Report into Economic Contribution of Wānanga Sector

Report into Economic Contribution of Wānanga Sector Released

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Te Taiurungi (CEO) Jim Mather today welcomed the findings of a BERL report into the economic contribution of the wānanga sector to Aotearoa.

In a report released in Wellington today the leading economic researcher identified significant economic benefits to the New Zealand economy including generating almost half a billion dollars in combined expenditure and employing almost 3,000 employees across the three Māori tertiary education providers annually.

Mr Mather said, while the immense benefit to the hundreds of thousands of students who had or were studying with the three wānanga – Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi – was obvious, the significant economic benefits to the communities that wānanga served, and the country, was not so widely known or acknowledged.

“This report not only captures the significant benefits wānanga have provided to turn around lagging Māori participation and outcomes in tertiary education, it also captures the substantial economic and employment outcomes that support many communities throughout Aotearoa,” Mr Mather said.

Today in Wellington Mr Mather joined leaders and representatives from the wānanga sector and the BERL report authors at the release of the report: Wānanga Ringahora – The Economic Contribution of the Wānanga sector 2014.

Mr Mather said the economic, employment and educational benefits of the wānanga sector were essential contributors to the ongoing success of New Zealand.

“It is an honour to join with my colleagues to acknowledge the immense benefits provided and to anticipate the significant part wānanga will continue to play in the educational, social and economic benefits to the many communities we serve,” he said.

Economic Activity Snap-shot

The total impact of the financial operations and activities of the wānanga sector on the New Zealand economy in 2012 was $482 million in expenditure on goods and services, $321 million in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the employment of 2,890 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs).

Student profile snap shot

In 2012, 40,989 students were enrolled across the three wānanga, supported by 1563 Full-Time Equivalent (FTEs) staff.

Generally, wānanga students tend to enrol part-time and are older than the average tertiary student cohort. In 2012, 52 per cent of students were aged over 40, and 56 per cent were enrolled part-time. Approximately 35 per cent of these students had no secondary school qualification prior to beginning their study, while 25 per cent had NCEA Level 1 or 2, and 7 per cent had an NCEA Level 3 qualification. In addition, 51 per cent were employed or self-employed before undertaking their study at a wānanga, and 20 per cent of students were beneficiaries or not in employment.

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