PM’s Scholarships for Asia awarded

The latest round of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia have today been awarded to 124 students from around New Zealand. 

The scholarships help New Zealand tertiary students study, research, or undertake an internship at a top institutions in Asia from six weeks to two years.

Today’s awards coincide with an announcement by Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce that three new Centres for Asia Pacific Excellence (CAPEs) will be launched to increase our international linkages.

“These students will form part of our future workforce. The skills and links they gain internationally will be valuable as New Zealand’s global connections become increasingly important,” he says.

“They also act as our ambassadors while away, to promote New Zealand as a great place to study for internationally recognised qualifications.”

The 124 recipients awarded funding in this round include 42 individuals and 8 groups.

“Several of the groups going to Asia will have between 10-30 students, making them highly visible on campus. In the past, groups have made an impact through various activities promoting New Zealand at their host institution.” Mr Joyce says.

Group recipients include up to 30 students from the University of Canterbury who will travel to Zhejiang Gongshang University in China to attend a programme in Chinese business practices and culture. As well as gaining some basic Chinese language skills they will learn about the complexities of doing business in China.

A group of ten students from the University of Waikato will attend law summer school in Viet Nam to gain an insight into the law and legal system operating in a different social, economic and political context.

Individual recipients include a Bachelor of Law student from the University of Waikato who will undertake an internship with the United Nations in Cambodia assisting with the Khmer Rouge trials. A University of Auckland student will complete an internship with a Singaporean investment bank and learn Mandarin at the same time. A zoology student from the University of Otago will travel to Japan to conduct research at Hokkaido University into eel reproduction.

The scholarships are in their fourth year, with 751 recipients to date. Funding of $9 million over five years was provided in Budget 2013 as part of the Government’s Internationally Focussed Growth Package.

Destinations covered by the scholarships include China, Japan, Korea, India and Sri Lanka, and ASEAN countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Philippines, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam.

Applications are open for the next round of scholarships and close on 30 September 2016.  Applications can be made by individuals or groups to Education New Zealand, the lead agency for the promotion of international education.

More information, including a full list of the latest recipients, can be found here: http://www.enz.govt.nz/how-we-work/scholarships/pmsa

Breakdown showing institutions represented in this round