Immigration levy could hit international student numbers, say universities
Photo:
RNZ
Universities say a proposal that could make them pay a levy to Immigration New Zealand might harm international student numbers.
The government is considering a law change that would allow Immigration New Zealand to levy organisations that benefit from its work, such as education providers.
At the moment, it can only charge visa applicants.
"Currently there are people and groups who do not contribute to the broader costs of the immigration system (because they do not pay an immigration levy; only visa applicants can be charged a levy under the Immigration Act 2009 (the Act)), but who do receive its benefits or create risks that require mitigation," a regulatory impact statement said.
The statement said education providers benefited from Immigration NZ services that they did not directly pay for.
"Education providers that enrol international students directly financially benefit from the immigration system by tapping into a wider pool of students who are generally charged high fees than domestic students for their education," it said.
"Education providers that enrol international students also derive significant financial benefits from access to foreign students and benefit from the ICT, border, and settlement activities funded from the levy."
Universities New Zealand said the cost of a levy was likely to be passed on to students and could deter them from enrolling in this country.
It said the government needed to be careful the user-pays model did not cost the country more in lost economic activity than it earned Immigration New Zealand.
"On average, each international student at a New Zealand university spends around $36,000 to study and this flows through to another $22,000 of broader economic activity for the country for a total of around $58,000 per student annually," it said.
"International students have choices as to where they study and cost is a particularly important factor for many of the students from lower income countries."
Universities New Zealand said Immigration NZ increased its student visa fees in October 2024 by 90 percent and actual student enrolments for the university sector for 2025 ended up about 10 percent below forecast.
"As government considers amending settings around making users pay for public services, we hope that government will also consider the public benefits that flow through to the wider economy from these students," it said.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
33 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Cost of living pressures top of mind for government, PM Luxon says
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker The government has ticked off most of its action plan for the last quarter, as it turns to the next with a continued focus on the cost of living. In its report card for the last three months, two items were listed as 'in progress': The AI strategy is expected to be released in the coming weeks, and further decisions on capital market settings were expected in the next quarter. One change that has been made was to reduce the listing costs on firms by making the publication of their prospective financial information voluntary. Turning to the next quarter, a statement from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said continuing to address cost of living pressures over the coming months was key. Luxon said the government was taking action on the cost of food, housing, banking and energy to "drive a better bargain" for New Zealand families. "While it's still tough out there for too many Kiwis, our Government's focus on unlocking economic growth is starting to show some promise with key indicators up across the board." He said it wasn't enough for businesses to grow and invest. "New Zealanders deserve an economy that works for them, with more competition and lower prices," Luxon said. The next quarter will see the repeal of the oil and gas exploration ban, next steps to improve supermarket competition and further changes to the RMA. Luxon said repealing the ban would "unleash the energy" the country needed to "keep the lights on and prevent power prices from skyrocketing in the years to come". "The cost of housing is also a priority, with significant improvements to the RMA enabling more construction in our biggest cities expected to become law," he said. The government will also look to publish the first standards allowing the use of overseas building products in the country. The Public Works (Critical Infrastructure) Amendment Bill will be passed, which will streamline the process to acquire land for big projects. Legislation will be introduced to "strengthen governance and planning arrangements" at Auckland Transport. Under law and order, the government will look to progress legislation that makes stalking an illegal offence, and introduce legislation that deters "anti-social road use." Changes to the electoral system are on the way, including introducing a ban on prisoner voting, and the government will begin delivering rehabilitation and reintegration services to remand prisoners. Cabinet will consider decisions on legislation to "affirm police's authority to collect, use and retain information about individuals in public places for lawful policing purposes". Other actions under better public services include starting to deliver additional elective procedures, and opening an expression of interest for 120 nurse practitioner training places. The government will also implement its funding increase for GP clinics and the first prototypes for the expansion of urgent care for rural and remote areas. Legislation that will give effect to the ECE Regulation Sector Review will be introduced and key policy decisions taken to tighten the eligibility for income support for 18/19 year olds. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Pacific-Māori marriages lead new identity wave
