8 December 2017
Talented New Zealand students awarded Prime Minister’s Scholarships

Nearly 200 young New Zealanders are about to deepen New Zealand’s connections with Asia and Latin America.

Prime Minister Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern today announced that 192 young New Zealanders have been awarded Prime Minister’s Scholarships in the first 2017/18 round. Of these, 139 are recipients of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) and 53 recipients of the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Latin America (PMSLA).

Award recipients – 108 individuals and nine groups – have largely come from tertiary institutions around the country.

“This Government is ambitious for young New Zealanders. This scholarship is another way we can increase access to a broader education, equipping young New Zealanders with skills that will serve them well in this rapidly changing world,” says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

“We are going to place students at the centre of the education system, with a much greater focus on personalised learning, strong foundations and lifelong learning. We will also recognise and celebrate diversity and put a focus on learning environments that are culturally and socially responsive.”

The prestigious scholarships will help awardees to undertake study, research or an internship at top institutions in Asia and Latin America. The international education experiences were selected to enhance students’ study to date, and are from four weeks to two years in length.

Individual programmes range from a 12-week internship with Engineers Without Borders in Chile, one year of Chinese language studies at Nanyang Technological University in Taiwan to a 12-week internship with the Human Rights Law Network in India.

Group scholarships will support programmes such as a 16-week Global Business and Innovation Program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a four-week exchanges to Chile, Argentina and Colombia.

A total $1,720,387 has been awarded as part of the first funding round for 2017/18 across both the PMSA and PMSLA scholarships.
“The PMSA and PMSLA programmes have the real potential to change the lives of the young Kiwis who take part,” said Ms Ardern.

“Equipping students for the 21st century is a priority and, with this in mind, our young people have a lot to gain from spending time in an offshore institution – opportunities to further develop intercultural competencies, language and empathy, for example.

“The scholarships also enable students to build connections and friendships in Asia and Latin America. Relationships established at this level have been found to contribute positively toward trade flows and business ties – so there is clearly value for New Zealand in a broader sense.”

The scholarship programme is funded by the New Zealand Government and administered by Education New Zealand. The PMSA was first launched five years ago, and was extended to Latin America with the launch of the PMSLA in 2016. Through both programmes, 1,362 awards have been made to date.

Applications for the second round for 2017/18 for PMSA and PMSLA must be submitted online by 30 March 2018 and 30 April 2018 respectively. More information on the application process can be found here. Institutions are strongly encouraged to contact ENZ to discuss potential group applications.

PMSA funding increased to $3 million per year in 2016/17, and will increase to $3.5 million in 2018/19. Funding for the PMSLA is currently $1 million per year.
The PMSA recipients’ names are here. The PMSLA recipients’ names are here.

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