Colin Ambler/cvnznews.com
Thousands of international students are making health insurance claims for mental health conditions, prompting renewed calls for greater wellbeing support across New Zealand’s education sector.
Figures shared with John Gerritsen, RNZ Education Correspondent show one of the country’s four largest international student health insurers received 6,500 mental health-related claims in 2025, accounting for 9 percent of all claims. The claims were largely linked to anxiety and depression.
Chris Beard, executive officer of ISANA, the association for professionals supporting international students, said the figures should be viewed as a warning sign.
“It’s becoming clearer that international students experience elevated levels of anxiety and depression across a range of contexts here,” Beard said.
He said international students often face unique pressures, including cultural adjustment, academic expectations and social isolation, and argued more investment was needed in specialist support services and staff training.
Asian Family Services chief executive Kelly Feng said her organisation was seeing increasing numbers of students struggling with anxiety, loneliness, depression, financial pressures and family expectations.
“Some students might be in a really vulnerable situation not knowing where to seek help,” she said, warning that problems could escalate into crises if left unaddressed.
Former Victoria University professor Colleen Ward said international research consistently showed overseas students experienced higher rates of anxiety and depression than domestic students. She said studying abroad was inherently stressful and that institutions needed a deeper understanding of students’ experiences.
However, education sector leaders urged caution about drawing conclusions from the insurance figures alone.
Education New Zealand chief executive David Downs said the agency was not seeing evidence of a widespread deterioration in student wellbeing. While acknowledging the additional challenges faced by young people studying in a different country and culture, he pointed to survey results showing nearly 90 percent of international students reported having a positive experience in New Zealand.
“That’s probably about best in the world in terms of student experience,” Downs said.
Schools International Education Business Association executive director John van der Zwan also said schools had not reported any noticeable rise in mental health problems among international students. He said schools continued to prioritise pastoral care through strong relationships with students, families and homestay providers.
About 92,000 international students are expected to study in New Zealand this year. While opinions differ on the scale of the challenge, there is broad agreement that student wellbeing will remain a key issue as the sector continues to grow.
