New Zealand Offers Full Postgraduate Scholarship With Allowance

(SPOT.ph) New Zealand is a dream country for many, but it doesn’t have to stay a dream. Filipinos looking to level up their careers with a postgraduate degree will be happy to know they can now apply for a fully funded scholarship in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

The 2025 Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships covers everything: full tuition fees, living expenses, an establishment allowance, medical and travel insurance, and round-trip airfare between the Philippines and New Zealand. That means successful applicants won’t have to worry about anything except actually studying.

The program is strictly for postgraduate studies, with priority given to fields that matter most for sustainable development: climate change and environment, disaster risk management, renewable energy, food security and agriculture, and good governance. Only 10% of scholarships will go to doctoral students. 

The only condition of the scholarship? Give back to your country.

“The purpose of a Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship is to invest in the education of citizens from developing countries, enabling them to positively impact their communities and country's development. We expect scholars to contribute to their country’s social or economic development for at least two years after completing their scholarship study,” it says on the official website of Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships.

Applications are open until February 28, 2025 at 12 p.m. New Zealand time or 7 a.m. Philippine time. Do note that the form may close early in countries with a large volume of applications, so it’s best to send in those applications now.

For the 2024 cycle, 16 Filipinos were selected for the scholarship.

Also read: New Zealand's Latest Visa Option Lets You Stay for Up to 12 Months

Who is eligible for the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship?

To be eligible, applicants must have relevant work experience, which can be paid, unpaid, or voluntary. They must have either one year of full-time work experience (30 hours or more per week) or two years of part-time work experience (up to 29 hours per week).

In addition, they must have been living in the Philippines for at least two years. Applicants from Mindanao, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the Visayas are especially encouraged to apply since these locations have had historically fewer applicants.

Although there’s no upper age limit, the program prefers applicants under 40 years old. Strong preference is also given to those who can clearly outline how their studies will contribute to the Philippines’ social and economic development after they return.

If it's starting to sound a little too complicated, you can also just take the online eligibility test for Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships.

Also read: The SPOT.ph Guide to Studying in New Zealand

Recommended study subjects for Filipino applicants 

Climate change and environment

• Civil engineering 
• Climate change 
• Climate change science 
• Environmental law 
• Environmental policy and planning 
• Natural resource management 
• Water management
• Water engineering

Disaster management

• Disaster management 
• Emergency management 
• Geology 
• Geotechnical engineering 

Renewable energy

• Energy distribution systems and technologies 
• Energy management 
• Energy policy 
• Geothermal, hydroelectric, hydrothermal, solar and wind energy 

Food security and agriculture

• Agribusiness 
• Agricultural science 
• Agricultural technology 
• Aquaculture 
• Farm management 
• Food technology 
• Supply chain management 

Governance

• Public policy
• Public management 
• Indigenous studies 
• Peace and conflict studies 
• Gender studies
• Development studies