Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships 2027: Eligible Countries, Benefits and Deadline

Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships are the New Zealand Government’s fully funded awards for students from partner developing countries. They pay full tuition, a weekly living allowance of NZ$615, flights, insurance and a NZ$3,000 establishment allowance for a degree at a New Zealand university or institute of technology. The catch for many readers is eligibility: the tertiary scholarship is now open only to citizens of listed Pacific and Asian countries, and no African country is on the current list.

The 2026 round closed at midday on 31 March 2026. Massey University, one of the host universities, lists the next window as 1 March to 10 April 2027, so the deadline you are working towards is 10 April 2027. Below I cover who can apply, what the money covers, how the application works country by country, and what African and other non-listed applicants can apply for instead.

Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships at a glance

Which countries are eligible for Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships?

Older articles, including the scholars4dev page that still has “Africans” and “Latin Americans” in its web address, describe Manaaki as open to Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. That was true some years ago. The tertiary scholarship list now covers only these countries:

To put it plainly: if you hold the passport of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt or any other African country, you cannot apply for a Manaaki tertiary scholarship in the current cycle. The same goes for Latin America, the Caribbean, India and most of the Middle East. Holding residence in an eligible country does not help, because eligibility follows citizenship and the two-year home residence rule.

What Africans can still get from New Zealand

New Zealand still runs Manaaki short-term training scholarships for African professionals. These are short professional courses with no degree attached. The current calls list 22 African countries: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

If you want a full degree, look at the alternatives table further down. The Australia Awards in particular still accept applicants from a long list of African countries.

What the Manaaki scholarship covers

A full scholarship pays for the following, based on Massey University’s summary of the current terms and the Manaaki Policy Handbook:

• Full tuition fees for the approved programme.
• Living allowance of NZ$615 per week, paid for the length of the award.
• Establishment allowance of NZ$3,000, paid once to help with set-up costs such as bond, bedding and books.
• Medical and travel insurance for the whole period.
• Return flights at the start and end of the scholarship, plus a trip home for scholars on programmes longer than about 1.6 years.
• Research and thesis support for many postgraduate students.
• Tutoring of up to NZ$1,000 where needed, and a NZ$1,000 reintegration allowance when you go home.

Costs the scholarship does not cover

• Family costs: partners and children are not funded. A partner may get a work visa for the length of your study, according to the University of Auckland, but you pay their flights, visa and living costs.
• English tests before shortlisting: some countries have the test paid by Education New Zealand, others pay first and are refunded on arrival if selected.
• Rent in Auckland and Wellington: NZ$615 a week goes a long way in Palmerston North or Dunedin, less so in central Auckland, so budget before you rank universities.

Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships eligibility rules

Once your country is on the list, these are the rules that knock most applicants out:

1. Age: at least 18 when the scholarship starts. Samoan scholars may start at 17. There is no upper limit, though applicants under 40 are preferred for tertiary study.
2. Home residence: you must have lived in your home country for the two years before you start. Diplomats posted abroad for their own government, and their dependants, are exempt.
3. Work experience: postgraduate and mature undergraduate applicants need one year of full-time work (30 hours or more a week) or two years of part-time work. Paid, unpaid and volunteer work all count.
4. Subject fit: your course should match your country’s recommended study areas, which are published per country. Common ones are renewable energy, agriculture, disaster risk management and public sector development.
5. Entry requirements: you must meet the university’s own admission rules, but you do not apply to the university until you are told you are a preferred candidate.
6. Development commitment: you agree to contribute to your country’s social or economic development for two years after you finish.

English language scores (if shortlisted)

You do not need a score to apply. Shortlisted applicants must provide one of these general minimums, and individual universities may ask for more:

A medium of instruction letter is not accepted for Manaaki. Our guide to scholarships in New Zealand without IELTS covers the university awards where other proof of English works.

