Taranaki Schools Welcome Plans For New International Education Opportunities Post-COVID

Strong interest from Taranaki education institutions is set to reinvigorate the region’s international education offering from 2023 onwards.

In late October, regional development agency Venture Taranaki hosted an international education sector rebuild event, which brought school principals and boards together from across the region to discuss how international education can be reactivated in Taranaki.

Over 20 representatives from nine local primary secondary schools, and tertiary providers attended the successful event. Of these, five institutions have since formally expressed interest in reigniting international education within their school, signalling an expected boost in offshore enrolments for the 2023 school year.

Stacey Hitchcock, Venture Taranaki GM Investment and Deputy Chief Executive says she is thrilled to see collaboration across the industry that will support the sector’s regrowth.

“The event was a great opportunity to bring the education community together to discuss the state of international education in Taranaki post COVID, and consider how we can support international education opportunities and make them better than ever,” says Hitchcock.

Before the pandemic, Taranaki welcomed more than 1,000 international students to the region. International education supported 330 jobs and contributed around $50 million to the region’s economy.

During the pandemic, many education providers restructured and redeployed staff who had previously worked in an international education capacity, but Hitchcock says the event shows that local schools are invested in rebuilding the sector.

“COVID has presented us with the opportunity to reflect on the previous international education experiences on offer and look at new business models and opportunities, including the untapped primary school market.

“Before the pandemic only two primary schools in Taranaki were engaged with the international education sector (Green School and Spotswood College).

We see this as a growth opportunity and we will look to how we can support our primary schools to introduce whole-family international education experiences, which can be more compelling for families with younger children, and in turn act as a pathway to attract highly skilled talent to Taranaki and help fill our skill shortages.

“For secondary and tertiary level providers, we will also look to focus our efforts on creating pathways for international students who are studying courses that align with the key skill areas where Taranaki needs more workers, such as nursing and hospitality.”

Among the organisations who have expressed interest is Waitara High School, which up until now had not considered establishing an international education offering.

“The recent sector event brought to our attention the benefits international students could bring to our school - in particular the value of a "cultural exchange" with the wider world,” says Waitara High School Principal Daryl Warburton.

We are excited to work with Venture Taranaki and other local providers to develop an international education offering which creates opportunities that benefit our students.”

Prior to the pandemic, Spotswood College hosted international students for over 20 years. The secondary school has reinstated its offering, and while there was some concern nationally regarding finding keen host families, the school has a positive outlook.

“Our community is thrilled that we are welcoming international students back to our classrooms. Thanks to strong community connections, Spotswood College has been lucky to have a cohort of wonderful host families, many still with us today,” says Spotswood College International Director Nicky Healy.

“We will work closely with our parents and wider school community to encourage an uptake of homestay families for students entering the region.”

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