GATS is Good for our Education Sector
“The Government should be congratulated on its approach to the GATS negotiations”, said Dave Guerin, director of
Education Directions, “and should be encouraged in its efforts to secure market access for our education exporters.”
“The Government has made strong commitments under GATS to free trade in private education in New Zealand. The challenge
now is for other countries to follow our lead.”
“Export education already brings in over $1 billion in earnings and it is likely to grow substantially in coming years.
New Zealand has great prospects, especially in the growth of offshore education activities. GATS provides a clear set of
rules for trade in education that can reduce the market risks for our exporters, which are especially important when
operating offshore.”
“It is important to realise that New Zealand’s current GATS commitments only affect private education and that the
private education sector has raised no concerns about those provisions. The Government’s proposed negotiating principles
also clearly rule out opening up our public education sector.”