By Aui'a Vaimaila Leatinu'u , PMN Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone Photo: Supplied Pacific people who marry outside their heritage often choose Māori partners, according to a Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) investigation into this increasingly shared identity among these populations. According to MPP's ongoing Insights Briefing , which aims to deepen the understanding of Māori and Pacific identity, there are around 90,000 people who identify as both Māori and Pacific in Aotearoa. "We also found that when Pacific people marry outside of [their culture], they will marry a Māori first," Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone, the Secretary for Pacific Peoples at MPP, told Khalia Strong on Pacific Mornings . "While we're different, there's also a lot of similarities. What I've found, as I've gone around talking to various iwi leaders, is that…we want these populations to be counted. "There are so many that have said, 'my moko [grandchild] is part Tongan, part Māori, and they speak both Māori and Tongan'. Others say, 'I know someone in my whānau, who's part Cook Island, part Māori, and they want to learn their Cook Island whakapapa' because they've been raised entirely with a Māori worldview." Clifford-Lidstone emphasised the significance of understanding these identities, saying that by 2043, nearly 40 per cent of New Zealand's population will identify as Māori or Pacific, which will impact workforce demographics, cultural experiences, language, and genealogical ties moving forward. "It's been a really fun and insightful process to participate in. The consultation's open for one more week, 9 July. I really encourage people who identify as both Māori and Pacific to participate." The MPP is facing nearly $36 million in funding reductions under Budget 2025, following a previous cut of $26m. Despite this, key policy priorities have been retained, with some new initiatives introduced. For example, the Tauola Business Fund ended and the Tupu Aotearoa employment programme scaled back, while funding for the Pacific Business Trust and Pacific Business Village continues. Despite a tighter budget, Clifford-Lidstone says major initiatives continue, including the Pacific Languages Strategy, Toloa STEM scholarships, and Pacific Media Innovation funding. "Then we've got our housing initiatives. So, the building of affordable homes, a programme as part of that called Our Whare Our Fale, which is looking at 300 homes in Porirua. Then the Financial Capability Programme. You may have seen in Budget 2025 some new money for Pacific Wardens," she says. "These really wonderful mātua and volunteers from our community who support the work of a range of agencies, particularly police, engaging with the community and ensuring that we are in a safe environment. We've still got a lot of work underway there on top of our policy programme." On the legacy Dawn Raids programme, she says the funding will remain until the 2026 to 2027 period, with the Vaka of Stories project helping to capture community narratives. Clifford-Lidstone adds that they have two years to complete specific deliverables, some of which have already been completed. She acknowledges the concerns around the planned cancellation of the nationwide Census survey, emphasising the importance of evidence-based data for delivering targeted services. Clifford-Lidstone says the Pacific community's pace of growth and change is rapid. "Our data and insights team have a formal agreement with Statistics New Zealand to work together on census planning and data standards. So, we're going to be working really closely with them to keep an eye on that particular issue. "We do want our communities to be accurately reflected and to be participating. That participation will change a little bit given that it's on admin data, we need the quality of that admin data to be good. So, that's a role that we will be playing." -This article was first published by PMN .
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Taranaki farmers consider options after Mt Messenger Bypass court setback
The Transport Agency wants to compulsorily acquire 11 hectares of Tony and Debbie Pascoe's' cattle farm. Photo: Ken Downie Taranaki farmers fighting the compulsory acquisition of 11 hectares of their land for the Mt Messenger Bypass project say they're considering their options after another setback in the courts. The Transport Agency wants to compulsorily acquire 11 hectares of Tony and Debbie Pascoe's cattle farm under the Public Works Act for the project. The $365 million bypass is a new two-lane 6km route between Uruti and Ahititi that avoids the existing steep, narrow and winding route over Mt Messenger on State Highway 3. The couple argue that the process for selecting the route and acquiring their land had been flawed, but the High Court - which has issued four new appeal decisions - disagreed. The Transport Agency has welcomed the decisions - the latest of 20 court rulings involving the Pascoes land - saying it marked a significant milestone for the project. One of this week's appeal findings related to a 2024 Environment Court decision - which supported the compulsory acquisition - and involved the selection of the bypass route. Three other decisions related to the process for acquiring the couple's land. The Pascoes, who have already been granted leave to appeal issues relating to the compulsory acquisition to the Supreme Court , said they were still considered the High Court decisions. "While we have not yet had an opportunity to fully review yesterday's decisions, we have already identified a number of fundamental errors. "It appears that Justice McQueen has failed to exercise reasonable skill, care and diligence in the performance of her duties to us and to the people of this country." The couple said the Supreme Court had determined in a number of high-profile instances that there had been miscarriages of justice and cases were not properly determined by the lower courts. "We believe that yesterday's decisions are in this category, and it is likely that we will appeal. "Being deprived of somewhere tenable to live and the ability to make a living is barbaric and an abomination under the Public Works Act." Taranaki farmer Tony Pascoe. Photo: Ken Downie The Supreme Court appeal was scheduled to be heard on 14 October. NZTA regional manager of infrastructure delivery Rob Partridge said the rulings marked a significant milestone for the project, following years of legal challenges. "While it is always our preference to acquire land through agreement, this has not been possible, despite extensive efforts including numerous offers made to the landowners." Partridge said since 2017, there had been many attempts to acquire the land by agreement, and the landowners had been presented with 20 offers including options for new housing elsewhere across their 683-hectare landholdings. "The delays in securing this land have come at a considerable cost. NZTA plans to update the overall project cost later this year, factoring in the impacts of these delays, as well as inflation and rising construction costs." Te Ara o Te Ata - Mt Messenger Bypass project construction in February 2025. Photo: NZTA / Waka Kotahi Partridge said following the latest court decision NZTA would now request the Crown take the necessary steps to become the legal owner of the 11-hectare parcel of land. "So that, subject to any further legal challenge against this process occurring, the Mt Messenger Alliance can begin works on the northern section as soon as possible." The work was then expected to take four full construction seasons, from October to April, to complete, Partridge said.
