Ara polytechnic banks on more international students like Maira

Tuesday, 3 March 2026

Brazilian Maira Scalco has shelled out $45,000 towards a masters degree at Ara in a bid to change careers - and the newly independent institution is hoping more will follow her lead.

“It was quite expensive, especially given a fee increase shortly before we made the payment,” Scalco said.

But the experience had been “positive”.

“The lecturers have always been available and supportive, and they understand the challenges that international students can face.”

Ara Institute of Canterbury has a target to lift international student enrolments by 24% this year to maintain its “stable” financial position.

The institute quietly transitioned to independence on January 1, with nine other providers, following the Government’s disestablishment of Te Pūkenga last year.

Chief executive Darren Mitchell acknowledged the “ambitious” international student target, but said the current trajectory was positive.

“We're tracking growth of 17.2% year-to-date compared to the same time last year, which reflects the coordinated work underway across recruitment channels, agent relationships and in-market engagement.”

Ara started with 394 international enrolments and plans to get that to 670 by year’s end. Last year it enrolled 540 for the full year.

It also wants to lift domestic enrolments from about 6300 last year to more than 6400 and the total roll from about 6800 to 7100 for the full year.

Mitchell said international students were coming from a wide range of countries including China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand which was the result of a diversification strategy.

Last year Mitchell said the institute was expecting a deficit for 2025, but less than the $1.9m in 2024 ‒ before a forecast surplus in 2026.

Before Covid-19, Ara had about 1000 international students per year.

“We’re going to have to be investing into international marketing, recruitment, sending people offshore to make sure Ara is at the forefront of people’s minds when they’re making choices,” Mitchell said last year.

The Government contracted four consultancies to develop financial pathways for polytechs in 2024, ahead of disestablishing Te Pūkenga.

Key targets for financial viability in the plans include achieving a net surplus of 2%, having staffing costs of less than 60% of operating revenue, and having an academic student to staff ratio of 19 to 1.

In 2025, in line with its plan, Ara undertook restructuring, including cutting 23 jobs to save at least $1.3m.

Mitchell said Ara’s financial position was “stable” and it had received “a portion” of the Government’s $325 million transition funding. RNZ reported this was $80.8m.

“We're focused on prudent stewardship of those resources, maintaining our sound financial position, and investing in the things that matter most to our learners and region, to ensure our long-term viability and regional mandate.”

Scalco moved from Brazil to study for a masters degree in creative practice at Ara from February last year and will finish in April.

She said Ara was one of the few places offering such a course; it seemed to have a good reputation within Christchurch.

“We were also looking for a smaller and calmer city than Auckland, so Christchurch felt like the right choice for me and my family.”

With an architecture degree and a postgraduate qualification in landscape architecture already under her belt, she hoped the masters would help her make a career change to visual art.

“The course has been more of a personal milestone than a direct pathway into the job market in New Zealand.”

I liked that the course was not limited to just one creative area and allowed people from different backgrounds to study together and share ideas.“

She said most international students at Ara were from Asia but she felt there would be more opportunities for Ara to tap into the Latin American markets.

“From a Latin American perspective, particularly Brazil, I think Ara could build stronger connections with exchange agencies to promote its courses more widely.”