Support for Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia and Latin America recipients to continue to June 2026 

The Prime Minister’s Scholarships programme was discontinued, and its funding reprioritised in the latest Government Budget 2025.   

The decision to discontinue the programme is in line with the Government’s priority to deliver effective and fiscally sustainable public services and the need to focus on core activities in the current constrained fiscal environment.   

The change takes effect from 1 July 2025. The decision will not impact any of the scholarships’ current recipients or recipients of the final group round, who were confirmed in June.   

ENZ will continue to support current recipients, including those who are yet to travel overseas to 30 June 2026.   

Since their inception in 2013 and 2016, respectively, the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia and Latin America have been among ENZ’s significant, transformative and impactful programmes of work. To date, the programme has awarded 3,991 scholarships that have helped New Zealanders not only deepen their understanding of different cultures and languages but also enrich appreciation for their own culture and place in the world.   

ENZ’s Group General Manager, International Marketing, Brand and Scholarships, Anna Gestro, said the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia and Latin America have had a truly positive impact for building New Zealand’s connections in two key global regions.   

“To date, the programme has awarded 3,991 scholarships that have helped New Zealanders deepen their understanding of new cultures and languages and enriched appreciation for their own culture and place in the world.   

“The programme leaves a rich legacy through its rich and diverse alumni, who will continue to be global citizens in the way they nourish the connections and learnings picked up from their life-changing experiences from the scholarships,” Anna said.