The New Zealand-ASEAN Scholars Awards seek to make a substantial contribution to the ASEAN region’s development by providing opportunities for postgraduate study (i.e. Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s degree and doctorate/PhD) in New Zealand. The New Zealand-ASEAN Scholars Awards (NZ-AS) are part of the New Zealand’s official development assistance to the ASEAN region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), through the New Zealand Aid Programme, delivers this scholarship scheme. Under the NZ-AS scheme, up to 50 scholarships per annum are available for Indonesian applicants from a total of 170 scholarships for ASEAN countries.

Themes
The NZ-AS focuses on fields of study in support of Indonesia’s sustainable economic development, especially in the areas of agriculture, renewable energy (especially geothermal energy) and disaster risk management. Candidates should be able to demonstrate how their proposed course of study will contribute to Indonesia’s development strategies and needs.

Targeted Candidates
The New Zealand Aid Programme welcomes applicants from Indonesia who can demonstrate leadership qualities and academic excellence from the public and private sectors including civil society, university lecturers, development-focused organisations and charitable foundations.

Additional priority will be given to applicants with the following backgrounds:

1. Geographic area: Individuals from Eastern Indonesia (West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua). Eastern Indonesia is a geographic area of focus in New Zealand’s bilateral development programme in recognition of the complexity of the development challenges faced within these sub-regions compared to most other parts of the archipelago. The New Zealand Aid Programme has had a longstanding association with Eastern Indonesia and we believe it is important to continue that commitment through developing human capital needs so the sub-region can progress and make the most of the opportunities that exist in these provinces for development.
2. Government departments: Individuals from the Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry, Mineral Resources and Energy, and Marine Resources and Fisheries (including relevant research institutions under those Ministries); Environment; Tourism; Education; Foreign Affairs; National Police; National Agency for Planning and Development; Ministry of Defence (civilian officials); and National Agency for Disaster Management.

Scholarships Benefits
Return air travel, full tuition fees, an establishment allowance upon arrival in New Zealand, a living allowance to cover day to day costs, medical and travel insurance.

Where you can study
You can study at any of New Zealand’s eight universities, ie: Auckland University of Technology (AUT); Lincoln University; Massey University; University of Auckland; University of Canterbury; University of Otago; Victoria University of Wellington and University of Waikato; plus Unitec Institute of Technology.

General Eligibility Criteria

• be a citizen of Indonesia and have resided in Indonesia for at least two years at the time of application;
• not have citizenship/permanent residence status for New Zealand, Australia or another developed country^[1], and not be married or engaged to be married to a person who holds citizenship or permanent residence status of New Zealand, Australia or another developed country;
• not hold or have held a New Zealand Government or Australia Government scholarship in the preceding 24 months at the time of application;
• preferably be under 40 years of age at the time of application for Master’s and under 45 years of age for doctorate/PhD study;
• not be seeking support for a degree programme already commenced;
• not hold a qualification at a similar level or in a similar field of study at similar level (this means holders of bachelor’s degrees should apply for Master’s or PhD study, and Master’s graduates should apply for PhD study);
• English Language requirements^[2]: have a minimum IELTS (academic) results of 5.5 overall, with no band less than 5.0 or a TOEFL score of more than 513 (result to be no older than 24 months at time of application and international test result preferred;
• be available to take up the scholarship in the calendar year for which the scholarship is offered;
• hold a bachelor’s degree of strong academic merit that is relevant to the proposed postgraduate qualification (note: the New Zealand Aid Programme gives preference to those candidates who hold degrees from Indonesian institutions rather than from a developed country);
• have a minimum of two years’ work experience;
• be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to Indonesia’s public sector and/or private sector and/or community sector (as relevant), and to the development of Indonesia in general;
• satisfy the admission requirements of the New Zealand institution in which the degree programme is to be undertaken (including English language criteria);
• satisfy New Zealand Government immigration requirements for international student entry to New Zealand (such as medical and character checks).
• Women candidates are encouraged to apply.

[1] A developed country is defined as a country not included on the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee’s list of aid recipients.

[2] As a general guideline, most New Zealand education institutions require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.0 for postgraduate level study. For the International TOEFL score required 575 with a TWE of 5; or 250 on the computer-based test; or 90 on the internet-based test with a writing score of 20. Some postgraduate qualifications may require a higher score.

Selection Criteria
Strong academic merit; demonstrated professional and personal leadership attributes; demonstrated developmental benefits to Indonesia; consideration of balance between public and private/civil society sectors, gender and geographical spread and fit with the objectives of the Indonesia-New Zealand bilateral development cooperation programme.

Application and Selection process

• applicants must indentify their desired university and course, and should assess their likelihood of meeting the university’s entry requirements before submitting their scholarship applications;
• applicants are required to submit two applications completed in English (one original and one copy) to PT Austraining Nusantara (PTAN). PhD candidates must also include evidence of correspondence with a potential supervisor^[3]. If a letter of offer has already been received from the university, this should also be submitted^[4] with the scholarship application;
• applications will be assessed and a shortlist will be drawn up for consideration by a selection committee in Indonesia. Candidates might be contacted for an interview;
• a final decision will be made regarding the selection of candidates;
• successful candidates will be informed of the outcome and a formal letter will be sent to those selected for a NZ-AS scholarship.

[3] This correspondence evidence could be in email format.

[4] Applicants from outside Eastern Indonesia suggested to attach a letter of offer from desired New Zealand universities.

Timeframe

• 22 April 2013 | Closing date for applications to be submitted to PTAN
• May – September 2013 | Initial shortlisting of candidates (in consultation with NZ Universities and NZ Embassy)
• September - October 2013 | Final shortlisting and selection Process (including interviews)
• November 2013 | Final decision made on selection of candidates
• November - December 2013 | Successful candidates informed and letter of offer sent out
• January 2014 | Pre-departure briefing | English language training commences (for successful candidates who require additional ELT)
• February or June 2014 | Departure for New Zealand

Contact for further information
Managing Service Contractor for New Zealand ASEAN Scholar Awards in Indonesia:

PT. Austraining Nusantara (PTAN)
PO Box 1808
JKP 10018
Tel: 021 5292 0810
Fax: 021-5292 0818
Email: nzas.info@cbn.net.id
Website:www.nzembassy.com/indonesia
Facebook:www.facebook.com/nzembassyindonesia

• New Zealand ASEAN Scholars Awards
• Undergraduate Scholarships for ASEAN Students, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
• Newcastle University ASEAN Scholarship for Indonesia, UK
• ASEAN Scholarships for Indonesia by Ministry of Education, Singapore
• International Scholarship 2010-2011 to Study Bahasa Indonesia
• ASEAN Graduate Scholarship, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Postgraduate Scholarship in Classical Piano Performance, New Zealand School of Music
• Patricia Pratt Scholarship in Musical Performance, Massey University, New Zealand
• ASEAN-Korean Youths Asian Cross-Cultural Exploration (ACCE) Camp Programme
• ASEAN Master Scholarships, University of Nottingham, UK

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the above information is current and correct. However, applicants should contact the appropriate administering body before making an application, as details do change frequently.