Navitas in New Zealand college deal

Education services provider Navitas has executed an agreement with a New Zealand university to set up an international college at the latter’s Christchurch campus.

University of Canterbury selected Applecross-based Navitas following a public tender process to establish the UC International College, which will recruit and prepare overseas students for study at the university.

The new college will offer a number of programs, including engineering and commerce, and is anticipated to open in the latter half of this calendar year.

Navitas offers pre-university and "university pathway" programmes from 30 colleges in Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Africa.

Vice-chancellor Rod Carr said lifting the international student population was "a key strategic development for the university this year".

"This deal with Navitas is one contribution by UC to widen efforts to boost the number of international students who choose to further their studies in Christchurch and shows our support for the recovery of Christchurch and the economic recovery of the Canterbury region," Dr Carr said.

Enrolments at Canterbury tumbled after the Christchurch earthquakes. The government has a goal of lifting the ratio of foreign undergraduates in New Zealand to 15 per cent from eight per cent within 10 years.

Shares in Navitas were unchanged at $4.76 at 1104 AWST.