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From the Chief Executive: Strengthening our global education brand and New Zealand’s diversity
Kia ora koutou,
On Monday, we were delighted to see the signing of the India New Zealand Free Trade Agreement taking place in New Delhi. This is a positive development and signals a new era in the relationship between New Zealand and India.
Earlier this month, Sahinde Pala, our Group General Manager – International and Sector Engagement, and I were pleased to meet with the Chair, CEO and Board of the India New Zealand Business Council (INZBC). With India a priority market and our second‑largest for international students, the meeting was a valuable opportunity to discuss collaboration, including market research and alumni storytelling.
Indian students are thriving in New Zealand. Results from the International Student Experience Survey continue to show that Indian students report a highly positive overall experience, underpinned by strong ratings for education quality, people and community connections, and arrival and orientation. These findings reinforce New Zealand’s reputation as a welcoming, supportive study destination where Indian students feel connected and well supported across their study journey.
In turn, the Indian student community continues to make a significant social, cultural and economic contribution to Aotearoa. This contribution was recently acknowledged by the Prime Minister, who highlighted the Indian community as an outstanding role model, noting their ambition, aspiration and strong work ethic.
Alongside engagement with India, our work across priority markets continues more broadly. Our China team is preparing to attend the World Digital Education Conference, hosted by China’s Ministry of Education, focused on how digital and AI technologies can enhance education quality and equity globally.
In case you missed it, last week I was pleased to share new ENZ research showing New Zealand’s international education brand continues to strengthen.
Our Global Brand Health and Awareness Survey found that 22 percent of prospective international students now rank New Zealand in their top three study destinations – reaching the Government’s 2034 Going for Growth target nearly a decade early.
Given ENZ’s focus on bringing New Zealand’s education brand to life internationally, it’s encouraging to see that prospective students are not only aware of New Zealand, but are seriously considering it as a study destination. I encourage you to read more in our media release.
Closer to home, I’m looking forward to supporting the school sector at the annual SIEBA Hui – New Zealand’s largest international education conference for schools, in Christchurch next month. ENZ values its relationship with SIEBA as we work together to support high‑quality, sustainable growth.
He whenua auaha tātou, he whai tikanga, he whai whakaaro tonu ki te hapori.
We are a creative, practical and community‑minded country.Ngā mihi nui,
Linda Sissons
Acting Chief Executive -
Latest data shows continued growth in international enrolments
The latest full-year enrolment data confirms there were 92,580 international students enrolled with New Zealand education providers in 2025. This is an increase of 11 percent from the same period in 2024 and 80 percent of the pre-COVID peak.
ENZ’s Acting Chief Executive, Dr Linda Sissons, says the results reflect steady progress across the sector driven by the sustained effort of education providers and enabled by ENZ’s brand and promotional activity.
ENZ’s recent Global Brand Health and Awareness Survey found that 22 percent of prospective students place New Zealand in their top three study destinations. This strengthening preference is consistent with the growth we are seeing in international student enrolments.
“In a highly competitive global market, New Zealand’s high-quality education providers, great student experience and strong graduate outcomes are the factors that most influence student choice,” says Dr Sissons.
Universities have seen a 14 percent increase to 38,025, significantly exceeding 2024 levels. School enrolments grew by 10 percent to 20,155.
International enrolments in our primary, intermediate and secondary schools remain a key point of difference for New Zealand, offering an early pathway into our education system.
Outside of universities and schools, recovery across subsectors has been more uneven, with institutes of technology and polytechnics progressing at different rates. This reflects varied recovery across subsectors and markets.
“We are regularly assessing priority markets so we can understand where demand is growing and can direct our effort and resources toward markets with the greatest opportunity to support sustainable growth.”
China and India remain the top two countries for international student enrolment, at 34 percent and 14 percent respectively, followed by Japan (9 percent), South Korea (4 percent), Sri Lanka (4 percent), Germany (3 percent), the United States of America (3 percent), Nepal (3 percent), and the Philippines (3 percent).
“Strong growth was seen in a small number of new markets including Sri Lanka and Nepal. These markets have been factored into our market prioritisation and investment framework for 2026/27,” says Dr Sissons.
International students are studying across all regions of New Zealand. Auckland remains the largest centre, hosting around 55 percent of international students, followed by Canterbury and Waikato.
“Canterbury (10 percent), Auckland (14 percent) and Waikato (19 percent) experienced the strongest growth,” says Dr Sissons.
“Growth across regions reflects a sector that is rebuilding at pace and contributing to our local communities and economy.”
ENZ plays a key role in supporting the sector by providing market intelligence and insights to help providers understand trends in demand and make informed decisions in an increasingly competitive global market.
