Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships

A tertiary scholarship pays full tuition fees, a living allowance for basic expenses and an establishment allowance for setting up, for example towards accommodation or textbooks. It covers medical and travel insurance, travel from home at the start and back at the end, and a reintegration allowance for resettling at home. Scholars studying for more than about 1.6 years may travel home to visit family, usually once or twice depending on the length of the programme.

Dependants may accompany scholars if they meet Immigration New Zealand's requirements. A scholar who starts the programme in their home country receives a stipend adjusted to local living costs.

Only citizens of the listed countries can apply. In the Pacific these are Fiji (postgraduate only), the French Pacific territories, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, the North Pacific states, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu; Cook Islands scholars have their own scheme, and Tokelau citizens can only take short-term training. Citizens of Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu may also choose to study at the University of the South Pacific or Fiji National University. In Asia the countries are Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, with undergraduate study open only to Timor-Leste.

Applicants must be at least 18 when they sign the offer (17 for the Samoa Foundation intake); there is no upper age limit, but the programme prefers applicants under 40. They must have lived in their home country for the two years before applying, with exceptions for diplomatic postings and study abroad. Postgraduate applicants need one year of full-time or two years of part-time relevant work experience, paid, unpaid or voluntary. Applicants must be likely to meet the academic and English entry requirements of their chosen courses, and scholarships are offered only in subjects recommended for each country or region.

The purpose of the scholarship is to invest in people who will improve their own country's development. It is a condition of the award that scholars contribute to their country's social or economic development for at least two years after finishing, and the programme prefers applicants who plan to stay in their current job sector.

Scholars agree to a code of conduct from the day they leave home until they return, and must meet the academic requirements in their letter of offer, including attending classes, completing compulsory assessments and sitting exams, within the time their institution allows.

Approved New Zealand institutions include eight universities (Auckland University of Technology, Lincoln, Massey, Auckland, Canterbury, Otago, Waikato and Victoria University of Wellington), together with approved institutes of technology such as the Southern Institute of Technology and Unitec. Institutions have a duty of care under New Zealand's pastoral care code for international learners, and Manaaki scholars receive extra support from them.