Korean students have accounted for the greatest number of foreign students on language courses in New Zealand during one year from April 2009.

Statistics New Zealand says after Korea, the countries with the greatest number of foreign students came in the order of Japanese, Chinese and Saudi Arabians.

The English learners in New Zealand studied in a total of 130 educational institutions including universities and private institutes. They paid a total of three-point-nine million dollars in tuition.

The statistical office says although the number of Korean students in language courses have increased, they spent some five million dollars less than in 2008 on tuition and school-related expenses. They also shortened the length of their stays by an average of two weeks.