On the 15th August, His Worship Andrew King, Mayor of Hamilton, welcomed over 200 international students to the Hamilton region at an event jointly hosted by Hamilton City Council and Study Waikato. Students from countries across Europe, the Middle East and Asian nations attended the event reflecting ethnic diversity and a thriving New Zealand.
Mayor King’s welcome speech included an emphasis on student study options in the area and the opportunity to learn New Zealand’s culture.
A past international student, Mint Alongkorstantin from Sacred Heart Girls High School spoke to the audience and shared about her positive experience in the New Zealand education system. In 2017, Mint was awarded the Study Waikato Scholarship and is now studying Psychology at the University of Waikato.
Mayor King acknowledged that international education programmes are an important contributor to New Zealand’s local economy.
More than 3,000 international students attend primary, intermediate, high schools and tertiary education providers across the Waikato.
In recent years, reports from Education New Zealand and the Ministry of Education estimated that international students contribute around $4 billion a year to New Zealand’s economy.