WELLINGTON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The education data released on Sunday highlighted the changing landscape of New Zealand's greater Christchurch following the earthquakes during the last seven years, said Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration Nicky Wagner.
Looking at trends in education enrolments and progress in the Christchurch Schools Rebuild Program, the data shows that the tertiary sector has been significantly affected by the quakes and is still recovering, with enrolments at the University of Canterbury, Ara Institute of Canterbury and Lincoln University below pre-quake levels.
However, with a government contribution of 260 million NZ dollars (188.5 million U.S. dollars), the rebuild and renewal of the Colleges of Engineering and Science precincts at University of Canterbury are progressing well, Wagner said in a release.
Combined enrolment data for primary and secondary school students in Christchurch City, Selwyn and Waimakariri reflects post-quake demographic changes -- a slight drop in the population of Christchurch, the largest city of New Zealand's South Island, with corresponding growth elsewhere, particularly in Selwyn.
"This reinforces the government's decision to fund new schools and classrooms in these areas," Wagner said, adding that the government announced a 5.5 million-NZ dollar (4 million-U.S. dollar) investment in the expansion of Canterbury schools.
"The purpose of gathering information like this is to understand the changing nature and needs of our communities, and ensure we're focusing our efforts in the right direction," she said.
