17 Feb 2020

Universities ask for travel ban exemption for Chinese students

From Morning Report, 7:19 am on 17 February 2020

Universities have asked the government to exempt thousands of Chinese students from New Zealand's ban on international arrivals from mainland China.

The ban, which is aimed at stopping the spread of Covid-19, has prevented more than 11,000 Chinese students coming to New Zealand, including 6700 enrolled with universities.

The government has acknowledged those students' fees and living costs are worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the wider economy.

Here's RNZ education correspondent, John Gerritsen.