Fewer foreign students enrol

The downturn is not surprising to industry players who have been experiencing a decline for some time.

However, new Statistics New Zealand figures for the first time quantify the extent of the loss over the past year.

A total of 50,594 foreign students were studying with New Zealand English language schools at the end of March – a drop from the 71,503 students who were enrolled the year before. China is still the country's biggest market for overseas students, with 18,577 enrolled, making up 36 per cent of the total market.

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