On 25 March 2020, New Zealand went into lockdown following weeks of tightened border restrictions. Unsurprisingly, these changes have resulted in a huge decline in the number of student visa holders arriving in the country, and visas being approved at all. Student visas approved by Immigration NZ in March 2020 took a 43% drop in volume from March 2019, indicating fewer foreign citizens are planning on travelling to New Zealand to study later this year. While this may be expected, it will have a significant impact on both the education sector and the rental market with a presumed ongoing drop in demand for rental accommodation.
