Dr Eric Crampton: NZ can profit from US university turmoil

The United States has the world’s best universities. At least for now.

Those universities have, in turn, attracted the world’s best researchers. According to the National Foundation for American Policy, immigrants earned 45 of the 112 Nobel prizes awarded to Americans in chemistry, medicine and physics from 2000 to 2023.

Great universities attract the best students – from everywhere. In 2023, America exported US$50.2 billion in education services (over NZ$80b).

Roger Partridge: Unlocking New Zealand's international education opportunity

With New Zealand’s economy becalmed, a fresh wind is blowing in from across the Tasman. The Albanese government’s decision to cap international student numbers has created a potential $2.5 billion-a-year opportunity for New Zealand.

Pre-pandemic, international education was New Zealand’s fifth largest export earner, contributing $3.7 billion annually to our economy. It now languishes in the doldrums, with student numbers at about half their 2019 levels.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 16/8/23

Dairy prices have slumped and international student numbers are flagging – but Robertson rejoices in the pace of wage growth

While dairy farmers were lamenting the impact on prices of a flagging demand for dairy products in the critical China market, Education Minister Jan Tinetti was noting the importance of China in the international education business.

Almost 12,000 Chinese students were studying in New Zealand, she said when expressing her delight that China’s Minister of Education, Huai Jinpeng, is in Wellington and Christchurch this week.