Politicians told to pipe down to save education export business

By ALAN PERROTT

Outspoken political rhetoric is ruining attempts to salvage the country's declining export education industry, say school operators.

Young Park shut the doors at his Albert Language School two weeks ago, leaving only one school out of seven opened by a group of Korean friends 2 1/2 years ago still in business.

He said politicians such as Auckland City Mayor John Banks and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters must consider the economic consequences of their words before they speak.

In the past week, Mr Banks has complained about immigrants spitting in public and New Zealand First called for Asians to be searched for flu medication upon arrival at the airport.

Mr Banks said he did not accept that his "constructive criticism of thoroughly bad behaviour" could be linked to the downfall of any business, and he objected to being named alongside Mr Peters and his "strident rhetoric". The mayor said he had not singled out any ethnic group as being spitting offenders. "I've talked about foreign visitors but haven't singled out any race.

"It's just as big a problem for me when bogan homegrown Kiwis behave that way."

Mr Park said the statements appeared very quickly in the Chinese media and would discourage parents from sending their children here to study in case they were not welcome.

The fall in the number of Chinese students is considered the primary cause of the collapse in export education, which two years ago was ranked as the country's fourth largest earner.

Mr Park said he was upset whenever he saw local politics appearing on Asian websites because it only made his job harder.

He sold his family home last October to inject $90,000 into his troubled school, but said he was forced to shut down and sack his remaining staff when the roll fell from a high of 89 to 29 and the fund dropped to only $7000.

A spokesman for the Qualifications Authority said nine private language schools, not including the Albert Language School, had closed since June 2003. Five were based in Auckland.

Another five were understood to be on the brink of closure.

Patrick Ibbertson, spokesman for the private language school lobby group Appel, said although it would be unthinkable for a politician to deliberately damage the wool or dairy industries, the same courtesy was not offered to education.

"We are trying to manage a strategy to bring the Chinese market back to life," Mr Ibbertson said, "but we are handicapped by the comments of unhelpful people who should know better."