172 young Kiwis head to Asia on Prime Minister’s Scholarships

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has today congratulated the 172 young New Zealanders who have been awarded prestigious Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) as part of the August 2018/19 round.

The Prime Minister made the announcement in Singapore, where she met with PMSA recipients currently studying in Singapore as a result of the PMSA programme.

The newly announced awardees – 49 individuals, and 17 groups totalling 123 – are either recent graduates or come from universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics or private training enterprises across New Zealand. They will travel to destinations including China, India, Viet Nam, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore to study, carry out research or undertake internships – spanning from four weeks to one year.

“The PMSA establishes personal relationships that strengthen ties between Asia and New Zealand. As a small trading nation in the Asia-Pacific region, this is important for us, helping build a shared future,” Jacinda Arden said.

“Ongoing academic relationships and new business opportunities are two things we are seeing result from the programme.

“Our awardees are welcomed and supported by diplomatic communities in New Zealand and offshore, which we also value.”

Individual PMSA awardees will carry out programmes including a one-year Master’s in Management at the National University of Singapore, a 12-week internship at SmartBlkTrade in Hong Kong as a Machine Learning Engineer, and a 6-month study of Mandarin Chinese at the Mandarin Training Centre at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan.

Group PMSA awardees include six Massey University students who will study Veterinary Science at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, six students from the University of Waikato who will attend a law summer school in Viet Nam and 12 students from Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design who will study sustainable and ethical fashion design in India.

“It’s a priority of this government to equip young New Zealanders with the skills to be global citizens, including language skills and cultural competence,” Jacinda Ardern said.

“The scholarships have successfully lifted the profile of offshore exchanges and programmes in New Zealand and enabled more of our young people to take part in them.

“On completing their PMSA international education experience, the awardees report the experience will improve their career prospects.”

A total of $1,408,578 was awarded this round for 2018/19 covering both individual and group awardees.

The PMSA programme is funded by the New Zealand Government and administered by Education New Zealand (ENZ). The PMSA was first launched five years ago and was extended to Latin America with the launch of the PMSLA in 2016. The August round 2018/19 PMSLA awardees have been announced, alongside the names of PMSA awardees. 

To date, there have been 1,855 PMSA and PMSLA awardees. The scholarship covers study and internship costs and makes a significant contribution to travel and accommodation expenses.

Applications for the next round of PMSA and PMSLA opens mid-January and must be submitted online by 30 March 2019. More information on the application process can be found here. Institutions are encouraged to contact ENZ to discuss potential group applications.

The PMSA recipients’ names from the August 2018/19 round can be found here. The PMSLA recipients’ names from the August 2018/19 round can be found here.