Recognising Manaaki and Prime Minister Scholarship Programme milestones

ENZ took over operational management of the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships Programme (MNZSP) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 1 November 2022. The MNZSP is a key pillar of New Zealand’s International Development Cooperation commitments (formerly New Zealand Aid) and is the Government’s single-largest investment in international scholarships. The programme has a 70-year history and approximately 1,100 scholarships are awarded each year, to scholars from 112 developing nations. 

Manaaki Scholarships Manager Julia Moore says the first 12 months has had a dual focus on bringing enhancements to the programme and ensuring it has a seamless transition into ENZ for scholars and providers.  

“ENZ is working closely with tertiary education providers to understand their needs, build relationships and identify areas for improvement. As part of this mahi, we recently brought together providers for the first ENZ run Tertiary Education Providers workshop. It was a great opportunity for all parties to come together, track progress in the past year and plan for the future” she says. 

ENZ is also working jointly with providers to bring the programme forward after disruptions that took place as a result of COVID-19 border closures, including clearing a pipeline of scholars who had been selected pre or during the pandemic and had been unable to start their programmes in New Zealand. 

A suite of branded digital collateral and assets has also been developed for partners in the Manaaki Programme with easy-to-use tools and assets for their marketing efforts, which they can find on ENZ’s BrandLab.  

Find out more about Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships Programme by visiting the website.  

Prime Minister’s Scholarships 

In April 2022 ENZ was delighted to award group Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia and Latin America (PMSA/PMSLA) to Māori whānau trusts for the first time in the 10-year history of the scheme. This is part of a wider programme of work to ensure the scholarship programme delivers on our Te Tiriti obligations and is more accessible to all New Zealanders over the age of 18. 

The Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme aims to strengthen New Zealand’s ability to engage with key Asian and Latin American trading partners, improving the internationalisation of indigenous communities, New Zealand tertiary institutions, showcasing the strength and quality of New Zealand's education system and enhancing inter-cultural awareness and connections between New Zealand and other countries.  The scholarship offers flexible funding to support both short and long-term programmes including study exchange, internships, postgraduate study, and language programmes.  

The Erana Kaunga Tuhura Whānau Trust was one of the 2022 group scholarship recipients. The group travelled to Indonesia to learn about sustainable living systems and building techniques, they produced a video to capture their time there. 

Director Scholarships Carla Rey Vasquez says she’s humbled to see the video the trust put together.  

“It is a great demonstration of how ENZ is effectively partnering with whānau Māori to achieve global citizenship outcomes and transform the way that international education delivers with and for Māori” she says. 

ENZ is eager to continue partnering with iwi, marae and whānau groups to raise Māori participation in the Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme. The next round of Prime Minister’s Scholarships will open for group applications at the start of next year.   

Find out more about the programme and sign up for updates by visiting the Prime Minister’s Scholarships website.