Summary

The report includes extensive analysis of trends and of the performance of the sector. It is intended to be a primary source of information on tertiary education in this country. The emphasis is on students, their participation and achievement in tertiary education, the pathways that they take to enter tertiary education, initiatives supporting specific groups such as Māori and Pacific students and financial issues for providers and students. The report also looks at the diversity and capability of tertiary education provision in this country, innovative developments and new educational strategies in the sector.

It places the analysis in the context of the tertiary education reforms. The structure of the report reflects the themes of the Tertiary Education Strategy 2002 - 2007. Each of the six strategies forms the focus of a chapter of the report. There are also chapters on funding, student support and policy developments. A post-script summarises some of the most important subsequent developments in the sector that are outside the timeframe of the report.

The report is intended to complement and lend context to the large volume of statistical information available on the Ministry of Education web-site. It provides detailed data on the state of the sector in 2001, including statistics on: enrolments; qualification completions; funding; the financial performance of public tertiary education institutions; the participation and achievement of Māori and Pasifika students; and the research output of tertiary education providers.

Key Findings

Tertiary education plays a fundamental role in providing the skills New Zealand needs to create a knowledge economy and society.

New Zealand now has one of the highest tertiary education participation rates in the OECD.

The government spends over $3 billion on tertiary education.

The percentage of government expenditure devoted to tertiary education was close to 5% in 1999, well above the OECD average of just over 3%.

The report shows that New Zealand's tertiary education sector is responding well to many of the challenges it faces.

Participation in tertiary education rose again in 2001, with nearly 290,000 people studying on 31 July 2001.

Latest figures show further growth in 2002 and projections of increasing participation over the next few years.

The number of qualifications awarded in the sector has grown.

There has been a further significant increase in international student numbers.

The rate of Māori participation in tertiary education has grown and now exceeds that of non-Māori. It will be important to build on these gains, by increasing Māori participation at all levels of the sector and in the 18 - 24 age group where they are currently under-represented.

Total government funding of tertiary education grew by 11% in 2001 to more than $3.3 million. Tertiary education institutions have diversified their sources of income and have improved their financial performance on a range of measures.

The sector is producing more research and training and an increasing number of researchers.