{"id":601069,"date":"2026-09-15T12:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T12:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/601069\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T12:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T12:38:09","slug":"new-zealands-rebound-signals-shift-in-student-demand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/601069\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand\u2019s rebound signals shift in student demand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to The PIE News following the release of figures showing international education export <a href=\"https:\/\/thepienews.com\/new-zealand-international-education-export-earnings-hit-4-98bn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">earnings<\/a> have reached NZ$4.98 billion, Downs said New Zealand was benefiting from a combination of high-quality education, safety, practical learning and a more personalised student experience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHonestly, I think it comes down to New Zealand offering something the very large destinations can\u2019t: a high-quality education in a safe, welcoming country, where students are known by name, taught to think for themselves, and leave with real experience behind them,\u201d said Downs, who joined the organisation as chief executive in June 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cStudents today want more than a certificate. They want practical learning, good job prospects at the end of it, and a place where they aren\u2019t just a number. That is what we offer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The comments come as New Zealand\u2019s international education sector moves beyond a recovery in student numbers and towards a broader focus on the value generated by the sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">International education export earnings reached NZ$4.98bn, surpassing the sector\u2019s pre-pandemic value of NZ$4.403bn in the year to June 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, student numbers remain below their pre-pandemic peak. There were 92,580 international student enrolments in 2025, compared with 115,705 in 2019, while the country is on track for around 99,000 enrolments in 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Downs, the significance of the recovery goes beyond the headline numbers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEnrolments are up, export earnings are up, and interest from our key markets is up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis isn\u2019t a post-pandemic bounce \u2013 it\u2019s a shift in how students see us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The recovery is also becoming more widely distributed across New Zealand\u2019s education system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Between January and April 2026, 68,780 international students enrolled with New Zealand education providers, an 8% increase on the same period in 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Universities recorded 14% growth, schools rose 9% and private training establishments increased 6%. Within the school sector, primary enrolments increased by 22%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Downs said the breadth of that growth was particularly encouraging, arguing that it pointed to a sector that was becoming more resilient.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the part I\u2019m most pleased about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGrowth spread across the whole sector and across more countries tells me we\u2019re not standing on one leg. Universities, schools and PTEs are all growing, and the interest is coming from established and emerging markets alike.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growth spread across the whole sector and across more countries tells me we\u2019re not standing on one leg. Universities, schools and PTEs are all growing, and the interest is coming from established and emerging markets alike<br \/>David Downs, ENZ<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA broader base is a sturdier base, and that\u2019s what makes growth last.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China and India remain the country\u2019s two largest markets, together accounting for close to half of enrolments, but Downs pointed to growing momentum from other countries, including Sri Lanka and Viet Nam.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDiversification is central to achieving the New Zealand government\u2019s International Education Going for Growth plan,\u201d he said. \u201cIt shapes where we invest and which markets we back, and in all of them the aim is growth that lasts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cChina and India are hugely important to us and will stay that way \u2013 together they\u2019re close to half our enrolments. But we\u2019re also seeing real momentum from countries like Sri Lanka and Viet Nam, helping broaden New Zealand\u2019s international student base.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Downs stressed that diversification should not be interpreted as a move away from established markets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet me be clear, though: diversification doesn\u2019t mean walking away from our biggest markets. It means adding to them, so we\u2019re never over-reliant on any one country and we\u2019re better placed to support long-term, sustainable growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said there was scope to grow across both established and emerging markets over the next several years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLooking a few years out, I see room to grow in both our long-standing markets and the newer ones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Downs said New Zealand needed to resist the temptation to measure success simply by the number of students arriving.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSustainable growth isn\u2019t a numbers game,\u201d he said. \u201cIt means working alongside providers and government to attract students who are the right fit for New Zealand and then doing right by them once they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Downs, that means ensuring the benefits of international education extend beyond providers and into the wider economy and communities hosting international students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt also means growth that pays off for students, providers, communities and the wider economy \u2013 and that sends work-ready graduates back out into the world as lifelong friends of New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He warned that pursuing volume at the expense of quality could ultimately undermine the very factors currently helping New Zealand compete.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhere we need to be careful is chasing volume for its own sake,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur quality standards, our students\u2019 wellbeing and our reputation as a safe, welcoming place to study took decades to build, and they wouldn\u2019t take long to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That emphasis comes as New Zealand looks to increase international education export earnings to NZ$7.2bn by 2034. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government has also highlighted the contribution international students make beyond tuition, with ENZ data showing students spend an average of around NZ$45,776 a year in New Zealand excluding tuition fees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That spending supports businesses and communities through demand for accommodation, transport, retail, hospitality and travel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next challenge, Downs argues, is to maintain New Zealand\u2019s momentum while differentiating the country from larger destinations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe challenge now isn\u2019t to keep growing. It\u2019s to keep getting better,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to hold our quality, keep giving students an experience worth talking about, and push harder in both established and emerging markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re safe, we\u2019re welcoming, we teach people to think and to do, and students here are known rather than counted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDo that, and I\u2019m confident we hold our own no matter how competitive this market gets.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Speaking to The PIE News following the release of figures showing international education export earnings have reached NZ$4.98&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601070,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-601069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601069\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}