The New Zealand Qualification Authority and Immigration New Zealand intervened after discovering breaches at Aotearoa Tertiary Institute, the National Institute of Studies, EDENZ Colleges Ltd and the New Zealand School of Business and Government.

These included poor attendance records, a failure to deposit student fees into Student Fee Protection trust accounts and other fee discrepancies. Students were also found to be studying less than 20 hours per week, a requirement of visa holders.

Immigration New Zealand’s general manager, Peter Elms, told the portal Stuff, “It is concerning that these Private Training Establishments have been operating in a manner that falls well below minimum standards and, in so doing, jeopardising the quality of the education provided to their international students.

“The actions of a handful of PTEs can have serious implications for the reputation of New Zealand as a quality education destination.”

840 international students attend the four PTEs but none will be affected by the ruling. However, the four colleges can take on no new overseas students until back in compliance.

“The actions of a handful of PTEs can have serious implications for the reputation of New Zealand”

By 2025 New Zealand hopes to double its education export industry, worth around $2.7 billion a year currently, turning Auckland into a major study hub among other goals.

However, it is stringent about visa fraud and other non-compliant activities. In July, the New Zealand Herald reported that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) rejected 7,500 visa applications in 12 months, half of which were from India, because they contained misleading information.

NZQA’s deputy chief executive, Tim Fowler, said the the case of the four PTEs was serious but did not represent the norm. “The vast majority of PTEs have an excellent reputation and do a very good job. This action sends a strong message to the industry that these sorts of breaches will not be tolerated.”