Sandys Sinks the Sixth Online Move Right Call
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Thursday, July 30, 2020 Since Sept 27, 1879 Retail $2.20 Home delivered from $1.40 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY Loss of foreign students hits colleges Online move right call P2 Both Ashburton and Mount Hutt colleges are taking a hammering financially due to the loss of foreign fee-paying students. BY SUE NEWMAN Traditionally the college hosts several Until Covid-19, that source had been [email protected] groups of Thai and Japanese students international student fees, Saxon said. Mid Canterbury’s two secondary each year. This year it will host none “This source has now been compro- schools are counting the lost income and Saxon is putting the overall loss of mised. At the moment we’re starting to from international students at well over international student fees at more than tread water, but if the border restric- $100,000 and rising. $100,000. tions are not loosened next year it’ll Both Mount Hutt College and Ashbur- “And into the future, while long term have an impact on staffing. ton College rely on fees from interna- student numbers might increase once “At the end of the day it goes back op- tional students to boost their operating the borders start to open, I don’t think erationally, to what levels schools are fund, but on the back of the Covid-19 there’s any light at the end of the tunnel funded to, to run a modern curriculum. closure of New Zealand’s borders, both for international short stays and they’re It means they’re forced to find other schools have a significantly lower num- the more profitable, generally,” he said. sources of income.” ber of those students currently on their Mount Hutt was caught in a funding Looking to the future, the college was Sandys sinks rolls. bind because it had a high decile rating exploring a range of domestic acade- Mount Hutt College normally hosts and that impacted on its level of gov- mies including multi-sport, ski and out- seven or eight long-term internation- ernment funding. However, that did not door education, Saxon said. al students; currently it has two, but it necessarily mean its school community the sixth is the loss of short stay groups that are was wealthy, rather it meant the school having the most significant impact on had to look for additional funding CONTINUED P2 P11 income, principal Jack Saxon said. sources. Local news for local people Mid Canterbury’s only locally-owned daily newspaper Ph 03 307 7900 Gluyas Nissan to subscribe! 79 Kermode Street | (03) 307 5800 Scott Donaldson Sales Manager Mob 027 225 5530 www.gluyasnissan.nz News 2 Ashburton Guardian Thursday, July 30, 2020 www.guardianonline.co.nz Kanuka Trust, giving the Loss of environment a helping hand foreign BY SUE NEWMAN students [email protected] The Kanuka Trust is working to protect and regenerate biodiverse ecosytems across the Ashburton District, and on Sunday, with a hit team of volunteers, members of that trust took part in a planting session at Wakanui Beach. During the day 400 plants were colleges taken from the Ashburton Dis- trict Council nursery and settled in a new home at the beach, as part of the Wakanui Beach Resto- hard ration plan drawn up in 2016. Trust chairperson Jane Riach said the Sunday work built on earlier work carried out in the area, with much of that under- From P1 taken by school students. Wakanui School students have In a normal year, Ashburton released seed bombs into an area College hosts 20 international of gorse and many plants were students, but currently num- now growing under the gorse bers have dropped to just 12 cover. Sunday’s plantings would and that signals $50,000 in lost provide a buffer around the gorse income, principal Ross Preece area to block light and make it said. more difficult for gorse to survive, What happens next year is an- Riach said. yone’s guess and that includes Several varieties of coprosma the future of current long-term and sedge were planted on Sun- students who traditionally re- turn to their home countries day, all native to the Wakanui Ashburton District councillor Lynette Lovett and deputy mayor Liz McMillan roll up their over the summer break, he said. Beach area. sleeves and help plant out native seedlings at Wakanui Beach as part of a Kanuka Trust en- The Kanuka Trust was formed “The question then could be, hancement project. PHOTO SUPPLIED last year with the objective of can they come back, particular- promoting, establishing and to mental and economic responsi- local landowner gaining an un- burton College Champions of ly if there is a further outbreak in facilitate the conservation and bilities in the district. derstanding of relationships be- Change Youth Hui and a number their home country.” regeneration of the Mid Canter- Since it was established it tween planting, water quality and of educational presentations. Two students who were en- bury environment. It was estab- has completed several projects. the life around it. The trust is supported by sev- rolled at the college had missed lished by Angela Cushnie to pro- Among those was Hinds School Other projects include a Land- eral community and business out by one day on returning to mote and model a better balance Mudfish Minions that involved care Networking Day, a preda- funders and is managed by a school after heading home for between social, cultural, environ- the school community and a tor trapping workshop, an Ash- team of six trustees. Chinese New Year. They were still working re- motely on the college’s curric- ulum, but Preece said he was still trying to get some clarity around the end of year exams Back to Basics Expo an online hit that were part of their course re- quirements. The college was fortunate, in BY HEATHER MACKENZIE friends and family members all that the $50,000 lost this year [email protected] got to sit in front of the fire and was ‘cherry on the top’ money, It was the same Back to Ba- watch the goings-on.” but looking to the future, the sics expo that’s come to be well The casual conversation for- impact would definitely be felt. known in the district, but this mat also worked well. Because If the borders remained closed year it came with a twist. And there was no live audience, Cros- and international students did the results and feedback for expo son said she, her co-hosts and not return, the college would organiser Julia Crosson proved it the guests could all bounce ideas look at a loss of at least $120,000 and information off each other. was the right decision to make. next year and that would impact With Covid-19 lockdown levels “We kept each time slot short staffing levels in the interna- looking uncertain at the begin- enough to remain engaging, but tional department, he said. ning of the year, Crosson said she long enough to give out relevant And it wasn’t just schools that decided to make a firm call to go information. The topics were so would be hit by the loss of in- live on the internet for this year. interesting we could have kept ternational students, with each “As it turns out we could have talking for ages.” run our traditional expo at the Ashburton’s world famous paying to stay with a family and New Life Church, but I didn’t Granny Trish’s time slot proved spending in the community, know that at the time. I thought to be very popular. With 529 Preece said. it better to make a decision and views reaching over one-thou- Long term, he’s optimistic that stick to it, rather than chop and sand people to date, her message international student numbers change between the two.” about the importance of being will grow, saying he’d already Broadcasting kicked off at prepared and taking care of oth- had feedback from an agency 10.30am with guest speakers be- ers has gone far and wide. in Germany that New Zealand ing given half hour slots until the Crosson can see how the on- is now being viewed as a very studio lights were turned off at line format and the yearly expo safe place for students wanting 2.30pm. can work hand-in-hand and she to study away from their home Crosson said the decision to is looking at putting more videos country. set up the studio in her hus- online in future. The international student is- band’s home office worked out An online version of the Back to Basics expo, organised by “They may not be live, but I sue was one that needed to be well. With some added signage, Julia Crosson, was well received this month by the communi- will add them to our Facebook addressed with urgency by the comfy chairs and some colourful ty. PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN page every so often.” government because of the very cushions, the space had a nice Between Back to Basics, their large numbers involved. welcoming feel. and her guests. well beyond the impromptu stu- Facebook page and increased Last year New Zealand schools Leading up to 10am the main “But I needn’t have worried dio and into the Crosson lounge. sustainability workshops being hosted 24,000 international concern Crosson had was around as it all worked really well. I am “We had the broadcast hooked held by Ashburton Timebank, students and at an average net if her cellphone would pick up friends with technology now.” up to our TV.