Brown SimeonSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you Mr Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to take a call in this annual review debate this afternoon. I'd like to focus my contribution on international education. This was covered in two annual reviews: the annual review of Education New Zealand and the annual review of the Tertiary Education Commission. The international education market for New Zealand is our fourth-biggest export earner earning approximately $5.1 billion in the 2017 year with approximately 125000 international students based here in New Zealand. As one of our largest export earners it is an industry that I believe needs to be respected and needs to be given certainty in the way that we operate as a country in the rules the regulations and the policies that we have to govern it. But unfortunately this Government has been introducing uncertainty into the sector—uncertainty which is having an impact on our international reputation and on the number of students who are coming here. When this Government came into office the Labour Party pledged that they would reduce international student numbers by 15000 to 20000 international students per year. Since then since they were elected no official target has been set. However they have undertaken a number of policies which have continued to bring uncertainty into this industry and which are causing uncertainty for our sector and to our international brand. When Education New Zealand came to the Education and Workforce Committee we heard that competition in the international education market is growing with English-based courses opening up in non-traditional countries like Japan and Germany. In Education New Zealand's view New Zealand's competitiveness lies in its reputation. So as we discuss this topic my question to the Government is why the continued uncertainty the continued change in rules and the changing of the game plan for our international sector because it is jobs on the line it is people's incomes on the line and it is our reputation on the line which is having an impact. So let's get to some of those changes which this Government has made: firstly changes to post-study work rights for international students. This has had a significant impact on our reputation as a country because when students make a choice as to where they are going to study one of the biggest choices they make is based on: What opportunities am I going to have to be able to work while I'm studying? What opportunities am I going to have to be able to continue to engage to be able to pay the fees that I have to pay in terms of my international education? What employment opportunities will I be able to take up while I'm there so that I can gain new experiences and also upskill at the same time?" This Government has decided to play with these rules. Firstly they came out with radical plans—radical plans which were going to scale back the amount of post-study work rights—and then they softened that somewhat in the final rules which they put in place. But the impact was already had. Our reputation was damaged because they went out and made us far less competitive than other countries like Canada like Australia—other countries which international students can easily decide to switch between. The second change that they put in place last year was an increase in the export education levy. This was only several million dollars but again it was an increase in the cost that it would be for international students to come here to international export earners such as institutes of technology and polytechnics and our universities had their fees increased for every international student which they had. But the shame in this was actually that the fee was increased higher for private training establishments than for other establishments. Private training establishments' fees went up higher. Now we're also seeing a slow-down in the processing times for international students coming to New Zealand. This is something which is becoming increasingly worrying as the amount of days that it takes for international student visas to be processed—particularly through the Mumbai office—is becoming something which is of a huge concern to me and others on this side of the House because again if an international student has to take twice as long to get their visa processed to come to New Zealand than Australia then why wouldn't they go somewhere else which is far more welcoming? So we have significant concerns over the fourth-biggest export earner for New Zealand. We will continue to watch this Government as they continue to make changes because they must be taken to task on this."