Education

When the distribution of highest qualifications gained is broken down by Territorial Authority (TA), similar levels of overall achievement are evident at the 1–6 certificate/diploma levels. However, some TA-level differences are evident for low versus higher educational attainment levels. For example, Waimakariri District has the highest proportion with no qualification, while Christchurch City has the highest percentage with a Bachelor’s degree or higher qualification.

In 2018, the Asian ethnic group had the highest proportion of people with a formal qualification in greater Christchurch, at 91 percent. Just under 9 percent of the Asian population in greater Christchurch had no qualification compared to 18.2 percent of European/Pākehā and 23.9 percent of Māori. Further, the proportions of Māori and Pacific with qualifications at Bachelor’s degree or higher were substantially lower than for the Asian and European/Pākehā ethnic groups.

In 2018 the proportion of women with any qualification was equal to that of men (approximately 82%, both in greater Christchurch and nationally). In greater Christchurch, higher proportions of women have Bachelor’s degree or higher qualifications compared to men. Note that Level 4 certificate qualifications include many trade qualifications (historically higher for men). These patterns are generally consistent with the national picture (data not shown).