International enrolments dropping off

New Zealand is no longer ‘‘flavour of the month’’ in the international student market, with numbers dropping off in parts of the country to skew aspirational targets.

Auckland saw interests drop over the last year which the Government admitted could be a response to regulatory changes. The city raked in $2.76 billion in 2017 from international students.

In the capital, international student forecasts by Wellington Regional Development Agency were almost 700 students off the 2018 target – a potential loss of $31.92 million.

However, the number of fulltime international students enrolled in universities increased by an average of 6.9 per cent in 2017, while 10 of the 16 institutes of technology and polytechnics had fewer international students in 2017 than the previous year, according to a report by the auditor-general that was presented to Parliament yesterday.

Destination and Attraction general manager David Perks said it had been ‘‘a particularly challenging time for New Zealand in the international education market’’.

But Wellington rode it out ‘‘pretty well’’ taking in $390m from tuition and living costs alone, Education New Zealand said.

Challenges in attracting people from overseas related to concerns New Zealand was no longer ‘‘flavour of the month’’ in the international market, and the perceived quality of private training courses in some areas, Perks said.

The report estimated a $410m injection for Wellington’s economy from 8504 international students and $40m from visiting friends and relatives.

‘‘International students do spend significant money but they also offer cultural diversity to New Zealand students studying in Wellington and increase their experience of education as well,’’ Perks said.