unfunded), a 13% increase from 5,000 to 5,671.

Immigration New Zealand tell us that international student visa applications for all forms of study have increased by about 20 per cent in the peak application period. Between 1 October 2023 and 8 March 2024, they received over 31,800 applications for an international student visa.

Today we have a base of international students in the country and the pipeline for the coming academic year has strong growth.

Our own research shows that the experience international students have while studying in New Zealand is a good one. In our Student Experience survey of 4,755 international students from more than 70 nationalities, 84 percent rated their overall experience positively, while another 83 percent said they would recommend New Zealand as a study destination.

When these students return to their home, and 75% of international students return home after three years, they will be our word-of-mouth advocates – an advocacy we didn’t have during the COVID years.

New Zealanders also appreciate the benefits of international students. In an ENZ survey of 1,100 New Zealanders conducted in December last year, 75 percent of respondents believe that international students benefit New Zealand. The Ipsos Fast Facts survey, which drew responses from all regions of the country, saw 80 percent of respondents highlighting economic benefits, particularly in local communities, as a key reason for their positive view.

The results of the 2023 survey highlighted the continuing growth in support for international students and their positive impact on New Zealand since 2016 when only 57 percent believed international students helped the New Zealand economy and economic growth.

We have students in New Zealand; a strong pipeline; students having a positive experience and advocating for New Zealand; and New Zealanders appreciating the benefits having of them in our communities.

International education is highly competitive. Your correspondent rightly recognises that there are new competitors emerging and Singapore is a good example. We’ve also seen countries like South Korea, a core market for New Zealand, become competitors.

This is not new. We have, and will always have, to compete to attract international students to New Zealand – that they are returning tells me our reputation is good and we remain an attractive option.

Globally the number of international students has grown significantly over the past two decades from around two million in 1998 to over 6.4 million in 2020, according to UNESCO data. New Zealand only needs a very small proportion of what is effectively a supply-driven market to return to pre-pandemic levels of economic contribution and value.

While I am confident that international education is not the “wrong horse”, achieving double the export earnings is going to require a lot of hard work and there is much to do. My point is, that in less than two years since the borders reopened in August 2022, the recovery has well and truly commenced, the progress made to date is significant, and as a sector we can be rightly proud of what we have achieved together.

Linda Sissons

Acting Chief Executive, Education New Zealand
Pakistani student leverages language skills to connect communities

Fluent in Punjabi, Urdu, and English, and passionate about community service, Usma soon became a key player working to support and connect ethnic communities in Christchurch.

So extensive have her achievements been, that she has been honoured by the university with a coveted Blues Award for community engagement, and by the Christchurch City Council with a Civic Award.

Usma arrived in New Zealand in late 2016 and gave birth to her third child shortly after arriving. “It gave me the time I needed to assess society here, and I realised the value that was placed on volunteer work.”

New Zealand values transferable skills

“My background was in teaching and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) instruction. I did teach here when I first arrived, but it was not fulfilling enough,” she says. “I needed to think what other skills I had to offer in an area of work I was passionate about. New Zealand is not a destination of degrees, it is a destination of skills, where whatever transferable skills you have to offer, are valued.”

She initially got involved in UC’s Pakistani Student Association, planning events which quickly extended beyond the student community. “I got great feedback from the wider community and different ethnic groups started coming along. People from these communities were looking for connectivity and involvement and it ended up being a multi-cultural hub.”

She admits it was not without challenges, but she was determined. “I was an international student, a woman, a mother of a special needs child, and I was working. But I managed my time. I enjoy doing volunteer work and it comes naturally.”

In her second year at Uni, she secured a role as a Diversity and Engagement Officer with the Ministry of Ethnic Communities and juggled both study and work. It was in this role that she became involved in the Government response following the Christchurch mosque attack in 2019.

Frontline worker following mosque attack

“I was one of the frontline workers dealing with victims and those left behind. Some of my colleagues were victims,” she says. “It was a difficult time. I had never had any exposure to such an event, or what the aftermath might be like. Hearing the stories, and being part of it, are totally different things.”

