Editorial: Foreign pupils focus merited

Education Rotorua marketing director Meri Gibson, centre, with Waiariki students Shilpa K. Sasikumar, left, Franzelyn Calvngsod, Jandell Geral and Ailex Dereka Valdez.

There's no doubting the value of international students to Rotorua.

The international education market is New Zealand's fifth largest export earner and it has consistently been recognised as a potential growth area for Rotorua's economy.

Those studying at Waiariki Institute of Technology have probably been the most high profile of our international students to date, contributing not just to our economy through fees, accommodation, food, but making a significant and welcome contribution to the multicultural make-up of the city.

International education is also significant at secondary school level throughout the country. While the dynamics are different, with most students staying in homestays, they too need to eat, sleep, see the country. Often their families will come to visit during their studies, injecting more money into the local and national market.

Today we report how Education Rotorua is exploring the possibility of extending its focus to even younger students.

Its marketing director Meri Gibson says agents from China and Taiwan have been expressing interest in sending primary and intermediate aged children to Rotorua schools.

The nuts and bolts of how this could work are still to be sorted through. Ms Gibson says a guardian would come with them, as giving local schools and host families responsibility for a primary school-aged child is obviously infeasible, not to mention the strict codes in place for schools that host overseas students.

It's a good idea in theory but as Ms Gibson says, there would be a lot of "hoops to jump through" before it could become a reality for Rotorua primary schools. The group has seen an opportunity to grow the education industry. If it works, great. If not, at least every option is being explored.