Language schools feel the pinch

Christchurch businesses are working hard to show foreign students that the city is safe after earthquakes. Photo / Simon Baker

International students are still staying away from Christchurch, with officials saying the future of export education will depend on how quickly the earthquake-damaged region recovers.

After the February 22 earthquake, hundreds of international students left Christchurch with no plans to return.

Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce chief executive Peter Townsend said the city's biggest battle was with perception, and although about 70 per cent of the businesses "are back to usual trading", tourists and international students were still staying away.

"Hardest hit are tourism operators and international schools, and I believe the numbers are down between 20 and 30 per cent from pre-earthquake times," Mr Townsend said after his presentation on business recovery in Canterbury at the International Education Conference in Auckland yesterday.

"The biggest challenge we have to overcome is the overseas perception that Christchurch is not safe, which is not what the general feeling is in Canterbury."

Talk of Christchurch's crushed $400 million export education industry was the central topic for most of yesterday, the start of a two-day conference attended by hundreds of export education professionals.

Christchurch schools told the audience in a panel discussion on lessons learned from the quakes that although they were starting to receive inquiries and international enrolments for next year, the numbers had dropped quite significantly.

Tim Hayashi, CPIT international recruitment manager, who was one of the panellists, said it was important that schools learned to "earthquake-proof" their products and services.

"We always talk about earthquake-proofing our buildings, but it's also important that we have services and systems that are also earthquake-proof," he said.

"This is to ensure that students can continue to come, even in post-earthquake times."

Education New Zealand acting chief executive Kathy Phillips said the future of New Zealand's education exports depended on Christchurch's swift recovery.

Until the February quake, Canterbury had been the second-most popular destination for international students after Auckland.

Meanwhile, a new Crown agency to foster the Government's ambitious plan for the international education industry will begin operating next month and is to be led by former diplomat Charles Finny.

The Education Amendment Bill (No 4), which will give the Qualifications Authority stronger powers to monitor and investigate private training establishments for overseas students which break the rules, had its second reading in Parliament yesterday.

The bill also establishes a new Crown agency, Education NZ, to support and encourage international education.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said Mr Finny would be the inaugural chairman of the organisation, which will take over the functions, staff, intellectual property and reserves of the existing private sector organisation with the same name from September 1.

Mr Joyce said that work supporting the local international education industry had previously been "fragmented" between the existing Education NZ and the Ministries of Education and Trade and Enterprise.