“I’m very proud of my work and found it very rewarding. I discovered my strengths and weaknesses and learned how much I had to offer. I could speak with many of the widows in the Muslim community in their own language, understand their needs, and advocate on their behalf. I learned how to deliver the key messages to the government agencies involved in the response and formed a link between the two groups.”

“The migrant communities have so much resilience and I believe that every disaster brings opportunity to come together, to heal, and to grow.”

Usma went on to become involved in Widows of Shuhada – an eight-part Plains FM/RNZ podcast documentary series which followed the journey of four widows following the attack.

Soon after, Covid-19 arrived in New Zealand and Usma worked on engagement with local ethnic communities, translating the Government’s messages and communicating them through a range of digital channels.

Tapping into the skills of international students

But she didn’t stop there. Usma was also influential in Christchurch’s Ethnic Communities Skills Build Programme, a project designed to smooth the pathway of migrants and international students into employment in New Zealand.

International students could join in workshops, meet career counsellors and job brokers from the Ministry of Social Development, reshape their CVs, and attend job fairs.

“I believe we need to tap into the high-level skills of post-graduate international students. We need to progress them in the right direction, utilising their skills in science, technology, and innovation.”

As for her own career, Usma could not be happier. She has secured a full-time role as a policy analyst at the Ministry of Primary Industries in Wellington and has taken a step back from her volunteer work to focus on completing her PhD this year.

She is grateful for the opportunity to study in New Zealand and to bring her family with her. Her husband is working, her children are happy, and her special needs daughter has opportunities she wouldn’t have had in Pakistan.

Usma still acts as a mentor for international students and tells them if they are to make the most of their time in New Zealand, they should “think outside the box”.

“They should think about the skills they have to offer in the community, and they will be rewarded with a transformative experience. Leaving behind the social constraints of your home country can be liberating. It’s all about following your dream.”

Usma says she’s already landed her dream job, but she plans to continue her community work once she has completed her PhD.

“I believe it is my contribution to this country and I love doing it. I’m not likely to stop. I’m just settling in, finishing my PhD, and getting ready for something big. I have ambitious plans.”
Great Air NZ packages for international students
“Fly to Celebrate Graduation” is a special offer open to Chinese students and their families (up to four people including the student) flying back to Auckland for their graduation ceremony. When booking, they’ll need to show their graduation letters.
The offer, which can only be booked in China through the Air New Zealand China Travel Centre (call 0400 101 8080), is for sale from 1 July till 10 September for travel between 25 August and 20 September 2013.
The package’s return economy fare, CNY 5500, is up to 20 percent cheaper than a normal fare.
A second package – “explorerPASS” - gives US and Canadian students travelling to New Zealand on Air New Zealand an easy and cost-effective way to travel within New Zealand and also visit Australia and the Pacific Islands on the same trip.
For more information on how this pass works and terms and conditions please visit the website.
The pass is on sale till 31 December 2013 for travel starting on or before 30 June 2014.
New Zealand education in the spotlight in India
The three-day annual event, held from September 4–6, is the leading platform for discussion and dialogue on India’s skills challenges, and some 600 delegates participated, including more than 20 delegates from 12 New Zealand institutions.
In addition to maximum brand exposure as the country partner, and several speaking opportunities for New Zealand industry leaders, ENZ participated in a wide range of activities and events to build awareness of New Zealand’s expertise in skills, including launching a knowledge paper entitled: “Opportunities in India-New Zealand Skills Partnership”, that was launched by Indian Minister for Human Resource Development Dr Pallam Raju, pictured below, who visited New Zealand in July.
A roundtable meeting was also held for New Zealand delegates with Mrs Radha Chauhan (Joint Secretary – Ministry of Human Resource Development) and Mr RCM Reddy (Chairman – FICCI Skills Development Forum and CEO IL&FS Skills) – who jointly led the Indian skills delegation to New Zealand in April this year. Other members of the Indian delegation and significant partners joined the roundtable to do a stocktake of progress since the April visit and follow up on areas for further collaboration.
Other events at the Summit included a business-to-business session that enabled nine New Zealand institutions to showcase their strengths to more than 70 potential Indian partners for business development opportunities. There was strong interest in what New Zealand had to offer and the institutions have decided to take a collaborative approach to exploring this further, with ENZ support in India.
In the same week as the Summit, ENZ also hosted a successful series of New Zealand Education Fairs in Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi and Chandigarh to promote New Zealand as a student destination. All fairs received good turnout from potential students, attracted participation from several New Zealand educational institutions and resulted in comprehensive media coverage.
In Bangalore, the presence of former Black Cap Chris Cairns as an Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Brand Ambassador attracted a lot of attention!
ENZ also invited NZ Inc partners such as Tourism New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand, New Zealand apple promoters, Zespri and ANZ Bank to participate in the events. Overall feedback from New Zealand institutions was positive with many specifically commenting on the higher quality of students who attended the fairs this year compared to previous years.
Activity in India
Shopping mall campaign
Crowds flock to the shopping malls to avoid the summer heat and monsoon rains, and through the use of highly branded booths and several promoters we were able to connect with India’s growing middle class in these key metros.
The shopping mall promotion coincided with our digital campaign in India, and secured more than 1,000 campaign registrations across both venues.
Whitireia opens new office

