Hatching plans to get students
The city will need to attract more than 3000 international students if it is to grow its international student economy to $80 million by 2020.
The city is also looking to pitch itself as a more ‘‘Kiwi’’ experience than Auckland.
Central Economic Development Agency international education development manager Judy Bennett-smith fielded questions from Palmerston North City Council members after giving a presentation to the council’s economic development committee on Monday.
Her presentation focused on how Palmerston North could look to grow the international student economy from $62m to $80m by 2020, but she was careful to say it was not all about milking students’ bank accounts dry. ‘‘We can enrich their lives with our culture and they can enrich our lives with theirs. The economic worth will flow from that.’’
The city would need about 3300 full–time international students to reach its target. In 2016, Palmerston North took in 2500. While that sounded like a big number, Bennett-smith said the city only had 2.3 per cent of the country’s international student population. ‘‘Auckland has 63 per cent.’’
Palmerston North was looking to capitalise on Auckland ‘‘overflowing’’ with people, she said. ‘‘Auckland is clogged up with other international students. Here, they can have the authentic Kiwi experience.’’
About half the city’s international students were at Massey University, while another 350 were at secondary school.
Increasing the secondary school international student population was tougher than it was for tertiary, Bennett-smith said. ‘‘We have to work with the schools and have them on board. We can’t just say ‘here, have 30 students’.’’
There were investigations going on to find more homestays for secondary school students. ‘‘We are always limited to the number of homes willing to take on students, but it’s something we want to see more.’’
Councillor Brent Barrett said attracting students was all good and well, but there had to be a plan to keep them here. ‘‘It’s quite a different proposition someone coming here for three years, we collect their rent and their fees, and then they get shipped off. What are we doing to retain them?’’
Bennett-smith said some students leaving was inevitable because of courses or work that was not on offer in Manawatu¯ . ‘‘If you’re a medical student you’re not staying here, but we want to to keep the food scientists.’’
Mayor Grant Smith said representatives from Massey and UCOL had good value out of a trip to China, with –UCOL most notably establishing 25 $10,000 scholarships for students from Guiyang Palmerston North’s sister city in China.
The council also heard from its international relations manager Toni Grace, who said UCOL’S scholarship offer showed the value of the council’s sister city relationships.
Guiyang was a city of 5m people in a province of more than 30m, so making the most of that relationship would only be a good thing.
Smith said it was important the city continued to look beyond its borders for ways to grow the economy.
Palmerston North will have another chance to do that, with Smith scheduled to speak about the city’s education opportunities at the China New Zealand Mayoral Forum in Wellington in December.