Minister: NZ must act on crime against tourists

Photo / Martin Sykes

Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman says crime has to be addressed for New Zealand to continue to be an attractive tourist and study destination.

His comment follows a Chinese Government warning about Auckland.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an advisory on its website warning Chinese nationals about rising crime and theft in Auckland.

Dr Coleman referred to the report at Study Auckland's annual conference yesterday.

"The reality, as we all know, is that New Zealand is not a place where crime is completely absent," he said.

"I think we have got to continue to work on all these elements to make sure that we can continue to be an attractive destination."

The meeting in Auckland yesterday, organised by Tourism Auckland, brought together nearly 100 export providers to discuss changes and challenges facing the industry.

They were told that the number of students coming to New Zealand had risen for the first time in six years, after a gradual decline since 2003.

Dr Coleman said new policies would be implemented to continue the industry's growth.

They would include a relaxation of pastoral care and guardianship requirements, changes to short-term study entitlements and improving work rights for international students.

He said the visa policy was also being reviewed to ensure students who came here were not using their studies only as a means to obtaining residency.

"We are interested in not only the quantity of students, but also the quality of students coming here."

Last year, 93,500 fee-paying students studied in New Zealand, compared with 88,570 in 2008. . Nearly 50,000, or 56.7 per cent, studied in Auckland.

China remains New Zealand's biggest education market, with 20,780 students last year, followed by South Korea with 15,905, Japan 9697 and India 8673.

"Australia has tightened up its immigration policies for student visas, as well as de-linking education and migration outcomes. As a result, there has been an increase in applications to study in New Zealand from countries, such as Vietnam and India."

Paul Lister, from the Ministry of Education, said changes to the code of practice to ensure better care for international students would be announced within six to eight weeks.

Providers were also urged to use the Rugby World Cup to expand the international student market.

Tourism Research Institute associate director Geoff Dickson said the event would create opportunities to open new markets and relationships, and improve the New Zealand brand and image overseas.

He said the Rugby World Cup was one of four events in the world which considers itself the "third-largest sporting event" and it would be wise for export education providers to associate themselves with it.

"The thinking will be that if [New Zealand] has the capacity to organise such a large event, then, surely, the capacity to provide a good, safe, thorough education for students should also exist," Dr Dickson said.