Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship Guide 2027

What This Scholarship Actually Is

The Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships are funded by the New Zealand government to bring students from developing countries in the Pacific and Asia to study at New Zealand universities. The programme used to go by NZAID, and before that it had a few other names. The rebrand to “Manaaki” happened because the word, from te reo Māori, means to support, to host, and to honour. It signals what New Zealand sees the scholarship as: not charity, but a relationship.

Education New Zealand manages the scholarships on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). That distinction matters. This is not an academic excellence award handed out by universities. It is a foreign aid programme with development objectives baked into every part of the selection process.

They are not looking for the smartest applicant. They are looking for the applicant whose studies will create the most benefit for their home country when they go back.

And you will go back. The scholarship comes with a mandatory two-year return home obligation after you finish your degree. This is not a suggestion or a soft guideline. If you breach it, you owe the New Zealand Government the full cost of your scholarship, unless you clear the debt by going home for two years. The expectation is clear: you study, you gain skills, and you take those skills home to contribute to your country’s development. If your actual plan is to use this scholarship as a migration pathway, this is not the right programme for you.

The coverage itself is genuinely generous: full tuition, a weekly living allowance of NZ$615, return flights, medical and travel insurance, research and thesis costs, and establishment costs when you first arrive. But the process of getting it is genuinely tough. You fill out a long application form, sit a psychometric test that includes abstract reasoning and personality profiling, do a 40-minute video interview with a panel, and then wait six to ten months after applications close for a final decision. More than 15,000 people apply each year. The programme does not publish how many awards it makes, so treat any success rate you see online as an estimate.

The 2026 tertiary round has closed. The next round, for study starting in 2028, runs on the dates below (published by Massey University, one of the approved institutions). Always confirm on the official site before you plan around them.

1. 1
   1 March 2027, midnight NZ time

   Applications open

   The online portal opens and the application questions become visible for the first time.

2. 2
   10 April 2027, midday NZ time

   Applications close

   The portal may close earlier for countries with a large volume of applications, so apply as early as you can.

3. 3
   April–July 2027

   Screening, psychometric test and interviews

   Interviews typically take place between May and July.

4. 4
   Six to ten months after close

   Final decision

   Preferred candidate, reserve list, or unsuccessful.

5. Semester 1, 2028

   Study starts

   The programme aims for scholars to start in semester 1 of the year after they apply.

What This Guide Covers

Every section you need to understand the scholarship and put together a strong application.

Before You Read Further

There are a handful of things worth knowing before you spend time reading the rest of this guide. These come up constantly in forums and Facebook groups, and getting them wrong early wastes months.

• This scholarship is only open to citizens of specific countries. You cannot apply from anywhere in the world. The eligible countries are developing nations in the Pacific and parts of Asia. If your country is not on the list, there is no way to apply regardless of your qualifications or circumstances. Check the eligibility page before doing anything else.
• You do not need a university offer letter to apply. This is one of the biggest misconceptions. You apply to the scholarship first. If you are named a preferred candidate, you then apply for admission to your preferred institution, which contacts you to start the process. Do not waste time and money getting an offer letter before you have even been shortlisted.
• The application form cannot be previewed. The questions on the application form are only visible once the portal opens on 1 March 2027. You cannot see them ahead of time. This guide covers what past applicants have reported about the questions, but the exact wording may change from year to year.
• English test scores are not needed at application time. You do not need to submit an IELTS or TOEFL score with your initial application. Only shortlisted candidates are asked to provide English proficiency evidence later in the process. Do not delay your application because you have not taken the test yet.
• The selection process takes 6 to 10 months. It runs from the April application deadline to the final decision, which may not come until late in the year. There is a long period of silence in between. If you have not heard anything by August or September, that does not mean you have been rejected. Patience is not optional with this scholarship.