It's great to see an 18 per cent increase in international student enrolments in the Bay over the January to August period relative to the same period last year!
The additional 612 enrolments this year meant we had over 4,000 international students studying here in the Bay this year. Thesestudents bring a rich vibrancy to our communities as they share their culture and experiences with us.
They also create numerous jobs for us as well as support so many of our local businesses with part-time work. International education is New Zealand's fifth largest export industry. It contributes an estimated $2.85 billion to the economy annually and supports more than 30,000 jobs.
I particularly want to recognise the hard work done by local organisations such as Education Tauranga. Recently they organised with local schools to attend an education fair in Korea to help sell studying in the Bay to families there. The results were spectacular with nearly 140 Korea students signing up which will be an additional $4.3 million to our local economy.
We're seeing exciting developments in the field of international education. International students bring with them a significant economic contribution to the region where they study, but equally important are the international connections. After studying here they go home as lifelong ambassadors for New Zealand and the Bay of Plenty.