How to apply for Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships

The route depends on your country. Most Asian and Pacific applicants use the online portal linked from nzscholarships.govt.nz, while some Pacific countries apply through their own government. The general sequence is:

1. Check your country page: confirm eligibility, the levels offered and the recommended subjects for your country.
2. Choose your programmes: pick from the list of participating institutions and read each entry requirement before you name a course on the form.
3. PhD only, contact supervisors: email possible supervisors early. Interviewees must show they have one or are in active talks.
4. Gather documents: passport or national ID, degree certificates and transcripts, proof of work experience, and referee details. Scan each to a clear PDF.
5. Write the development answers: the form asks how your study links to your work and your country’s needs.
6. Submit early: Unisa’s guidance for an earlier round advised submitting 3 to 10 days before the close to avoid portal problems. The portal shuts at 12:00 pm New Zealand time.
7. Shortlisting and English test: shortlisted applicants sit an English test and may be interviewed. Interviews have usually run between May and July.
8. University application and offer: preferred candidates apply for admission, then receive a Letter of Offer from the New Zealand Government.
9. Visa: scholars apply for the New Zealand Aid Programme student visa through Immigration New Zealand.

Writing the development answers

Manaaki is a development programme, so selectors read your answers asking one question: will this person go home and use this degree in the sector they already work in? Answers that talk about career growth in general tend to fall flat. A structure that works:

• Start with your job and a real problem: what you do now and one gap you see in your workplace or sector.
• Link the course to that gap: name two or three modules or a research area and say what each gives you.
• Show the return plan: where you will work for the two years after, and what you will change there.
• Tie it to your country’s priority list: if your country lists renewable energy and you work in rural electrification, say so in those words.

An opening I would be happy with reads like this: “For four years I have managed small solar grids for 12 villages in Battambang, and two of them fail every dry season because no one locally can size batteries properly.” It gives the selector your job, your place and a problem in one sentence.

Common mistakes

• Applying from a non-listed country because a blog said “Africa is eligible”. The portal checks citizenship first.
• Choosing a course outside your country’s recommended subjects without explaining the link.
• Counting study years as work experience. Internships during a degree rarely meet the full-time test.
• Leaving PhD supervisor contact until after shortlisting.
• Submitting on the last morning and missing the midday New Zealand cut-off, which is late evening the day before in much of Asia.

Key dates for the 2027 round

The 2026 round closed on 31 March 2026. The 2027 dates above come from Massey University’s Manaaki page; Education New Zealand had not posted country dates when I checked on 25 October 2026, and some Pacific countries (Samoa in particular) run on a different calendar, so confirm on your country page when the call opens.

Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships compared with similar awards

If your country is not on the Manaaki list, these government awards are the closest match:

Who should apply and who shouldn’t

Apply if you are a citizen of one of the listed Pacific or Asian countries, you have at least a year of relevant work, and you plan to keep working at home in the same field. Skip it if you are from Africa, Latin America or the Caribbean, if you want to settle in New Zealand after study, or if you are already enrolled in a New Zealand programme. In those cases your time is better spent on the alternatives above.

Frequently asked questions

Can Nigerians or other Africans apply for Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships?

Not for degrees in the current cycle. The tertiary list covers only Pacific and Asian countries. Africans can apply for Manaaki short-term training courses, such as the geothermal course closing on 6 December 2026.

How much is the Manaaki living allowance?

NZ$615 per week, plus a one-off NZ$3,000 establishment allowance, full tuition, flights and insurance.

Do I need IELTS to apply for the Manaaki scholarship?

Not to apply. You need IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic or Cambridge only if you are shortlisted, at 6.5 IELTS (no band under 6.0) for postgraduate study.

What is the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship deadline for 2027?

10 April 2027 at 12:00 pm New Zealand time, with the portal opening on 1 March 2027, according to Massey University. Check your country page for any different local date.

Sources and updates

Checked on 25 October 2026 against the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships site at nzscholarships.govt.nz (eligibility, English requirements, application process and the Policy Handbook), Massey University’s Manaaki page (2027 window, allowances), the University of Auckland and Victoria University of Wellington Manaaki pages, the Manaaki short-term training site for Africa (course dates and eligible African countries), and Unisa’s notice for an earlier round. The scholars4dev listing still names the provider as NZAID, an agency merged into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2009, and its web address suggests African eligibility that no longer applies. This post will be updated when Education New Zealand publishes the 2027 country dates.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.