New Zealand Sets Ambitious Goal to Double International Education Market by 2034 

Key Highlights :

Auckland is having its international education sector to be valued at NZ$7.2 billion in 2034, twice the existing size.

Numbers of international students will grow from 83,700 in 2024 to 119,000 by 2034.

Rights of work for international students are being increased with a focus to compete more strongly for foreign students.

Key Background :

New Zealand's international education sector, previously destabilized by the COVID-19 pandemic, now leads a national agenda for economic renaissance. In 2024, the sector was worth NZ$3.6 billion and saved hundreds of thousands of jobs. It is now the goal of the government to double it in 2034 to NZ$7.2 billion, an economic renaissance and the reversal of the global educative presence of the country.

Education Minister Erica Stanford's decision to make this announcement presents a change in government policy clear—shifting from passive recovery to positive growth. Recruiting more students is one of the cornerstones of this policy. From 83,700 international students in 2024, the nation aims for 105,000 by 2027 and 119,000 by 2034. These estimates give a consistent and systematic growth pattern for a decade forward.

At the heart of this strategy is promoting New Zealand's appeal to potential students. Providing part-time work to international students for additional hours up to 25 per week will make them more independent. They will also have a chance to gain on-the-ground work experience while abroad. Exchange and study abroad students who were previously excluded from work entitlement are now included, and the entire student package is enhanced.

This is especially timely. Australia has just capped foreign students on the basis of housing and migration needs and pressures, and America placed additional restrictions on student visas, particularly under previous governments. These actions by incumbent education giants provide New Zealand with a unique window of opportunity to be regarded as an open and secure alternative.

In order to achieve this, the government's marketing agency, Education New Zealand, will be responsible for spearheading the advertising campaigns in key markets. These will promote the safe working conditions in the country, the quality of schools, and the open school working culture. These are geared not only towards winning additional students but also quality and diversity of student entry.

Outside of education, it is one aspect of a broader economic reset. Special visa streams for foreign investors and remote workers, and stressing the policy of importation of capital and talent by the government, are some other recent policy moves. The policies as a whole are aimed at putting New Zealand on firmer, competitive ground in the international economy.

By aligning its immigration policy, education policy, and labour policy, New Zealand is setting itself up for future success, and international education is at the core of that vision.