In 2005, Education New Zealand, with funding from the Export Education Industry Development\ud
Fund, managed by Education New Zealand and on behalf of the Ministry of Education, commissioned\ud
this research project to explore the experiences of Chinese international students in New Zealand.\ud
A national survey of international students published in 2004 identified that Chinese students were\ud
more dissatisfied with their experiences in New Zealand when compared to students from Europe,\ud
South Africa and North America (ESANA) and other Asian countries. However, this survey also\ud
revealed that Chinese students indicated they were likely to apply for permanent residence. These\ud
results highlighted an interesting incongruity between students’ discontent with New Zealand\ud
juxtaposed against a desire to stay here.\ud
This current research attempts to shed some light on the complex experiences and perceptions Chinese\ud
international students have about their lives in New Zealand, why they were dissatisfied and their\ud
reasons for choosing to stay or return home. Using qualitative approaches it was anticipated that a\ud
greater understanding of students’ experiences would be uncovered and ways to improve their general\ud
wellbeing and satisfaction could be explored
