New Zealand’s international education industry has seen its strongest January to April enrolment period on record with an 8 per cent increase, or an additional 5,100 international student enrolments on the same period last year.

“Sustained hard work by the whole sector has halted a two year decline in student enrolments and resulted in record number of students choosing New Zealand as their study destination,” Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

“This year, significant changes such as our increased investment in Education New Zealand, the new ‘Think New’ marketing campaign, and the extension of student work-rights are combining with our first-class education system to attract students to enjoy the unique study experience this country offers.”

Released this morning at the New Zealand International Education Conference, the International Education Snapshot Report: January to April 2014 shows almost all sectors have increased their student numbers on 2013.

Growth was led by the Private Training Establishment sector, with student numbers up by 13 per cent with a total of 3,113 additional student enrolments. Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics saw a 9 per cent increase in enrolments.

“More students are coming from two of our priority markets, India and China, continuing a year-on-year trend of increasing numbers from these countries,” Mr Joyce says.

“Auckland and Christchurch are our most popular destinations for international students and both cities have benefited from this boost in enrolment numbers. It's great to see the Christchurch numbers start to recover after the industry there was severely damaged by the Christchurch earthquakes.

“These results bring an additional $40 million in fees revenue for New Zealand education providers, as part of an estimated $100 million of wider economic benefit to the economy.”

International education is New Zealand’s fifth largest export industry valued at $2.6 billion a year and supporting 28,000 jobs around the country. It also plays a very important role in strengthening New Zealand’s economic, cultural and social links with the wider world.