Whitireia New Zealand announced the opening of its Bangalore office in India in July, adding to its existing office in New Delhi which opened in 2012.
Whitireia aims to use the new Bangalore office to service its key stakeholders in South India, as well as developing new relationships. The office will support Whitireia’s strategy to grow student numbers and business development opportunities in South India.
New Zealand High Commissioner Grahame Morton and Education New Zealand’s Regional Director South and South East Asia Ziena Jalil officiated at the ribbon cutting and plaque unveiling ceremony. Gavin Young, Trade Commissioner-Mumbai was also present at the occasion. The office opening was followed by an agent briefing session, a media round table and a networking reception. There has been significant media coverage of the opening.
“We are delighted to see the establishment of a southern Indian presence for yet another New Zealand education institution and we commend Whitireia on this move.
"Education New Zealand is committed to growing the number of students New Zealand receives from south India and seeing the active participation of our institutions in this market it is an excellent endorsement of that goal,” said Ziena.
New appointments in South and South East Asia
Including some new roles to support the existing and potential opportunities the region offers New Zealand education providers.
“The SSEA region accounts for around a quarter of all international students in New Zealand and offers significant export education opportunities as well. It is home to two of ENZ’s three tier one markets and our fastest growing market this year – India,” says Peter Bull, General Manager International.
Peter says the new appointments will increase the depth of in-market expertise in marketing, business development and government relations, as well as ensure strong coordination with NZ Inc agencies and the education sector in New Zealand.
Following the appointment of Ziena Jalil, as Regional Director – SSEA from 1 July, the latest additions to the region include:
Sarah Stabler has been appointed Lead – Public Relations/Marketing (SSEA). This is a new role and aims to provide stronger marketing and PR expertise and leadership in the region to increase awareness of New Zealand as a study destination and to lead the delivery of ENZ PR and marketing activity. Sarah is currently Senior Director at PR agency Baldwin Boyle Shand in Singapore and has more than 16 years of PR and marketing experience in South East Asia. Sarah is based in Singapore.
Grant Fuller has been contracted as a Senior Advisor to work on a specific project with ENZ in-market staff and the Business Development team in New Zealand to develop a strategy for realising the many business development opportunities that the region offers. Grant is a former New Zealand Trade Commissioner to Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore and has considerable in-market experience.
Jugnu Roy has been appointed Lead – Events (SSEA). In this role, Jugnu will provide leadership to ENZ’s SSEA marketing staff on developing and implementing an events strategy which supports New Zealand institutional needs. Jugnu has most recently been ENZ’s Marketing and Strategic Relations Manager for South Asia and will continue to perform this function while taking on leadership for regional events as well. Jugnu is based in New Delhi.
Francesca Hilbron has been appointed Lead – International Market Manager, South and South East Asia, Japan and Korea. Francesca’s role provides the conduit between ENZ in-market staff and New Zealand strategic relationships. It also provides leadership for activities such as Ministerial missions and bilateral meetings. Francesca has most recently been ENZ’s International Market Manager for South Asia, Japan and Korea and brings useful NZ Inc experience to the role, having also worked for Immigration New Zealand. Francesca is based in Wellington.
Johnny Tramoundanas-Can has been appointed International Market Manager, South East Asia and reports to Francesca Hilbron. Johnny has joined ENZ from the Tertiary Education Commission where he was most recently Private Secretary in Minister Joyce’s office. Johnny is based in Wellington.
In addition, ENZ will shortly be recruiting for another new role – Marketing and Strategic Relations Manager Malaysia, to be based in Kuala Lumpur.
