What the Manaaki Scholarship Actually Covers

The Full Package

This is one of the most generous development scholarships available. Unlike many scholarships that cover tuition and leave you scrambling for living costs, Manaaki covers essentially everything: your fees, your rent money, your flights, your health insurance, even a settling-in allowance when you land.

But there are specific things it does not cover, and those catch people off guard. The biggest one: dependents. If you are planning to bring your family, that cost is entirely on you. More on that below.

Let’s walk through every component of the scholarship, dollar by dollar, so you know exactly what to expect.

What Is Covered

Here is every benefit included in the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship. Each one is paid or arranged on your behalf by MFAT (New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), mostly through your institution.

Full tuition fees

All university fees are paid directly by the scholarship. You do not see a tuition bill. MFAT pays the institution on your behalf for the entire duration of your programme.

Living allowance: NZ$615 a week

That works out to NZ$1,230 a fortnight. It is paid into your NZ bank account every two weeks, all 52 weeks of the year, including holidays. This is your money for rent, food, transport, and daily life. If you start your programme online from your home country, the stipend is adjusted to reflect the difference in living costs.

Establishment allowance: NZ$3,000 on arrival, NZ$1,000 each subsequent year

The initial NZ$3,000 is for setting up your life: bond payments, bedding, cookware, a winter jacket, textbooks. If your programme runs longer than one year, you get an additional NZ$1,000 at the start of each new calendar year. If less than a full year of study remains, that amount is pro-rated (NZ$250 for each three months left).

Return airfare

Economy class flights from your home country to New Zealand at the start and from New Zealand back home at the end. Your institution’s international office organises the travel.

Reunion travel

For scholars whose programme runs more than about 1.5 years (548 days in the November 2025 policy guidance), the scholarship usually allows one or two trips home during the scholarship period, depending on its length. This is specifically for maintaining family connections during longer programmes.

Medical and travel insurance

Your institution arranges medical and travel insurance from the day you leave home until you return. It covers emergency and urgent medical care, emergency dental care, travel delays, baggage and personal liability. It does not cover pre-existing medical conditions, routine dental visits, optical care or physiotherapy, and you pay some pharmacy costs yourself. The official policy guidance suggests buying extra cover for these.

Additional tutoring support: up to NZ$1,000 a year

If you need extra academic coaching, writing support, or language help, you can apply to your institution for up to NZ$1,000 of tutoring funding each academic year. Tutoring is built in for first-year undergraduates and some degrees, such as engineering, science and commerce.

Research and thesis costs

Postgraduate research scholars get a one-off NZ$1,000 research allowance. A thesis allowance repays proofreading, printing and binding costs: up to NZ$850 for non-PhD postgraduates and up to NZ$1,500 for PhD scholars. These amounts may not cover everything, and the policy guidance says you pay any extra from your stipend or savings.

Reintegration allowance: NZ$1,000 on returning home

A one-off payment to help you resettle in your home country after completing your studies. More on the reality of this amount further down.

Visa and medical costs reimbursed

You usually pay your visa application fee, immigration levy and one immigration medical check up front, then your institution reimburses them when you show the receipts. Police clearance, passport fees, courier costs, travel to medical or visa appointments and visas for dependants are not reimbursed.

The Living Allowance Reality Check

NZ$615 per week sounds generous. And compared to many scholarships, it is. But New Zealand is not a cheap country, and the gap between “sounds good” and “lives well” depends entirely on where you end up and how you manage your money. Here is what NZ$615 per week actually looks like once the bills start arriving.

That remaining NZ$90–280 per week is for everything else: clothing, social life, unexpected expenses, the odd weekend trip. It is enough if you are careful, but you are not going to be living lavishly. Cook at home, share flats, use public transport, and you will be fine. Try to live a solo-apartment, eat-out-every-day lifestyle, and you will run out fast.

What Is NOT Covered

This section matters more than most people expect. Read it carefully before making plans, especially if you have a family.

• Family and dependent travel costs. Flights for your partner or children are not covered.
• Family visa fees. Partner and dependent visa applications cost money. That is on you.
• Family insurance. Your insurance covers you only. Your dependents need their own cover.
• Family accommodation and living expenses. You get one living allowance. A bigger flat, more food, more everything: those extra costs are yours.
• Any costs your partner or children incur. Schooling, childcare, medical expenses for family members.
• Costs beyond basic living. Entertainment, vacation travel, gym memberships, non-essential expenses.

The scholarship provides zero financial support for dependents. This is the single most important financial fact to understand before accepting.

If you are bringing family, every cost for them comes from your pocket or their own resources.

Comparison with Similar Scholarships

How does Manaaki stack up against other major government-funded scholarships? Here is a side-by-side comparison of the key financial components.

Figures are approximate and based on publicly available information; actual amounts vary by programme and country. Manaaki monthly stipend calculated as NZ$615 × 52 ÷ 12; the Australia Awards figure is the 2026 yearly rate ÷ 12. The DAAD figure is the current master’s rate.

Part-Time Work

Can Manaaki scholars work while studying? The short answer is: technically yes, but with conditions.

Immigration New Zealand lets student visa holders work up to 25 hours a week during term, and full time in scheduled holidays. The November 2025 Manaaki policy guidance still says 20 hours, so check the conditions printed on your own visa. Important conditions:

• The Manaaki policy guidance says you must discuss any job with the international scholarship office at your institution first. It may advise you not to work, or to work only a few hours.
• The adult minimum wage in New Zealand from 1 April 2026 is NZ$23.95/hour. At 25 hours per week, that is roughly NZ$599 before tax.
• You must still study full time. The policy guidance strongly discourages working the maximum hours during term, and you get no extension if work makes you fall behind.

Realistically, most scholars find that their academic workload leaves limited time for part-time jobs. A Master’s programme in New Zealand is demanding. If you do work, keep it light during term and save the longer hours for breaks. Do not rely on part-time income to cover basic living costs. Treat it as supplementary money, not a lifeline.

The Reintegration Allowance

NZ$1,000 to restart your life back home, paid once when you return to your home country. That is it.

If you have been away for two to four years, reconnecting with your professional network and settling back in costs far more than this. Rent deposits, new work clothes, transport while job hunting, professional memberships that lapsed — the list goes on. NZ$1,000 helps, but it is not going to cover your reintegration in any meaningful way.

Plan ahead

• Start saving a small amount each month during your scholarship for your return transition.
• Keep your professional network at home warm while you are away. Do not disappear for four years.
• Begin job applications or reconnecting with employers three to six months before your return date.
• Factor in that you may need one to three months of living costs back home before your first paycheck arrives.

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