New Zealand Regional Development Scholarships
Table of contents
Eligibility and selection criteria
New Zealand Regional Development Scholarship (NZRDS) applicants must meet the eligibility criteria below before their application will be considered against the selection criteria.
Depending on the home country's human resource development needs, applicants may be students completing their final year of senior secondary studies or individuals who are working in the public, private or civil society sectors.
To be eligible to be considered for a NZRDS, an applicant must:
- have citizenship of a participating country (i.e. permanent residents are not eligible to apply)
- be residing in the participating country, preferably for at least two years prior to application
- not have citizenship or permanent residence status of New Zealand or Australia, except where their country does not issue passports and they hold a New Zealand passport (i.e. applicants from the Cook Islands and dual citizens of Samoa and New Zealand, where the applicant has been schooled, and their parents are living, in Samoa)
- be married, to a person who holds, or is eligible to hold, citizenship or permanent residence status of New Zealand or Australia (unless they are a New Zealand citizen, i.e. from the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau)
- be aged 17 years or over before the scholarship start date (note: some countries have upper age limits. Please check the relevant country information sheet)
- not hold another scholarship that would give overlapping benefits
- not hold, or have held, a New Zealand or Australian Government scholarship in the preceding 24 months at the time of application
- not have been terminated from a New Zealand or Australian Government scholarship previously
- satisfy the admission requirements of the education institution in which the qualification is to be undertaken (including the language proficiency requirements)
- be able to take up the scholarship in the academic year for which it is offered.
If offered a scholarship, applicants will also need to satisfy all requirements of the immigration authorities in the country of study.
New Zealand Regional Development Scholarships selection criteria
New Zealand Regional Development Scholarships are awarded to applicants whose proposed study directly relates to the human resource development training priorities of their country and/or NZAID's development focus in that country.
Applicants must meet the NZRDS eligibility criteria. Eligible applications are then considered against selection criteria, based on the following:
- the proposed study corresponds to a human resource development training priority identified in the country's national training plan (or equivalent), or
- the proposed study links to one of NZAID's priority development sectors in the participating country, and
- the applicant clearly demonstrates the developmental relevance and applicability of the proposed study to the identified training needs of the home country (as above)
- the applicant has a strong academic background. Applicants for postgraduate study must hold a recognised Bachelors degree of good standard
- consideration of gender equity, including efforts to ensure that the scholarships are offered equitably to female and male applicants
- if applicable, equitable consideration of applicants who are ethnically or
geographically disadvantaged for example those applicants who:
- can demonstrate the relevance of the proposed study to recent paid or unpaid (volunteer) work experiences, including relevant community roles
- can demonstrate their links and commitment to their home country (including community participation) and/or their ability to influence change in a key development sector, supported by references
- have identified employment opportunities on completion of their study
- have not previously received New Zealand Government or Australian Government scholarship funding.
Country-specific selection criteria
Country-specific selection criteria are listed in the relevant country information sheet, and will include:- the fields of study related to the agreed priority development sectors and training priorities for that country
- the available levels of study (for example: undergraduate or postgraduate level study)
- the category of applicants (for example: available to in-service/mature or pre-service/school leaver applicants etc)
- any minimum academic requirements to be met
- any target groups (for example: targeted provinces, employment groups, organisations)
- any age restrictions.