“Malaysia is a very important market for New Zealand given the high value of students who come from there. However, recent changes in-market have meant that our student numbers are down. This role will play an important function in strengthening in-market relationships and strongly driving awareness for New Zealand in this key market,” says Ziena Jalil, ENZ Regional Director SSEA.
“There are exciting times ahead for the South and South East Asia team, with ASEAN 2015 commemorations and the Cricket World Cup coming up, among many other activities. Our team is determined to ensure we make the most of these opportunities for New Zealand’s education sector,” says Ziena.
For further information on ENZ plans for SSEA please contact Ziena Jalil at: ziena.jalil@enz.govt.nz
Competition winners announced South and South East Asia
The first competition was open to SSEA students from selected institutions currently pursuing undergraduate programmes in business, marketing and/or related disciplines. Students were asked to submit a 12 month marketing strategy that would promote New Zealand as an education destination in their own country.
ENZ is pleased to announce that five entries – two from Viet Nam and one each from India, Indonesia and Malaysia have won all-expenses paid four-week internships in New Zealand. The interns will arrive in New Zealand between July and September.
The winners and their hosting New Zealand institutions are:
Viet Nam
Pham Phuong Lan going to Academic Colleges Group
Nguyen Hoai Thuong going to Palmerston North Girls High School
India
Armeet Narang going to Avondale College
Indonesia
Edo Dwi Prayogo going to the University of Auckland
Malaysia
Kong Kah Weng going to Choose New Zealand Education Alliance
The second competition was targeted at secondary school students in South East Asia only, with the aim of prompting them to research what it would be like to live and learn in New Zealand. The students each submitted a 700-word essay demonstrating their take on the theme of ‘Think New: Think New Zealand’. ENZ received some outstanding entries across all four target markets. The winning essays (listed below) were all published in top-tier media publications.
Malaysia
Nur Afiqah Azizan - essay published in The New Straits Times (Learning Curve)
Indonesia
Siti Hajar Saskia Putri - essay published in Hai! and CosmoGIRL! magazines
Thailand
Sirinut Talpraderm - essay published in The Bangkok Post (Student Weekly)
Vietnam
Nguyễn Thúy An - essay published on Kenh14.vn
We’ll follow up with the students and their host institutions during their time in New Zealand and keep you posted as to their experiences.
Introducing ENZ’s new Board member, Victoria Spackman
Victoria is Chief Executive, Director and co-owner of the screen and visitor experience company, the Gibson Group. You can read Victoria’s bio here but E-News put a few questions her way when she was in the office last week.
How did you come to know about the world of international education?
I worked with Education New Zealand on a Mandarin language TV series called Dragons in a Distant Land, which was all about Chinese students studying in New Zealand. The series was launched by the Prime Minister in Beijing in April 2013 during the celebrations of the 40-year relationship between China and New Zealand, and screened on several TV channels around China.
What interests you about the sector?
I am particularly interested in the fact that there are so many advantages to be had from a well-functioning international education system – advantages to the students visiting NZ, to the NZ students they learn with, to the schools and other providers, and to the wider economies in both NZ and, potentially, in the country that the student is from. The strong personal and professional connections that are made through international education can help fuel lifelong relationships and opportunities.
What excites you most about your appointment to the Board?
I’m looking forward to the opportunity to help the sector grow and help New Zealand take full advantage of its strong international educational reputation.
What challenges do you expect to face?
New Zealand is not the only country competing for international students and we are not the best resourced or the most famous. So we have to differentiate ourselves and help what New Zealand has to offer stand out. My personal challenges will include understanding the complex ecology of the sector as quickly as I can so I can make a full contribution.
