Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced in late July that the nation is to spend NZ$ 51.6 million (£26.04 million) on a recovery package for its overseas education sector, as he admitted that education providers should not expect to bring in overseas students for the rest of this year.
Hipkins was joined by Prime Minister Jacinda Arden for the government’s announcement of a “stabilisation” package for New Zealand’s international education sector that would support its efforts to “recover and rebuild.”
Hipkins promised that no universities would go out of business in the short term as a result of New Zealand’s borders being closed to foreign students since March. He warned of “tough decisions” ahead for the industry. He added that he expected many education providers to quickly recover once borders were fully re-opened.