New Zealand extends work rights to foreign students in quake-battered region
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E-mail Xinhua, August 9, 2012
New Zealand extends work rights to foreign students in quake-battered region
WELLINGTON, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Foreign students studying English in New Zealand's earthquake-battered Canterbury will be given greater rights to work as the region seeks to rebuild its education sector.
Immigration Minister Nathan Guy announced Thursday that the extension of work rights would give a boost to the region's export education sector, which has suffered since the quakes began in September 2010 and more so after the Feb. 22 quake that killed 185 people last year.
"Foreign students are an important industry for Canterbury, but numbers have taken a hit since the major earthquakes," Guy said in a statement.
"This new initiative will help attract more international students to Christchurch, stimulating the industry and local economy."
Under a trial, which would be run and closely monitored for 18 months, work rights would be extended to English language students attending "quality education providers" in Canterbury.
Students would be eligible to work 20 hours a week provided they were studying an English language program of at least 14 weeks duration or a Level 4 Foundation Certificate of one academic year.
Currently part-time work eligibility for English language students was limited to those who already had a reasonable level of English and were enrolled in programs of at least six months.
"The sector has told us that eligibility for work rights will help attract students, and is a practical way in which we can help in the rebuild of Canterbury," Guy said.
"This trial will help to boost student numbers, and have flow- on effects for the wider economy by attracting more people to live, work and spend in the region."
The change would take effect on Aug. 27 and be reviewed after 18 months.
Canterbury and the city of Christchurch had a thriving education industry before the earthquakes, and was particularly popular in east Asian countries.
But more than a third of the 185 killed in the 6.3-magnitude Feb. 22 quake were foreign students.
A public inquest in August last year heard how 64 Asian students had died when the building housing the King's Education language school collapsed and burned. The number comprised 17 from the Chinese mainland, 28 from Japan, two from South Korea, 10 from the Philippines, one from Taiwan and six from Thailand. Enditem
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