In fact, the proportion of people with degrees or postgraduate qualifications decreases with age and, inversely, the proportion of people with no qualification increases with age. This educational gap across the ages reflects the general trend towards obtaining more and higher educational qualifications, particularly over the last 20 or so years, during which an emphasis on the importance of higher education in New Zealand has become very apparent in the media and society at large. After 1993, part-time tertiary enrolment levels decreased. In 1998, part-time tertiary enrolments were down to 28.3 per thousand. Since 1993, enrolment levels have fluctuated around the 74 per thousand mark.
Core subjects are still the most popular.
Commercial and business, and humanities are the two most popular tertiary fields of study. Tertiary Enrolments by Field of Study and Gender 1998 Commercial and business, and humanities are the two most popular fields of study among both males and females. Following these fields of study, the popularity of different fields differs between males and females. Among men, the most popular fields of study after commercial and business, and humanities are natural and applied science, and engineering. The number of students borrowing is increasing, as are the amounts borrowed.