14 May 2025 at 10:00 am
Announcing the recipients of the Welcome to New Zealand Scholarships
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) is thrilled to share the successful completion of our Welcome to New Zealand Scholarship campaign, which ran in Europe from October 2024 to February 2025.
The initiative was warmly received across Germany, Italy, and France, where it was promoted with the goal of encouraging students to experience the world-class education and unforgettable lifestyle that New Zealand has to offer.
As part of the campaign, we offered four scholarships, each valued at 5,000 EUR to go toward tuition fees at New Zealand secondary schools or tertiary institutions. These scholarships were designed to support talented and passionate students on their journey to study abroad.
A key highlight of the campaign was our collaboration with Air New Zealand, who will generously sponsor return flights for the scholarship recipients. Their support played a pivotal role in making the dream of studying in New Zealand even more accessible for the winners.
The scholarship attracted over 200 applications – with a majority coming from Germany, followed by Italy and France.
During the campaign period, there were 19,965 total views on the Welcome to New Zealand Scholarship page on the Study with New Zealand website.
The campaign generated 172 lead enquiries to New Zealand providers (118 enquiries from Germany, 47 enquiries from France and 7 from Italy). These enquiries are sent straight on to the education providers so they can directly engage with the prospective student on their study interests.
Meet the recipients
Germany
The scholarship winner from Germany is 16-year-old Manuel Fink, from Unterhaching (near Munich).
Manuel will be heading to Te Puke High School, where he’ll immerse himself in both the academic and cultural experience of studying in New Zealand.
A passionate advocate for New Zealand and its education system already, Manuel has his sights set on becoming a pilot — ideally flying for Air New Zealand one day!
Our tertiary scholarship recipient from Germany is currently finalising their enrolment, and we look forward to announcing their name once the process is complete.
Italy
Our Italian scholarship recipient is 16-year-old Lea Sagliaschi from Milan. Lea will be attending Selwyn College and is full of excitement for what she describes as a “once-in-a-lifetime adventure” in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Unfortunately, no recipient could be selected from France this year due to a lack of eligible applications — however, the ENZ Europe team remains committed to engaging with prospective students in the French market and looks forward to stronger participation in future campaigns.
ENZ Associate Director of Engagement Europe, Olga Elli, said the campaign raised great awareness of New Zealand’s education system in European priority markets and opened the door to new experiences and opportunities for winners.
“We look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to share the unique value of a New Zealand education with European students and partners,” she said.