A webinar for interested stakeholders is being held at 12:30pm (NZT) on 19 May where ENZ’s Director of Insights and Performance, Marie Clark, will present the numbers and provide insights into each subsector and market.
Register for the webinar: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/db7275ad-de60-42ad-bb00-c0d46b7c2804@7fab8d82-1c85-4170-acbf-74e098fcca29.
Full enrolment data is available on ENZ’s Tableau public account as interactive dashboards and data tables.
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Introducing Adrian Hirst, ENZ’s new Regional Director – India and South Asia
Can you tell us about your professional background including your current role at ENZ and the work you did prior to joining ENZ?
Growing up in the United Kingdom (Yorkshire stock) I graduated with a Law degree and combined Music major.
After a short time working in London’s financial district, I moved to New Zealand and built my career to date across strategy, analytics, marketing and business development within the telecommunications (before Telecom became Spark) and fast-moving consumer goods industries.
Prior to ENZ, I held several senior positions within Lion New Zealand, building some well-recognised beverage brands and was responsible for the growth agenda of numerous international partnerships. In addition to their high investment developing their people, the significant benefit during this time was my exposure to world class approaches in business strategy, brand marketing and innovation.
What are your thoughts on your time with ENZ so far?
There’s a real energy within ENZ and a strong appetite to seize the growth opportunity for New Zealand’s international education profile and reputation. Through my involvement in the Government’s International Education Going for Growth Plan and shaping key priorities, I’ve had the chance to work closely with the sector and see our shared ambition firsthand.
What stands out is the depth of expertise and belief within ENZ, alongside growing alignment with partners and the momentum from education agents and counsellors across all markets. As we strengthen teams and embed a more integrated approach, I’m certain that we’ll continue to deliver measurable results with greater pace, focus and confidence.
What opportunities and challenges do you see for our sector in India and South Asia?
We have a clear aspiration to accelerate growth and better convert the demand from this region through a more focused approach to activity and placement. We need to build true brand reputation and preference, and the value of a New Zealand education must be recognised beyond those current periods when our competitor destinations are less attractive.
With a strong education offering and clear value proposition, we are well placed to attract high-quality students. Additionally, with ENZ’s new global brand platform, greater brand cohesion and stronger collaboration across NZ Inc agencies is key to maximising our impact.
Outside of work, what do you like to do?
I’ve had a musical upbringing through classical and jazz and still play while now also supporting behind the scenes. I find it hard to pass the piano at home without sitting down – a habit I’m pleased my two daughters have adopted. I’m also an explorer and active relaxer so I enjoy throwing on the trainers and getting out into new areas or planning the next big adventure.
With Adrian moving to New Delhi, India, ENZ is pleased to confirm that Ben Burrowes will take on the role of Regional Director – North and Southeast Asia from early June. Ben will remain based in Singapore. -
Global demand for English language learning: A market still shifting
Globally, more than one million students undertook English language study across the major destinations in 2024, generating around 7.6 million student weeks.
That’s a significant rebound from the pandemic years, but still well below 2019 levels, when the sector reached over 1.3 million students generating more than 10 million student weeks. The expectation was that 2024 would continue the strong momentum seen in 2022 and 2023. Instead, growth slowed.
As Ivana outlined, this wasn’t due to a drop in interest in learning English. Demand remains strong. What’s changed is the environment around it.
Across many of the major destinations, governments introduced tighter visa settings, enrolment caps and more restrictive policies. At the same time, students and families have been dealing with rising costs, weaker currencies and increased uncertainty. The result is a more constrained and more selective market. In 2024, global student numbers declined by around 6 percent and student weeks by 11 percent compared with the previous year.The presentation also highlighted that the shape of demand is changing.
Adult learners, once a core part of the sector, are declining across many destinations. In their place, younger learners are entering earlier, often for shorter stays. The average age of students’ first study abroad experience has dropped from around 15–16 years pre pandemic to closer to 12–13 today.
At the same time, traditional patterns of mobility are changing. More students are choosing shorter, more flexible experiences. Some are staying closer to home, supported by the growth of in country options and transnational education offers.
There’s also growing competition from newer destinations. Markets such as the Philippines and Dubai are expanding quickly, offering alternatives that can be closer to home or more affordable for students.
Taken together, these shifts point to a sector that is no longer simply rebounding, but actively reshaping. As Ivana noted during the session, the key driver is no longer just student demand, it is the interaction between demand, policy settings and economic conditions.
Download a copy of the report or view the presentation on our IntelliLab website.
Webinar on the global demand for English language provision | IntelliLab
