Key trends: From January to April 2013, the international education key trends were:
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Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) and Universities experienced growth of 3% and 2% respectively.
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Demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) subjects are increasing, in line with global demand trends. STEM enrolments increased 4% in Universities and 10% in ITPs.
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Higher levels of study continued to show growth. Masters level enrolments grew by 22%, and PhDs by 6% in the University sector against the same period last year.
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Chinese international students continued the year-on-year trend of growth, increasing overall by 5%. China continues to be an important market for New Zealand, accounting for 30% of the enrolments for the year to date.
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Canterbury PTEs and ITPs showed signs of recovery, with an overall growth of 8% for internationally focused PTEs, and an increase of 4% in international enrolments at ITPs. Canterbury was the only region to experience growth in the PTE market.
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Enrolments in Canterbury Universities continued to decline, but at a slower rate than in previous years.
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The Schooling Sector remained relatively stable, with a slight increase in Primary enrolments balanced by a slight decline in the Secondary sector. Northland was the fastest growing region across both Primary and Secondary Schools.
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First-time visas issued from January to April 2013 were 7% lower in 2013 than 2012, reflecting the increase in returning students for multi-year programmes, and the decline in the PTE sector of first year enrolments.
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New Zealand continues to be a preferred destination for international travellers. Tourism statistics for the first six months of the year showed a 10% growth against the first six months of 2012. Full-year immigration data to June 2013 shows that temporary work visas increased by 5% for 2012/13, although long-term migration declined slightly by 4%.
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A decline in enrolments of 10% in the Private Training Establishment (PTE) sector accounted for the overall reduction, and off-set growth in other sectors. The PTE sector is tracking at 2010 levels for the first part of 2013.
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Auckland experienced the greatest decline in international enrolments, reflective of the decline in the PTE sector which accounts for 75% of the national total of PTEs that focus on attracting international students.
Overall, 60,590 international students were enrolled with New Zealand schools and tertiary providers. This is a 3% decline against the January to
