How to Apply for the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship
It’s the time of the year when you’re wondering about doing something new, growing up, and considering an international scholarship. You might be interested in applying for the New Zealand Government Manaaki Scholarship. In this blog, I’ll tell you how I became a preferred candidate..twice!
What is the Manaaki Scholarship?
The Manaaki Scholarship is a fully funded educational opportunity the New Zealand Government provides to support students from developing countries in pursuing postgraduate studies at New Zealand institutions. These scholarships aim to develop future leaders who can contribute to the sustainable development of their home countries.
Benefits of Manaaki Scholarship
Here are the benefits of the scholarship:
Tuition Fees: Full coverage of tuition fees.
Travel: Return economy air travel between New Zealand and the scholar’s home country.
Living Allowance: A fortnightly living allowance to cover basic living expenses (this includes rent, food, and living expenses).
Establishment Allowance: An initial allowance to assist with setup costs upon arrival in New Zealand.
Insurance: Medical and travel insurance throughout the scholarship.
Research Support: For postgraduate students, assistance with research and thesis costs.
The Application Stage
The application usually starts in the first week of February and ends in the same month each year. In my country, the Philippines, it opened around the 2nd of February 2024, and the last day of submission was on the 28th.
You have to fill out the eligibility form first (link here). Note: the form does not open until they accept applications. If successful, you will be prompted to create your scholarship application account and start your proper application.
1. Check if you are eligible
The criteria for eligibility is quite simple:
Country Eligibility: Applicants must be citizens of eligible developing countries. Check the countries here.
Academic Programs: Priority is given to study subjects that align with the development needs of the applicant’s home country. In my case, the priority was sustainable development, agriculture, and the environment, plus people from Mindanao. So there’s only a limited number of related fields as well as some priority sectors in your country. Assess if the study program you want to pursue aligns with the recommended subjects for your country. Check the priority programs here.
Commitment to Home Country: Recipients must return to their home country for at least two years after completing their studies to apply their new skills and knowledge. So, if you plan to live abroad after the scholarship terms, that’s not possible.
Age Bracket: You must be at least 18 years old. And since if you’re applying for a postgraduate degree (Masters/PhD), you must have finished your undergraduate program. There’s no upper age limit for applicants, but most university or tertiary scholarship programs would prefer applicants under 40 years of age.
Relevant Work Experience: Applicants must possess at least one year of full-time work experience, defined as 30 or more hours per week or two years of part-time work experience, which involves working up to 29 hours per week. What it means with experience is that it could be professional or voluntary as long as it’s relevant to the subject you are applying.
2. Application Form and Essay Questions
The application form consists of personal profiling and a bunch of essay questions. I will create a separate blog about the essay, but in general, here are some of the major fields you will answer:
- Proposed study program
- Study History
- Work History
- Development Relevance (how your program will help your country)
- Personal questions such as ethics, leadership, relationship, and situational questions
The Psychometric Testing
Now that you have finished applying, you have to wait for 2 months to receive a response. In my case, I received a response on the 5th of April.
This comprehensive assessment is the next stage of the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship selection process, where you have to answer three sets of tests designed to provide the scholarship team insights into your logical abilities, learning agility, behavioral preferences, strengths, and development areas.
- Cognitive/Logical Reasoning Test
- Verbal Reasoning Test
- Personality test
And mind you, the first two are a blood bath!
The Interviews
After you finish the tests, the committee will review in detail both your application answers as well as the results of the tests. From thousands of applicants, a shortlist will be created to proceed to the interview. I received the email on the 25th of June. If you do not make it to the next stage, you will also receive an email to inform you.
The interview is done via Microsoft Teams with the assigned interviewers from New Zealand or your local embassy. During the interview, the panel will ask you questions about your proposed studies and experiences, most of which are the same as the application.
The interview takes only around 30 minutes to an hour.
The Final Outcome
And so the waiting game begins; the anxiety is on top of your head. You overthink if the interviews went well. It doesn’t matter now! You will receive the outcome email from mid-August to early September. And there are only three outcomes:
Preferred Candidate: the first in line for a Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship. To take up a scholarship, preferred candidates must successfully apply for admission to a university or education institution and then successfully apply for a visa.
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Reserved Candidate: you are next in line if, by any chance, a preferred candidate gives up their seat if they cannot meet the admission requirement of the preferred institution or if a visa was not granted. Most reserved candidates who make it to the preferred list receive emails around October and early November.
Not selected: Unfortunately, there is no chance for these people to make it. The decision of the scholarship committee is final.
What happens next?
If you are preferred, or if you are a reserved candidate that has been moved to preferred, you must reach out to the institution of choice and apply for admission. If you get an unconditional offer of place from that school, the Manaaki will officially send you the scholarship contract, and the rest of the steps will be a communication between you and a Manaaki officer of your school until you reach New Zealand the following year.
My Journey to Becoming An Official Scholar
I applied for the scholarship in 2020; back then, it was still called the MFAT scholarship. I went through the same process and received the outcome that I was preferred by September. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit, and New Zealand’s borders closed for two years. I also was not unstable mentally, so I was not able to push through.
Last 2024, I thought of applying again using the same application! By August, I received the final outcome: I was just a reserve candidate, so I did not hope to advance. But two weeks later, I received another email saying I became a preferred candidate. So I grabbed the chance and worked through processing my admission at Lincoln University for the degree Masters of Management in Agribusiness.
I got an unconditional offer and visa last November 2024 and can’t wait to start my journey this year in Christchurch, New Zealand. Now how long does the scholarship last? Well, that depends on your study program. Mine’s a year and a half others just a year, while some go as long as four years.
Tips and Observations
- Do not use AI to generate your essays. They will know it for sure! Answer as authentic as possible.
- There are thousands of applications received each year. In my country, only 12-16 are chosen each year, so the competition is tough. If you want a clear advantage, ensure that your line of work or experience greatly contributes to the community. The scholarship team wants to see leaders who can make changes or are already one step ahead in helping the country. Most of the scholars I know are from non-governmental organizations or government workers working or volunteering in line with the areas of focus of the Manaaki.
- I also observed that your undergraduate grades matter. The scholarship team wants to find candidates who excel academically because they will go to New Zealand to study, and their learning capacity should be at par with their standards. So, if you’re still working on your undergraduate grades, do good!
- Do not rush the application; proofread your essays a couple of times. I submitted my application on the 22nd of February, just a few weeks before the closing. It’s not first come, first serve; they go with quality over quantity.
- Be aware of the word limits. Do not write too much or too little. For situational questions, the usual method of writing is to describe the situation, your action, and the outcome. Make sure you write as succinctly as possible.
- Hope, but do not expect. As the application is quite rigorous, you’ll never know the outcome. Don’t beat yourself too much into perfection or self-sabotaging yourself if you don’t make it. There’s always next time! You can still improve yourself.
- Read more about this scholarship from their website here.
As you embark on your journey towards applying for the Manaaki Scholarship, remember that every step you take is a learning experience. The process may seem rigorous, but it’s also an opportunity to reflect on your goals, showcase your dedication, and grow.
Stay authentic, keep improving, and give it your all. Good luck with your application—New Zealand might just be calling your name!
