Each year, 130,000 international students representing 140 nationalities choose to study in New Zealand. Of these, 80,000 live in the Auckland region.
The high quality of New Zealand’s education system, and the strong reputation of our institutions, attracts international students. They become a rich part of New Zealand society while they live, study, and work in our communities.
The international education sector is valuable to New Zealand, offering a wide range of social, cultural, and economic benefits. The international student experience is a high priority for central and local government. This led to the formation of the Auckland Agencies Group in 2016.
The Auckland Agencies Group is chaired by Education New Zealand and includes members from the Office of Ethnic Communities, and the Ministry of Education. Guided by the principles of the Government’s International Student Wellbeing Strategy, and collaboration with student representatives, the group aims to develop initiatives focused on improving international student wellbeing. The strategy covers economic wellbeing, quality education, health and wellbeing, and social inclusion.
The Auckland Agencies Group has worked on a range of initiatives such as facilitation, student safety, medical support, and sport and activity participation. In the spirit of manaakitanga/hospitality and care for others, we want to work together to host, care for, and respect our international students to ensure they have a safe and rewarding experience.