New Zealand increases PH Manaaki postgraduate scholarship slots to 44
The Manaaki scholarship program is "a core part" of New Zealand's development cooperation program in the Philippines, Ambassador Dr. Catherine McIntosh (center) said on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/GMA Integrated News
The New Zealand Embassy will be increasing the Philippines' slots for the New Zealand Manaaki Scholarship Programme to 44, up from 16 in 2023.
In a media roundtable event at Makati City on Tuesday, New Zealand Ambassador Dr. Catherine McIntosh explained that the Manaaki program was the country's investment in people to 'build a sustainable future' for the Philippines.
'It's a core part of our development cooperation program here in the Philippines, that we're wanting to invest in people who are passionate about returning to the Philippines and reinvesting in their communities, in their towns, and in skills that match the human resource and development needs of the Philippines,' said McIntosh.
Most of the previous Manaaki slots have been granted to students from Mindanao, a 'priority region' for New Zealand.
The new mandate for an increase in slots was part of New Zealand government's efforts in late 2023 to boost foreign relations with Southeast Asia.
'It is very much part of the uplift in our cooperation and partnership with Southeast Asian countries, key countries like the Philippines, both from a foreign policy perspective but also the development outcomes we're wanting to seek together,' McIntosh said.
Aspiring Manaaki scholars would have to undergo a rigorous and competitive application process in which they would be assessed based on leadership potential, development impact, academic merit, region, and focal courses.
After graduation, Manaaki scholars would have to return to the country through applications of 'renewable energy, good governance, climate, resilience, food security and renewable energy' for two years.
Scholars would then have the option to pursue continue their careers or academic journey in New Zealand, or remain in the country.
'It's really building on New Zealand's strengths and then matching how young people can serve their communities… More than academic merit and then their articulation skills, the narrative by which their scholarship can read down to their communities is a very important narrative for the New Zealand Scholarship Program,' said New Zealand International Development Cooperation Manila Manager Dyan Mabunga Rodriguez. — BM, GMA Integrated News
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