New Zealand’s efforts to strengthen trade ties with India could benefit from a steady flow of students from the South Asian giant, says Penny Simmonds.
The tertiary education and skills spokesperson for the National Party, which polls predict could form a government after the October 2023 election, says India must remain a top priority when it comes to sourcing international students.
“The Indian subcontinent is a really important part…it's a democracy with a growing economy. And so it certainly features strongly in terms of where we're wanting to get international students from,” Simmonds told The Indian Weekender.
“Of course, in wanting to strengthen trade with India, one of the natural ways is to have those relationships established when we have students from India here.”
At the same time, adds the National candidate from Invercargill in South Island, Aotearoa must also look beyond the nine countries its international students currently largely come from.
All major political parties are pitching for stronger trade and diplomatic ties with India this election. National’s Chris Luxon has promised a trip to the country in the first year if he were to become prime minister.
Labour’s Chris Hipkins has also announced he will lead a prime ministerial trade delegation to India within 100 days if he were re-elected.
ACT leader David Seymour last week also pitched for better trade relations with India, because “it’s a huge market with an abundance of talent”.
Simmonds, who holds extensive tertiary education experience for 23 years managing Southern Institute of Technology, points out New Zealand must expedite visa processing time for students to send a word out that the country is open to business.
“We are really focused on…letting other countries’ leasing agents know that there will be priority processing offered for students who wish to pay to get that faster processing within two weeks, because we understand how critical getting timely processing is.
“We will offer those additional work rights in terms of spouse being able to work and also students being able to work longer hours. And that puts us more competitive. At the moment, Australia is much more competitive than we are.”
Another thing that Simmonds has been vocal about is her mission to disestablish Te Pukenga - the new national polytech and institute of technology conglomerate that was formed through the merger of 16 institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs) and nine industry training organisations (ITOs) in 2020.
“We don't agree with the merger …it has not worked. It has been a very costly exercise. Over $200 million has been spent on the merger. It really has just caused chaos in the sector. And we are finding now that institutions are in much worse situations than they were prior to the merger.”
Lastly, she has the following message for the voters. “It is really important for us to have the change of government and national led government that can get our economy really going again, and can get out there and be outward looking in terms of those trade relationships with the likes of India, because we have to be very outward focused, we are an export country. And so we have to be very focused on getting those relationships.”