What parts of your study/work/life experience do you think is most relevant to your role on the Board?
I started my school life in the UK and, although I don’t think about it much, I expect that it has impacted on the person I am very much. The company I own has pushed into several new export markets in recent years, including China, the US and Denmark. The experience of persisting to reach those goals has taught me a lot about exporting and doing so in challenging markets. I hope that that experience, as well as my broader experience, can help me be of the most assistance to the organisation and the sector.
As well as announcing Victoria’s appointment on 9 July, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce also announced the reappointment of Board Chair Charles Finny for an eighteen-month term, and Board members Philip Broughton, Richard Leggat and John Morris for three-year terms.
NZ education features in Malaysia newspaper
“New Zealand offers one of the top-ranked education systems in the world,” said Jane Goh, Education New Zealand (ENZ) Marketing and Strategic Relations Manager in Kuala Lumpur.
“Unfortunately, the strengths of the New Zealand education system go relatively unrecognised or have low awareness in Malaysia, especially compared with its growing popularity in China and India.”
Jane said this represents a significant opportunity in Malaysia for institutions prepared to invest time and effort into student recruitment and partnership development. She called Malaysia “a promising but largely untapped” market.
“Malaysia is not only a vibrant market for recruiting international students but it is a popular international studying destination for Asian students and students from Islamic countries.”
Jane said there needed to be a consistent, industry-wide strategic approach taken to the Malaysia market to highlight New Zealand education quality.
“We decided to invest in a promotional project that included a series of key messages about New Zealand education, current students and alumni stories, as well as an overall picture of studying and living experience in New Zealand.”
ENZ played a major role in this project and worked closely with The Star, the largest local English newspaper in circulation.
“We wrote the content and edited several interviews into stories. The key intent was to position New Zealand as a world-class education destination.
“We wanted the market to know about our internationally renowned universities, our learning experience and to hear from Malaysian students who have studied in New Zealand.”
Jane said she was pleased to get support from the University of Auckland, Canterbury University, Lincoln University, University of Otago and Southern Institute of Technology. These universities contributed their angle of story and paid for advertising.
The feature was published in late July, just before the series of NZ Education Fair and roadshows in Malaysia.
“We then continued this effort with a media roundtable on the 2 August, to discuss the importance of holistic education in today’s employment market.”
You can read the whole feature here.
1 Million Cents Scholarship
The scholarship is open to all qualifying international students, in celebration of ENZ reaching one million followers across all of its Study in New Zealand (SiNZ) social media platforms.
Students have until 5pm 20 July 2017 to enter. All they have to do is visit the SiNZ Facebook page and post a comment on the scholarship post saying what, where and why they want to study in New Zealand.
Entries in all languages are accepted, so if a student feels more confident submitting an entry in local language, please encourage them to do so.
Olivia Silverwood, ENZ’s International Social Communities Manager, is pleased that the majority of entries are of very high quality.
“The students tend to be most interested in postgraduate and Masters-level study, with good representation across all of our markets.
“It’s been great to see that students are focussing less on the touristy side of New Zealand and more on its education rankings – this shows our organisation’s collective marketing and PR efforts are working!”
Here are some of the entries so far: