International student numbers are rising but are still lower than before borders were closed due to the Covid outbreak.  

More than 69 thousand students enrolled with education providers in 2023.  

That's a 67% increase compared to 2022, but only 60% of 2019 enrolments.  

International enrolments grew in all subsectors except wānanga.  

Education NZ's Geoff Bilbrough told Mike Hosking that he doubts New Zealand's reputation for international students has been damaged.  

He says our borders were closed for a while and competitors were open earlier, but we're bouncing back and he's optimistic about the future. 

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