Unitec awarded Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade contract for New Zealand Scholarships

Our International team has won a hotly-contested contract with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to deliver the New Zealand Scholarships scheme to students from around the Pacific and ASEAN regions.  And as the only ITP to be chosen to be part of the scheme, it’s a big win for us!

The New Zealand Scholarship Scheme is part of MFAT’s Aid & Development programme and is designed to fund students from developing countries into areas of study relevant to the skills needs of their countries.  Scholarship recipients are required to go back to their home country for two years after they have completed their scholarship.

Thousands of aspiring students apply each year but only around 550 scholarships are awarded annually across the nine New Zealand tertiary institutes selected to participate in the scheme, which includes Unitec and eight universities.

Unitec has hosted New Zealand Scholars for a number of years, so we’re delighted to be able to continue to deliver the programme.  The NZ Scholarship package at Unitec includes a special orientation week for students with the support of our Pacific Centre, along with additional welfare and pastoral care and ongoing academic support.  The scheme aims to provide students with a unique New Zealand experience, and we hope to add outdoor recreation and sporting activities into the mix next year. We also run a Completion Ceremony for those students who are not able to return to Unitec for graduation.

Scholarship students enrol in a wide range of courses, although Bachelor of Engineering, Applied Tech Automotive, Computing Systems and Business are particularly popular.

Sophie Martin-Welsh, International Relationship Advisor, and Kimberley Holden, Head of International Market Development, were involved in submitting the tender on behalf of Unitec, with additional support from many different areas of the business, including Student Finance, Student Support, Health & Safety, Student Success and International Marketing.